Community-Based Income, Inner Transition, and the Good Life - Part Two
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
Written by Robin Krabbe, Coordinator Live Well Tasmania
In Part 1 of this series (link below), I introduced Live Well Tasmania and discussed how personal sustainability and inner transition/growth can be seen as our greatest lever of change towards human surviving and thriving, that is, towards economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Here in Part 2, I discuss how Community Based Income, a project of Live Well Tasmania, can promote “Inner Transitions”, Transition and sustainability efforts more broadly, and the Good life.
Two defining features of the contemporary world are a psychosocial crisis and an ecological crisis. These crises are deeply interconnected. The ecological crisis is not simply the result of technological or economic failures, but also of failures in human relationships, emotional development, and collective thinking. In this sense, addressing the psychosocial crisis may be one of humanity’s greatest leverage points for addressing the ecological crisis and moving towards long-term survival and thriving.
Psychosocial crisis can be understood as a situation in which the average level of human cognition, emotional maturity, and relational capacity is insufficient to address increasingly complex social and ecological problems. This crisis manifests at both the individual and institutional levels. At the micro level, it appears in mental ill-health, loneliness, addiction, trauma, anxiety, alienation, and difficulties with emotional regulation and constructive cooperation. At the macro level, it appears in institutional dysfunction, political polarisation, declining trust, inequality, and an inability to coordinate collective action around existential threats such as climate change and ecological degradation.
A major dimension of the psychosocial crisis is relational disintegration. Increasing inequality weakens social cohesion and undermines trust, reciprocity, and collective capacity. Inequality damages the social fabric by increasing status competition and social distance, and contributes to increased crime and declining social capital. Human flourishing depends fundamentally on the quality of relationships, and therefore solutions to ecological and social crises must involve rebuilding relational culture.
This is where the concept of inner transition becomes important. Within the Transition Towns movement, inner transition refers to the inner emotional, psychological, relational, and cultural shifts required to support outer systemic change. The Transition movement argues that practical sustainability efforts alone are insufficient unless accompanied by the development of healthier ways of relating to ourselves, others, and the natural world. Inner transition therefore involves cultivating emotional resilience, self-awareness, compassion, reflection, cooperation, and a sense of interconnectedness.
The Transition movement recognises that many forms of activism and social change efforts fail because participants become overwhelmed, burnt out, polarised, or trapped in adversarial dynamics. Inner transition seeks to balance “doing” with “being,” recognising that sustainable change requires healthy human cultures that support care, reflection, emotional processing, inclusion, and meaningful participation. According to the Transition Network, resilient communities emerge not only through practical projects such as renewable energy, local food systems, and repair initiatives, but also through strengthening connection, trust, participation, and collective wellbeing.
The concept of Transition as a “social technology” is particularly important here. The Transition Towns model is described as one of the most holistic and effective approaches for cultivating resilient, equitable, and regenerative communities from the bottom up. The model is not merely a collection of projects but an organising framework that helps communities build the social, emotional, and relational capacities necessary for long-term adaptation and resilience.
From this perspective, personal sustainability and inner transition/growth can be seen as humanity’s greatest leverage point for achieving economic, social, and environmental sustainability. People who feel emotionally secure, socially connected, purposeful, and psychologically resilient are more capable of cooperation, long-term thinking, empathy, and constructive participation in community life. Conversely, individuals operating from chronic insecurity, trauma, emotional neglect, or social isolation are more likely to experience stress, disconnection, and diminished capacity for collective problem solving.
Importantly, inner transition is not only necessary for addressing global crises; it is also central to the good life itself. Human wellbeing is deeply relational. Research across psychology, sociology, and public health consistently demonstrates that belonging, meaning, contribution, and supportive relationships are among the strongest predictors of wellbeing. The good life is therefore not primarily based on material consumption, but on the quality of human relationships, meaningful participation, personal growth, and connection to community and nature.
Transition Towns have significant potential to support this process of personal sustainability and inner growth. Transition initiatives create spaces where people can participate in meaningful collective action, develop practical and relational skills, experience belonging, and contribute to something larger than themselves. Community gardens, repair cafes, renewable energy projects, local food systems, and participatory governance processes are not simply practical sustainability projects; they are also relational and developmental environments that can foster resilience, cooperation, trust, and empowerment.
However, participation in Transition initiatives can be difficult for people experiencing poverty, trauma, social exclusion, or financial insecurity. This highlights the importance of Community-Based Income (CBI) as a means of enabling broader participation in community transformation and inner transition.
Community-Based Income builds upon the concept of participation income, where people receive an income for activities deemed socially valuable. However, CBI extends this model by explicitly aiming to rebuild relational culture, address emotional neglect and trauma, and support restorative communities. Participants receive a liveable income for contributing to activities that benefit both individuals and the wider community, including caring roles, education, work experience, community projects, and mutual support.
Unlike conventional welfare systems, which often operate through punitive and bureaucratic models focused primarily on compliance and cost minimisation, CBI is based on a restorative and developmental approach. It recognises that many barriers to participation and employment are relational and psychological rather than simply economic or educational. Trauma, emotional neglect, shame, social disconnection, and low self-worth can significantly impair a person’s ability to participate constructively in society. A trauma-informed approach therefore becomes essential.
CBI has the potential to support inner transition and personal sustainability in at least three major ways.
First, it can strengthen belonging and social support. Human beings require secure relationships and community connection in order to thrive psychologically. By participating in community projects, caring activities, and collaborative initiatives, individuals can experience increased social inclusion, mutual support, and trust. This directly addresses loneliness, alienation, and social fragmentation, which are major dimensions of the psychosocial crisis.
Second, CBI can provide appropriate challenge and opportunities for growth. Psychological development requires not only safety and support, but also meaningful challenge. Through supported participation in community activities, people can gradually build confidence, resilience, skills, and agency. The proposed role of “Community Connectors” is particularly important here, as these workers would help participants identify meaningful pathways for contribution while supporting them to overcome barriers related to trauma, social anxiety, or emotional neglect.
Third, CBI can create opportunities for meaningful contribution. Meaning and purpose are central aspects of wellbeing and the good life. Many people currently excluded from the labour market still possess valuable capacities for care, creativity, mentoring, environmental restoration, community building, and cultural participation. CBI recognises these forms of contribution as socially valuable rather than economically invisible. This can help transform identities shaped by shame, exclusion, or “welfare dependency” into identities based on participation, contribution, and belonging.
In this sense, CBI can function as a developmental scaffold for both individual and collective transformation. By reducing financial insecurity while simultaneously increasing opportunities for connection, challenge, and contribution, CBI can help cultivate the psychological and relational capacities needed for sustainable communities.
Ultimately, Community-Based Income can be understood not simply as an economic policy, but as a social and cultural intervention aimed at supporting inner transition and community resilience. It seeks to create the conditions in which people can heal, connect, grow, and contribute meaningfully to collective wellbeing.
Read Part One here:
Comments