A Wake Up Hub is a community living centre where young people of Wake Up age (approximately 18 to 35 years old) can live, work and practise together to provide a safe place where young urbanites can take refuge away from their busy lives. It is a mindful business model that does not emphasis in money making, profit, and status (the usual corporate model), but one that allows young people to live simply and in harmony to serve their community and society.
In the words of Monastic Brother Phap Dung from Plum Village during the first Wake Up webinar on Sunday, 6th March 2016:
In 50 years, there will be more people in need of a place to recharge and find freshness in their heart in order to continue what they need to do, which is fierce. It could be political and nonviolent, of course, but it requires a lot of struggling. We will need a lot of places that bring us back to build our community. We see that romantic idea of having a refuge in the mountains like a “walden pond” which is great, but a lot of action happens in the city. It’s nice that we have a monastery like Plum Village in France, Blue Cliff Monastery in New York, or Deer Park Monastery in California, but not everyone can come because it is far.
We need to find a new model. We need more “walden ponds” in the cities. It’s really in alignment with Wake Up. Young people can’t afford to go to retreats but with technology they can sustain, so we need to look into building urban centres like Wake Up hubs. We’ll come up with something like places in the city where young people, active people and activists, or people who do social work. Doing social work can be draining, or doing any type work such as organising retreats. We can get stressed out, and we need to find a way to be still. It’s a calling for young Wake Uppers or communities in the world to please begin to brainstorm on how we can do this. Make it realistic, financially and functionally.
My dream is to have a urban center right in the middle of Los Angeles. There’s a vegetarian restaurant and across the street, we have a lot to use as a farm where communities can come and form. That’s one model. And the second and third floor can be used for yoga or rooms, where they can be rented out to have workshops. It won’t be run like a business but like a Sangha. The whole Sangha would have ownership and have ways to make their living. They can actually live there. The new model of architecture now is to build mixed use where you live and work. There’s a new movement to mix those things, whereas it was separated before. We had to drive or take public transportation to places. This is kind of a challenge for our time to make more places in the city where we can keep ourselves sane.
If you would prefer to watch the part where Brother Phap Dung discusses about this, you can watch it below. It lasts about two minutes. 🙂
Right now, groups of Wake Up friends in Paris, France; Los Angeles and San Diego, USA; and London, England are looking for young people (ages 20-35ish) who are interested in getting involved in setting up Wake Up Hubs as we are in the preliminary stages of writing business plans to establish them in these urban cities. If you would like to get in touch with Wake Up friends in one of these cities, you can reach us at info[at]wakeuphubs[dot]org.
If you would like to establish a Wake Up Hub in your hometown:
- If you are not practising with a Wake Up Sangha, we recommend to first establish a thriving Wake Up Sangha or join a local Wake Up Sangha or local all-ages Sangha. We see the Wake Up Hub as a natural growth and evolution of a local Wake Up Sangha.
- If you are practising with an established Wake Up Sangha, reach out to other Wake Up Sanghas and all-ages Sanghas near you to see who shares your vision of forming a Wake Up Hub. Then reach us at info[at]wakeuphubs[dot]org for more advice and to stay connected. 😀