About Us

The Sharehood aims to build joyful, sustainable and resilient communities by encouraging people to get to know their neighbours and share with them. We imagine a world of vibrant local communities where people share to meet their needs and help others do the same.

We want to contribute to active, inclusive and environmentally sustainable communities where resources are shared locally. This will means less production, less consumption and less transportation - all of which are good for the environment.

And of course sharing will save you money. The Sharehood also incorporates an alternative currency which can be used for bigger trades with the aim of creating local non-exploitative community economies.

We hope to change the way people interact with each other and we're only just beginning to do that. Please get in touch if you want to have a chat, or if you'd like to get involved. Feedback, constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome. The Sharehood is here to be shaped by its community.

We have also regularly been featured in the media.

History

The Sharehood began in September 2008 in Northcote, an inner north suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Theo Kitchener delivered a letter inviting 250 of his neighbours to create a local community and share household goods, skillshare with each other, and get to know one another. Theo then developed the beginnings of this website. Since then, we have grown into a small collective and have become an incorporated not-for-profit association.

Media attention has been increasing, including an article in Adbusters and an article in The Sunday Age. We're now more proactive about getting media attention and promoting ourselves, we've redesigned the site, and are constantly adding to and updating the content and programming new features. We're learning more about community development by consulting with those in existing hoods and community development workers and putting together resources on the site about ways we can help communities grow.

There are now over twenty 'hoods' operating mainly in Melbourne, but also around Australia and the world. The Sharehood is going global and if you're interested in helping spread the Sharehood in your city or region please let us know as we want to get regional groups started everywhere and anywhere.

The Sharehood Collective

The Sharehood is mostly run by a collective of volunteers although we have one employee working one day a week. The collective meets regularly and anyone is welcome to come along and get involved.

A big thanks goes to all those who have helped us get to where we are!