Post by Ausprep on Dec 30, 2013 11:42:27 GMT 10
Source: www.yourownhomestore.com/forming-prepper-group/
If you are serious about preparing then you have probably come to the realization that you will not be able to do everything yourself in a stuff hits the fan scenario (SHTF). Just the day-to-day chores of collecting firewood, sanitation issues, cooking, food procurement, and cleaning without modern technology, will be overwhelming for a family but when you have the added issue of providing your own security you quickly realize you will need a group of people, or a prepper group.
A prepper group is a group of people that have agreed to help each other out during difficult times. The level of help depends on the scenario, the people involved, and the community. I have found that most groups fall into 1 of 3 types.
Some prepper groups encompass an entire small town or community, the people intend to stay in their own homes but help provide mutual security and aid, these types of groups are rare.
The most common type of group I have found is a loosely organized group of people that may or may not live close to each other but have general plans to provide mutual aid. They might meet together on a regular basis to discuss different scenarios, take classes together, and combine orders for bulk purchasing. I have meet many of these types of groups; some very organized others just going by the seat of their pants. A prepper group like this might be beneficial during the planning stage but in an actual event the distance between them will make mutual aid impossible.
The next group is my favorite; this is a group of like-minded individuals that have made a plan, practiced their plan, and have a mutually agreed upon location to execute that plan as a group. They live fairly close to each other but instead of trying to stay in their various locations recognize the importance of being together to provide strength in numbers.
Forming a prepper group is not difficult but it isn’t easy either. I would encourage everyone to consider being part of a group. Although it is extremely difficult to join an already established group you can put together one yourself. You can start by discussing prepping with your family and friends to see what level of interest they have.
Considerations
Putting together a prepper group does not mean you find a group of survivalist and band together, there are several things you need to consider when deciding if someone is right for your group.
Religious Beliefs or Like Minded
To me this is the most important consideration when putting together or joining a group. The people you ban together with must share your same religious views to avoid problems down the road. Please note I am not saying they must share the same denomination but the same views. If you believe there is a God and you will have to answer to Him for everything you do here on earth then you are going to approach problems different then someone that believes there is no judgment or afterlife. If your group does not share your moral and ethical code you will not approach problems or their solutions in the same manner.
What Are Your Goals?
On the surface this might sound like an obvious question, your goal is to survive, isn’t everyone’s? But when you delve into the matter you quickly discover it isn’t as simple as it seems. Some people are of the belief that when a worldwide event happens that they and their children will have to rebuild society. They are of the belief that they will need to relearn the skills of our ancestors to help them and their descendants regain what was lost. Yet there is another group of people that feel they only need to prepare to survive for several years until the LORD returns. How you prepare is determined by your long term beliefs.
What Are You Prepping For?
I am the type of person that looks at the likely scenarios and tries to prepare for them. I then think of unlikely scenarios, a meteor hitting the earth or other such catastrophic scenarios, and realize that I don’t know what might happen and can’t possibly prepare for them all. But I prepare as best as I can for all the different types of scenarios and believe when I have done all that I can then the LORD takes over and does the rest. What are you preparing for? If you are convinced all of your efforts need to go into preparing for a pandemic then forming a group with people that are only preparing for an economic collapse might not be the best fit for you.
How Many People
Your group can’t be so small that you can’t handle all of the chores and security detail but it also can’t be so large that it attracts attention. Consider how many people you need on security, as in on guard, at one time. Then you need to realize that 2 to 4 hours is all a person can really be on guard at one time before they lose their effectiveness. Example, let us assume that you only need two people on watch at the same time and each person is going to serve 4 hours (2 is best), then you will need 12 people every 24 hours just to serve on post. But your group can’t only be 12 people because you will also have other chores that need to be done.
Who Do They Bring With Them
When you look at a potential member for your group you have to consider who they will be bringing with them. Maybe one half of the couple is a hard worker while the other half is a troublemaker, or they might arrive at the bug out location with their grown children or their cousins or best friend. All of these things need to be considered and discussed before forming any alliances.
Level of Commitment
This one doesn’t require much thought. If you are considering someone for your group that doesn’t take it seriously or refuses to invest the time or money into it then you need to realize that if you bring this person into your group you will have to provide for them.
What Skills Do They Have
In forming your group it is helpful to have a variety of skills represented within the group. Everyone knowing how to wield could be useful but not as useful as two or three knowing how to wield and another two or three knowing about medicine and herbs, while two others are experts at farming, etc. A diversified skill group is a strong group.
Summary
In summary when we look at forming our prepping group we have to consider if the people are like-minded, their skills, commitment, and who they bring with them. We also need to consider how many people we will need to accomplish what needs to be done. It is also important to realize when we are prepping that the LORD is in charge and to never prep out of fear but out of wisdom.
