the Iconocast: Jonathan Moyer (episode 28)

In this episode, Joanna and Mark interview Jonathan Moyer, co-founder of the Groupee.

The Groupee system is an alternative medium of exchange created by a community of Mennonites in Denver, Colorado for the broader church. The Groupee is a wooden token that is exchangeable for the time, labor and materials of other members of the community to facilitate mutual support. The Groupee system creates space for members of the Groupee Community to ask for and receive help. It embeds a piece of community productivity in an alternative to standard society and state-based mediums of exchange that have roots in violence and often promote the misappropriation of surplus value. The Groupee is rooted in an Anabaptist understanding of stewardship, community, social-justice and peacemaking.

Jonathan Moyer is a dissertation level PhD candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. His research focus is on the future of interstate relations, and emphasizes both domestic and dyadic conflict. His dissertation explores future trends and pressures on international conflict (global power transition, climate change, demographic shifts, state failure and peak oil). Jonathan also retains an interest in event data models of instability, and co-created the news aggregating site BuzzChurn.com

If you’d like to explore starting something like the Groupee in your community, you can contact Jonathan at jonathanmoyer [at] gmail.com

For more information about the Groupee, visit theGroupee.com or check them out on Facebook.