01 Who Created the Network?

It began on September 26, 2021, in Rennes-le-Château, in the Upper Valley of the Aude (SOLARIS 11) in France. It doesn’t matter who the individuals were who put their energy into developing it; today, it is a work of selfless collective intelligence, with concrete work taking place within the Cells.

02 Is SOLARIS an Association?

No. It is neither an association, a company, nor a foundation. SOLARIS has no administrative or legal structure, nor does it handle any money. It is a gathering of human beings eager to rebuild connections among themselves and to respond in solidarity to an increasingly challenging general context. All its members, without exception, are volunteers.

03 Is There Leadership and Hierarchy Within SOLARIS?

No. No one leads, and there is no power structure. Instead, there is a kind recognition of skills—this is what determines roles.
If, by chance, a hierarchy or power were to emerge within a Cell, it would violate the SOLARIS Spirit. The Cell members would then be responsible for resolving the issue, with full sovereignty.

04 Who Can Join SOLARIS?

Everyone, without exception. Come as you are, bring your skills—because everyone has them, without exception. Kindness is paramount. However, if someone proves problematic through their behavior within a Cell and dialogue fails to resolve the issue, they will be excluded by the entire Cell. We will only build the network with those who are ready for it.

05 What Is the Nature of the Service Provided?

It is a gift, pure and simple—as you would do for a friend. What you give one day, you may receive from someone else when you need it. There are no commercial transactions, nor any notion of exchange. If expenses arise, you may choose to contribute if you wish and are able, but this should not be what someone helping expects in return.

06 Why Create an Additional Network When There Are Already Networks for Sharing Knowledge and Resources?

SOLARIS is not just another network; its nature is not comparable, though it is perfectly complementary to all existing structures that work for the common good.
SOLARIS is a concrete way to bring everyone together—individuals and collectives—by offering a strategy of connection and a human search engine capable of providing proximity-based responses to any request, including urgent ones and those in crisis situations.

07 Can We Be Sure Our Exchanges Are Protected?

Protected from what? We’re not naive, but how could the creation of a network of mutual aid and solidarity be something to attack? Moreover, the data you exchange among yourselves on communication platforms is your responsibility.
Between private posts on social media and the cross-referenced files of government agencies, those who want to can gather far more information about individuals than what is contained in the local directory of a SOLARIS Cell.

08 Are the Directory Data Public or Shared Outside the Cell?

None of the information in the information sheets is public. These sheets are used to populate the local directory, which never leaves the hands of the Referents in charge of the Cell. This directory is also unknown to the Swiss coordination.
In other words, in a village, the local directory is not even known to the residents.
Only the Referents keep it updated and have access to it. Even if compiled on a computer, the directory is always printed or handwritten.

09 Why Three Coordinators and Three Referents per Cell?

Three is the right number to provide an alternative if a Referent of the directory is contacted and does not respond. Two other contacts are then available. The same applies to the Coordinators.

10 Who Recruits the Coordinators, Referents, and Weavers?

No one. They volunteer. Historically, the creators of a Cell are most often its Coordinators. That said, nothing is set in stone; the roles of Coordinator, Weaver, and Directory Referent can rotate among volunteers with the right profile. The Referents must, of course, be reachable by all members of their Cell; they are the search engine of the human Internet.

11 How Do You Build the Local Directory?

Tutorial for a workshop to build the local directory: PDF document SOLARIS Fleurothèque - Garden of Resources (in French) and the accompanying video on YouTube.

12 Why Is There a Swiss Coordination?

For two reasons. First, it is responsible for ensuring that the network functions optimally across Switzerland. Second, it facilitates contact between distant Cells and with the national coordination.

13 Why Must the Coordinators’ Contact Details Be Shared with the Swiss Coordination?

Because it guarantees the networking across Switzerland. It must be able to connect the Coordinators of all neighboring Cells for each Cell.
The three Swiss Coordinators therefore need the contact details of each Cell’s Coordinators. This allows Coordinators and Referents in each Cell to discover who their counterparts are in neighboring Cells and meet them—a necessity for networking.
This allows Coordinators and Referents in each Cell to discover who their counterparts are in neighboring Cells and meet them—a necessity for networking.

To Sum Up:

The Directory Referents of a Cell are known to the Coordinators of the same Cell. These Coordinators are known to the Swiss Coordination.
This ensures that networking can be maintained at the national level—and even beyond national borders, as the networking extends in the same way across frontiers.

14 Is a 15 km Radius Absolutely Necessary to Create a Cell?

No. It is a starting framework. It must be adapted to each local situation. If a territory has a very sparse population, it makes sense to expand the initial Cells to a larger area. This will facilitate gathering.
Afterward, if needed, each village can create its own Cell.

15 How Many People Are Needed to Create a Cell?

There is no minimum. You can start alone to create a Cell in a village; others will join later. This is always how it begins—a single person starting the movement.

16 Is It Better to Have Many Small Cells or a Few Large Ones?

Strategically, to quickly establish an effective solidarity network, the priority is to create as many Cells as possible. To be clear, today it is better to have 10 Cells with 2 or 3 members each than one Cell with 100 people.
Because if the situation worsens and pressure increases, people will come to the network on their own. If a network already exists in their village, it will be far more effective.