The SOLARIS Cells
The purpose of a SOLARIS local cells is to:
- Provide everybody with the ability to turn to clearly identified local help.
- Promptly mobilize collective resources.
- Identify persons with skills and/or materials that could assist in specific situations.
- Ensure the solidarity, sovereignty and capacity for resilience of the territory should
there be a total failure of state and private services. - Promptly and concretely work to relocate all aspects of societal functions into a system which
is horizontal, without power structures and benevolent.
Cells live and multiply like biological cells.
First they cover most of the territory and then they multiply as a function of the particularities of the local geography. The goal is to have SOLARIS cells in each village, town and hamlet. Regional directories will be linked to its neighbor's. All populated areas will therefore be linked and no one will be isolated.
The cells are activated in response to requests made in their territories. The larger the human mesh, the faster the response, in that way geographic distances are reduced.
Creating a cell is indispensable in creating the local mesh with all members of the SOLARIS network. The aim is to have as many cells as possible covering the territory and making the mutual assistance network more effective.
Differences between local cells and coordination cells
THE LOCAL CELL is the core of the network. This is where field operations are conducted.
A local cell ultimately needs 3 coordinators to make the links between the boundary cells and across the network; as well as 3 referents, who will keep a directory and connect people in order to address each request.
The priority in network deployment is to start as many cells as possible, even if they must be small. If the situation worsens, people will gravitate to the network on their own. In such a situation, the existence of a cell in their village and access to the network and its self-help base will be a deliverance.
For an organic functioning of the local cell, its size must be such to allow people to meet relatively quickly; even on foot, in the event of services collapse.
A small size also guarantees increased trust and solidarity. It is easier and more natural to share and make available resources in one's neighborhood than in a larger city with a more individualistic culture.
In urban areas, the recommendation for the creation of a local cell, is to define a district ranging from 2 to 10 Km2.
In rural areas, where the density is lower and the dwellings are more distant, the recommendation can be more than 50 Km2 .
THE COORDINATION CELL acts at the national, provincial, regional, or major city or municipal level. It does not maintain a directory, and therefore does not need referents. Coordinators are the points of intersection of the network mesh. They list and publicize local or regional cells.
For example, the provincial coordination cell for Quebec lists 17 regions of the province and ensures coordination with these regional cells. In turn, each of the 17 regions will compile a list of boroughs or municipalities in their region; and so on.
Solaris-Ontario has opted to use postal codes to carve the province into sub-regions. About thirty regional coordinations cells has been selected and areas assigned to each regional cell is determined by postal code. One can easily understand this tree-like structure by perusing the Directory.