If you are serious about preparing then you have probably come to the realization that you will not be able to do everything yourself in a stuff hits the fan scenario (SHTF). Just the day-to-day chores of collecting firewood, sanitation issues, cooking, food procurement, and cleaning without modern technology, will be overwhelming for a family but when you have the added issue of providing your own security you quickly realize you will need a group of people, or a prepper group.
A prepper group is a group of people that have agreed to help each other out during difficult times. The level of help depends on the scenario, the people involved, and the community. I have found that most groups fall into 1 of 3 types.
Some prepper groups encompass an entire small town or community, the people intend to stay in their own homes but help provide mutual security and aid, these types of groups are rare.
The most common type of group I have found is a loosely organized group of people that may or may not live close to each other but have general plans to provide mutual aid. They might meet together on a regular basis to discuss different scenarios, take classes together, and combine orders for bulk purchasing. I have meet many of these types of groups; some very organized others just going by the seat of their pants. A prepper group like this might be beneficial during the planning stage but in an actual event the distance between them will make mutual aid impossible.
The next group is my favorite; this is a group of like-minded individuals that have made a plan, practiced their plan, and have a mutually agreed upon location to execute that plan as a group. They live fairly close to each other but instead of trying to stay in their various locations recognize the importance of being together to provide strength in numbers.
Forming a prepper group is not difficult but it isn’t easy either. I would encourage everyone to consider being part of a group. Although it is extremely difficult to join an already established group you can put together one yourself. You can start by discussing prepping with your family and friends to see what level of interest they have.
Considerations
Putting together a prepper group does not mean you find a group of survivalist and band together, there are several things you need to consider when deciding if someone is right for your group.
Religious Beliefs or Like Minded
To me this is the most important consideration when putting together or joining a group. The people you ban together with must share your same religious views to avoid problems down the road. Please note I am not saying they must share the same denomination but the same views. If you believe there is a God and you will have to answer to Him for everything you do here on earth then you are going to approach problems different then someone that believes there is no judgment or afterlife. If your group does not share your moral and ethical code you will not approach problems or their solutions in the same manner.
What Are Your Goals?
On the surface this might sound like an obvious question, your goal is to survive, isn’t everyone’s? But when you delve into the matter you quickly discover it isn’t as simple as it seems. Some people are of the belief that when a worldwide event happens that they and their children will have to rebuild society. They are of the belief that they will need to relearn the skills of our ancestors to help them and their descendants regain what was lost. Yet there is another group of people that feel they only need to prepare to survive for several years until the LORD returns. How you prepare is determined by your long term beliefs.
What Are You Prepping For?
I am the type of person that looks at the likely scenarios and tries to prepare for them. I then think of unlikely scenarios, a meteor hitting the earth or other such catastrophic scenarios, and realize that I don’t know what might happen and can’t possibly prepare for them all. But I prepare as best as I can for all the different types of scenarios and believe when I have done all that I can then the LORD takes over and does the rest. What are you preparing for? If you are convinced all of your efforts need to go into preparing for a pandemic then forming a group with people that are only preparing for an economic collapse might not be the best fit for you.
How Many People
Your group can’t be so small that you can’t handle all of the chores and security detail but it also can’t be so large that it attracts attention. Consider how many people you need on security, as in on guard, at one time. Then you need to realize that 2 to 4 hours is all a person can really be on guard at one time before they lose their effectiveness. Example, let us assume that you only need two people on watch at the same time and each person is going to serve 4 hours (2 is best), then you will need 12 people every 24 hours just to serve on post. But your group can’t only be 12 people because you will also have other chores that need to be done.
Who Do They Bring With Them
When you look at a potential member for your group you have to consider who they will be bringing with them. Maybe one half of the couple is a hard worker while the other half is a troublemaker, or they might arrive at the bug out location with their grown children or their cousins or best friend. All of these things need to be considered and discussed before forming any alliances.
Level of Commitment
This one doesn’t require much thought. If you are considering someone for your group that doesn’t take it seriously or refuses to invest the time or money into it then you need to realize that if you bring this person into your group you will have to provide for them.
What Skills Do They Have
In forming your group it is helpful to have a variety of skills represented within the group. Everyone knowing how to wield could be useful but not as useful as two or three knowing how to wield and another two or three knowing about medicine and herbs, while two others are experts at farming, etc. A diversified skill group is a strong group.
Summary
In summary when we look at forming our prepping group we have to consider if the people are like-minded, their skills, commitment, and who they bring with them. We also need to consider how many people we will need to accomplish what needs to be done. It is also important to realize when we are prepping that the LORD is in charge and to never prep out of fear but out of wisdom.