step by step community formation

Shalom from Israel
I'm new to the list and new to the process of building a community. I do 
have a permaculture design certificate and several years experience in 
hands-on sustainable living in a rural setting.
Some friends and I intend to establish an ecovillage here in the semi-arid 
south of our country.
With the help of an experienced permaculturist active in the area, we have 
idenfied a likely location in one corner of an existing agricultural co-op 
community ("moshav") and have collected a list of around 20 people who are 
interested enough to receive e-mails about the project. One potential leader 
has emerged.
Some of us feel the urgent imperative of establishing a community that can 
function in a wobbly energy decline situation, others are just keen on 
connecting with the land or with a loving group of people.
I have very little leadership experience and I sense the difficulty of 
bringing people into a commitment if they have not already been educated and 
motivated in community building. Needless to say, in this country we have a 
great emotional struggle in the face of various political, religious, and 
security issues. It is difficult to create a "safe container" for people and 
to get them to commit time to a venture that still seems very doubtful.
Now, to the question -- where on the Internet can I find guidance for 
successfully building a strong community from scratch, or what one book 
would be suitable in order to study this topic?
So far no one has appeared that has the kind of money needed to attend 
Findhorn or other ecovillage training programs, so this is the best we can 
do in the meantime.
Any suggestions?
Thank you in advance.
Bat-Tzion Benjaminson



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