Newbie Seeking Mutual Aid

[m_sheff]

Hello Skoolie Community!

My name is Mandee and I'm just beginning my Skoolie journey! As I am in the early stages of this project (just found land and am hoping to purchase a bus), I'm seeking to raise more donations/awareness.

Would y'all be willing to help me out and donate to/boost my GoFundMe for this build? Also, if you're in NC and are able to lend construction support and/or knowledge, please reach out to me!

[Rucker]

I thought the idea of mutual aid was everyone contributed when something went wrong.

[Tejon7]

Others have asked for donations and tend to catch flack for it. It sure doesn't hurt to ask, but be prepared for some negative responses. This community is rich with information and the occasional helping hand, but spare money that burns holes in our pockets? Not so much.

Do you own this land that you found? Many people here have a hard time finding a place to park/work on their buses. If you can host other buses on your land, you may have good luck trading a parking/working spot for help with your build.

[m_sheff]

@Rucker That's fair and that's definitely something we've witnessed since the pandemic, however, mutual aid is not limited to times of crisis. I could give a longwinded response about how our current economic system is itself a crisis and has systematically disenfranchised and extracted from marginalized communities, but I think most of us in this community have some understanding of that.

I really like The Cut's article, 'What Exactly is Mutual Aid? How to Get Involved'; it gives a pretty detailed yet short history/examples of mutual aid.

Thank you for your reply and I hope that helps.

[m_sheff]

Originally Posted by Tejon7

Others have asked for donations and tend to catch flack for it. It sure doesn't hurt to ask, but be prepared for some negative responses. This community is rich with information and the occasional helping hand, but spare money that burns holes in our pockets? Not so much.

Do you own this land that you found? Many people here have a hard time finding a place to park/work on their buses. If you can host other buses on your land, you may have good luck trading a parking/working spot for help with your build.

@Tejon7 My profession is Organizing (I advocate for marginalized communities) so I've gotten used to bold asks and definitely understand that that's what it takes sometimes. And I'm open to whatever type of support the community is able to offer!

The land is a part of a tiny home community that offers reasonable rent (which isn't saying much because I live paycheck to paycheck) and is the best local place where I can do the build. Thank you for your reply and suggestions!

[La Camioneta]

Mandee -
I'd challenge you to develop a budget and timeline for your entire skoolie, from acquisition through renovation and interior/fixture purchase and installation, including tool and consumable costs.

Evaluate your mechanical, plumbing, carpentry, and electrical skills. What work can you do with the tools you own or have to buy, and what work will you have to pay a professional to do for you?

Look at the facebook skoolie groups, and you'll see a lot of people fall into the 'rent avoidance' trap. Then they have to live in their poorly-converted and broken down bus without the resources to repair it.

Ideally you need a place to live and the budget to do your conversion at the same time and a real emergency fund for you personally and one for your skoolie. $10k doesn't go all that far with a bad engine/towing/alternate lodging/rental car and managing the repairs.

Start smaller? Try living in/flipping a retro camper that has all the systems in place and no powertrain to begin with.

IMO, your 'internet buy me a skoolie because reasons' funding scheme isn't going to happen.

[m_sheff]

Originally Posted by La Camioneta

Mandee -
I'd challenge you to develop a budget and timeline for your entire skoolie, from acquisition through renovation and interior/fixture purchase and installation, including tool and consumable costs.

Evaluate your mechanical, plumbing, carpentry, and electrical skills. What work can you do with the tools you own or have to buy, and what work will you have to pay a professional to do for you?

Look at the facebook skoolie groups, and you'll see a lot of people fall into the 'rent avoidance' trap. Then they have to live in their poorly-converted and broken down bus without the resources to repair it.

Ideally you need a place to live and the budget to do your conversion at the same time and a real emergency fund for you personally and one for your skoolie. $10k doesn't go all that far with a bad engine/towing/alternate lodging/rental car and managing the repairs.

Start smaller? Try living in/flipping a retro camper that has all the systems in place and no powertrain to begin with.

IMO, your 'internet buy me a skoolie because reasons' funding scheme isn't going to happen.

@La Camioneta thank you for the suggestions and don't worry I've got a spreadsheet going already for the budget! This is meant to be a DIY project as much as possible with the fundraising goal meant to cover the build and any mechanical issues that you mentioned that may arise.

As for renting, it's not ideal but options are unfortunately very limited in my area. My partner and I had considered WWOOFing so we'd have a spot to park the bus and do the build, however, that wouldn't really be feasible given that we both work full-time and would need to dedicate substantial time to WWOOFing. Trust me, the land options have been completely fleshed out and this is what works best for the situation. Thanks for the tip though!

I understand your sentiment pertaining to the "internet buy me a skoolie because reasons." However, part of this project involves the fundraising to actually do and complete it. My mutual aid request is for monetary donations, however, I am also hoping that the community (people with construction/electrical, etc experience) will also provide support that is not monetary. I'll refer back to the article I suggested in a previous reply from The Cut 'What Exactly is Mutual Aid? How to Get Involved' if you'd like to learn more about it.

Thanks for your response!

[TheHubbardBus]

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit confused.
What's mutual about the aid you're requesting?
What are you offering in return?

[Polarweasel]

Thread is now locked. OP, if you need some help figuring out site rules and appropriate posting, please send me a message directly.