Damon Orion
Damon Orion is a writer, journalist, musician, artist, and teacher in Santa Cruz, California. His work has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Spirituality + Health, Classic Rock, and other publications. Read more of his work at DamonOrion.com.
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This one-year program provides transitional employment, job training, and housing resources for people experiencing homelessness.
How the custom steel fabrication and design company Crucible built a “gravel road” for other Montana worker co-ops to follow.
These interactive books and events encourage fresh perspectives on long-standing social systems.
Ninety percent of all communes dissolve early on. How has this Missouri collective been making it work since 2005?
Promotoras Activas SF provides crucial social services for households in need.
By Damon Orion | Local Peace Economy Project | July 7, 2024
Time banking is easing financial strain and promoting societal health.
This Greenfield, Massachusetts collective fights housing insecurity and promotes racial, environmental, and economic justice.
By Damon Orion in Economy
How coders are working on creating community participation and democratic design.
By Damon Orion in Technology
The #LetUsBreathe Collective offers a hub for art, activism, and healing to those impacted by mass incarceration.
This consortium of community-based organizations is working toward decolonization and economic democracy.
The Fireweed Collective offers online and in-person healing.
By Damon Orion
Truly independent cinema is alive and well in North America. Here’s why it matters.
“We have power. They’re afraid of us,” says politician-turned-talk-radio-personality “Arnie” Arnesen.
This “relational facilitator” training team explores the intersection of spirituality and justice work.
By Damon Orion | Local Peace Economy Project | February 12, 2025
Sankofa Village Arkansas is building an “intentional community centering Black healing, liberation, and regeneration.”
As governmental authoritarianism intensifies, citizens “double down on democracy” through the participatory model.
The Community Enterprise and Solidarity Clinic is part of a growing mutual aid movement in Chicago, Illinois.
By Damon Orion in Economy | February 3, 2025
Wiki sites are at the forefront of a shift toward decentralized information sharing.
For growing numbers of media companies, employee ownership offers journalistic freedom and job stability.
These online resources hold crucial information on history, social issues, and activism.
Making the best use of a building to support a thriving community network.
These scholars are fighting the rampant exploitation and high article processing charges in traditional academic publishing.
Grassroots organizations are helping rebuild North Carolina communities after Hurricane Helene.
By Damon Orion in Economy
Local radio stations and digital networks of independents are keeping “human-driven, anti-algorithm expression” alive.
This Petersburgh, New York, organization fights racial injustice in the food system.
The worker-owned collective ChiCommons helps Chicago residents find local mutual aid-based organizations.
By Damon Orion in Economy
Houston’s Pet Care Co-op empowers humans and helps animals survive.
By Damon Orion in Animals
Latino community members in Southern California use the tanda system for mutual financial support.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s AORTA helps organizations restructure for greater equity.
Nature schools are taking education outside the box.
This all-ages education center reminds us that “we are a part of this earth, not apart from it.”
When COVID-19 hit, U.S. bookshops were an endangered species. Olympia, Washington’s largest independent bookstore survived by embracing the co-op model.
By Damon Orion in Media
Bike co-ops uphold a tradition of self-empowerment through cycling.
Institutions like New York City’s Museum of Food and Drink are making food literacy fun.
Formed in the early 1930s, this Tennessee institution is still fighting for social and racial justice.
By Damon Orion in Education
The North Missoula Community Development Corporation brings permanent affordable housing to Montana.
Public affairs podcasts are an antidote to short-form news consumption and soundbite-oriented cable news broadcasts.
These book-sharing boxes promote literacy and strengthen communities.
More about this author
Damon Orion is a writer, journalist, editor, musician, artist, and teacher in Santa Cruz, California. His work has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Spirituality + Health, Classic Rock, and other publications. Read more of his work at DamonOrion.com.