Microsolidarity Crew

What it is

A microsolidarity crew is a small, committed group that meets often enough to actually know each other and stays together long enough to weather things. It is consciously built where extended family and tight neighborhoods used to do this work by default. It is not therapy, not a book club, not a board, not a friendship. It is closer to what older traditions called a circle, a cell, or a chosen family.

The work of the crew is mutual support: peer listening, practical help, accountability. The structure is light. The commitment is real.

Why it works

Modern life atomizes people. You may have a hundred acquaintances and no one who knows what's actually going on for you this month. A crew that meets every few weeks with structure, even simple structure, builds the kind of knowing that turns into real support over time.

The size matters. Three to six is small enough that everyone gets time and is missed when absent. Larger groups dilute the intimacy that makes it work.

What you need

• Time: 1 to 2 hours per meeting, monthly or biweekly. Plus light check-ins in between.
• People: 3 to 6 people with baseline trust and willingness to be vulnerable.
• Space: A quiet room, in-person or video, where people can speak freely.
• Materials: Minimal. A timer is useful. A shared note for action items if you want.
• Skills: Listening, asking good questions, comfort with vulnerability, ability to not fix.
• Energy level: Moderate. Emotionally demanding but not logistically heavy.

How to host it

1. Pick 3 or 4 people to invite. People you already trust at some level and want to know better. Don't try to assemble strangers. Don't invite anyone you'd be performing for.
2. Propose a time-bounded experiment. Four to six meetings over three to four months. This lowers the stakes. People say yes to experiments who would say no to commitments.
3. Set the rhythm. Pick a day and time you can repeat. Same place if possible. Predictability does a lot of the work.
4. Use the Case Clinic format for meetings. Each meeting, one person takes the focused time:

• 10 minutes: they describe a real situation, challenge, or decision they're sitting with.
• 10 minutes: the group asks clarifying questions (no advice yet).
• 15 minutes: the group offers perspectives or what they're noticing while the person listens silently.
• 10 minutes: the person reflects on what was useful and what wasn't.
• 5 minutes: simple closing round.

1. Rotate who takes the focus. Over your first six meetings, everyone should get a turn. Track it.
2. After the experiment, hold a retrospective. Did this work? Is it worth continuing? If yes, decide what changes: frequency, format, whether to add anyone.
3. Slowly add other rhythms. Co-working sessions. Quarterly longer meetings. A weekend retreat once a year. Skill-shares. Practical mutual aid (meals when someone's sick, brainstorming during a crisis).
4. Stay small. A crew of 6 has more depth than a crew of 12. If you want to grow, grow by spawning a second crew, not by inflating the first.

Variations

Online crew. Video meetings only. Works across distance. Tighter time discipline is needed.

Theme crew. A crew formed around shared identity or situation: new parents, queer elders, people leaving a religious community, people in recovery, people starting businesses. Shared context deepens trust faster.

Multi-crew. A "congregation" of 3 to 10 crews that share occasional events while each crew maintains its own meetings. See Richard Bartlett's *Congregation: 8 Design Patterns for Gathering* if you want to think at this scale.

Stories from neighborhoods

Richard Bartlett developed microsolidarity after years in cooperative and decentralized organizations. His writings at microsolidarity.cc are the most thorough open-source guide to this practice.

A documented crew of four. Two teachers, a nurse, a freelancer. They started meeting after one experienced burnout and isolation. Began with case clinics, quickly moved to practical mutual aid: meals when someone's parent got sick, brainstorming sessions for a work crisis, accountability for starting a business. By year two they were co-working monthly and had become each other's primary support system. Several said it was as meaningful as therapy but more tailored to their actual lives.

Where to learn more

• The practitioner: Richard Bartlett at Microsolidarity.cc
• Deeper companion practice: [The Reciprocity Game](./reciprocity-game.md)
• Adjacent recipes: [Mutual Aid Pod](./mutual-aid-pod.md), [Men's Council](./mens-council.md)

Details

• steps: **Pick 3 or 4 people to invite.** People you already trust at some level and want to know better. Don't try to assemble strangers. Don't invite anyone you'd be performing for., **Propose a time-bounded experiment.** Four to six meetings over three to four months. This lowers the stakes. People say yes to experiments who would say no to commitments., **Set the rhythm.** Pick a day and time you can repeat. Same place if possible. Predictability does a lot of the work., **Use the Case Clinic format for meetings.** Each meeting, one person takes the focused time: - 10 minutes: they describe a real situation, challenge, or decision they're sitting with. - 10 minutes: the group asks clarifying questions (no advice yet). - 15 minutes: the group offers perspectives or what they're noticing while the person listens silently. - 10 minutes: the person reflects on what was useful and what wasn't. - 5 minutes: simple closing round., **Rotate who takes the focus.** Over your first six meetings, everyone should get a turn. Track it., **After the experiment, hold a retrospective.** Did this work? Is it worth continuing? If yes, decide what changes: frequency, format, whether to add anyone., **Slowly add other rhythms.** Co-working sessions. Quarterly longer meetings. A weekend retreat once a year. Skill-shares. Practical mutual aid (meals when someone's sick, brainstorming during a crisis)., **Stay small.** A crew of 6 has more depth than a crew of 12. If you want to grow, grow by spawning a second crew, not by inflating the first.
• file path: recipes/02-small-groups-for-support/microsolidarity-crew.md
• variations: **Online crew.** Video meetings only. Works across distance. Tighter time discipline is needed. **Theme crew.** A crew formed around shared identity or situation: new parents, queer elders, people leaving a religious community, people in recovery, people starting businesses. Shared context deepens trust faster. **Multi-crew.** A "congregation" of 3 to 10 crews that share occasional events while each crew maintains its own meetings. See Richard Bartlett's *[Congregation: 8 Design Patterns for Gathering](https://medium.com/microsolidarity/congregation-how-to-ffe35c65d70)* if you want to think at this scale.
• ingredients: {"time":"1 to 2 hours per meeting, monthly or biweekly. Plus light check-ins in between.","space":"A quiet room, in-person or video, where people can speak freely.","people":"3 to 6 people with baseline trust and willingness to be vulnerable.","skills":"Listening, asking good questions, comfort with vulnerability, ability to not fix.","materials":"Minimal. A timer is useful. A shared note for action items if you want.","energy_level":"Moderate. Emotionally demanding but not logistically heavy."}
• where to learn more: - The practitioner: [Richard Bartlett at Microsolidarity.cc](https://www.microsolidarity.cc/practices/how-you-can-get-started) - Deeper companion practice: [The Reciprocity Game](./reciprocity-game.md) - Adjacent recipes: [Mutual Aid Pod](./mutual-aid-pod.md), [Men's Council](./mens-council.md)
• stories from neighborhoods: **Richard Bartlett** developed microsolidarity after years in cooperative and decentralized organizations. His writings at [microsolidarity.cc](https://www.microsolidarity.cc/) are the most thorough open-source guide to this practice. **A documented crew of four.** Two teachers, a nurse, a freelancer. They started meeting after one experienced burnout and isolation. Began with case clinics, quickly moved to practical mutual aid: meals when someone's parent got sick, brainstorming sessions for a work crisis, accountability for starting a business. By year two they were co-working monthly and had become each other's primary support system. Several said it was as meaningful as therapy but more tailored to their actual lives.