Community Project Circles are the core operational, self-governing units within the Platform One framework. They are where community-led initiatives take shape, decisions are made, and practical work is carried out by the community itself.
Project Circles hold authority over their own initiatives. They design their own pathways and operate with values-aligned independence — within the protections and governance conditions of the Platform One framework.
Platform One provides the governance backbone.
Community Project Circles provide leadership, creativity, and practical action.
What Community Project Circles Are
A Community Project Circle (CPC) is a self-managing, values-aligned group responsible for developing and operating a specific community-led initiative.
Each Circle:
- governs itself internally using consent-based decision practice
- leads the design and delivery of its own initiative
- builds participation and capability within the community
- forms and manages partnerships in non-extractive, community-first ways
- operates transparently, with reporting to Trustees limited to alignment, integrity, and risk (not direction or approval)
- upholds Platform One’s values, ethics, and charitable purpose
Each Circle maintains its own identity and leadership while remaining connected to Platform One’s governance safeguards.
Why Circles Matter
Community Project Circles keep Platform One nimble, community-led, and grounded in lived experience.
Instead of centralised control, leadership sits with those closest to the work. This structure ensures:
- decisions are made where knowledge, experience, and community voice are strongest
- initiatives grow at a pace aligned with community capacity and values
- governance remains supportive and protective, not directive
- innovation is encouraged while integrity and alignment are safeguarded
- each domain (energy, food, housing, water, wellbeing, data, resilience, etc.) evolves its own pathway
Circles translate Platform One’s governance framework into real-world, community-led practice.
Relationship With Trustees
Trustees do not direct Community Project Circle activity.
Their role is to:
- safeguard values and kaupapa
- ensure alignment with the Trust Deed
- hold legal and fiduciary stewardship
- maintain independence and prevent external capture
- protect the long-term operating conditions within which Circles function
Circles lead the work.
Trustees protect the environment that makes the work possible.
Sub-Circles
Sub-Circles are optional working groups formed within a Community Project Circle when specialised or intensive work is required.
Examples include:
- Data & Ethics Sub-Circle
- Privacy & AI Sub-Circle
- Engagement Sub-Circle
- Resilience Support Sub-Circle
Sub-Circles:
- add capability without adding bureaucracy
- keep the main Circle focused while handling complexity
- remain accountable to their parent Circle
- dissolve when no longer needed
Current Community Project Circles
WE Share Community Power
WE Share Community Power is an example of a community-led initiative operating as a Community Project Circle within the Platform One framework.
It illustrates how community-led initiatives can explore, develop, and steward local systems within clear governance boundaries and shared values.
Additional Community Project Circles may emerge over time as other domains develop readiness and alignment, including food systems, housing, water, wellbeing, digital stewardship, and resilience.
A Replicable Model for Communities
The Community Project Circle structure is intentionally designed to be adaptable and replicable.
This approach enables Platform One to:
- support multiple initiatives safely
- protect values and integrity across domains
- enable communities to build their own systems
- share learning across Circles without imposing hierarchy
Community Project Circles form the practical expression of Platform One’s long-term vision: a network of values-aligned, community-led initiatives supported by a strong, independent governance foundation.
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