A place where you can dream out loud
… and find people who will believe and support
If you are tired of the hype, the hate and the endless vanity fair of social media — we are building New Ecumene as an ethical, human-centred alternative: a community where you can find kindred spirits, talk about your dreams and turn them into projects together.
Let's dream and build together
Enter through your dream
Hello, friends — let's get acquainted!
We are Dima and Lena Klein. Almost 25 years ago we moved to Europe from Kazakhstan, and we live in Germany with our children. For many years we ran a family business — a small boutique hotel in Bavaria — and in that time we learned what it takes to create a place people want to return to, and what it means to live and build between different cultures.
Right now we are selling the business and our home — to build such a place online.
This is not an idea on paper: a working version of the platform is already live. Our whole story — how the first social networks gave us friends in a foreign country, and why we decided to take this step now — is told in our personal manifesto.
Personal manifestoThe internet can bring people together — that is still a miracle
It once gave us friends, projects and a whole new life in a new country.
But over the past twenty years the big social networks have grown into monsters optimised not for friendship but for holding your attention. Their algorithms amplify reactivity, conflict and addiction — simply because arguments and outrage engage better than calm conversation. And human communication is drowning in that noise. We are trying to build an ethical alternative:
Real ethics at the core of the design
The community's principles are not a declaration on a separate page but the foundation of the platform's rules and architecture.
No hidden algorithms
A plain chronological feed today, and the principles behind the feed will always be discussed openly with the community.
Mindful reactions instead of likes
No vanity counters — there is expressing support.
We don't sell attention or data
The project grows on the founders' own funds and the community's voluntary support.
We dream of creating a space for friendly conversation and collaboration between real people who still care about talking like humans — beyond party lines, ideological wars and state borders, without feuds and squabbles, without trolling, hype and hate!
“To get to know a person — ask what they dream about. To understand them — learn how they are moving towards their dream.”
The whole platform is built around this thought. Every member has three spaces:
Everyday life: notes, observations, thoughts, ideas.
Big intentions declared out loud: the landmarks of your future.
Concrete steps that turn a dream into reality.
Around them — circles of support: spaces where you can be more open with the people you trust. Privacy on your terms, subscriptions to other people's dreams and projects.
Support instead of hate: the community rules explicitly forbid trolling, unsolicited criticism and belittling of what you share.
Beneath the platform lies an ethic that answers one question: “How do we stay humane and open in a world where that is ceasing to be a value?” We developed it many years ago and tested it on our own lives. We call it Buddyalism, and at its core lies a simple thought:
Any two people can become friends…if they invest mutual effort and time
Hence the main rule: treat every person as a potential friend — and act so as to keep that possibility alive.
Note the words mutual and potential. This is not an obligation to befriend everyone, nor endless patience — trust grows through reciprocity and burns down through exploitation.
New Ecumene is a project where we propose building a space for communication and collaboration on this ethic. To take part you don't have to accept Buddyalism as a personal belief. It is enough to follow the rules that flow from it: respectful communication, honesty, respect for boundaries, a friendly attitude towards each other.
Buddyalism does not compete with religions or worldviews, and New Ecumene is meant to be a space outside politics and above borders.
Joining is free
Simply fill out a short questionnaire—write a couple of paragraphs about yourself: what you dream of, what you’d like to create, and why the project interests you. That’s all it takes to gain Dreamer status. We read and personally respond to every application.
Using an essay instead of a standard "Sign Up" button acts as a filter against those who come to destroy or devalue things—trolls and haters rarely have the capacity to write sincerely about their dreams! :)
Support the project
The project is funded by our own personal resources and voluntary community support. If you’d like to help the project grow — now or in the future — there are two ways to do so:
A status showing your support through an annual donation.
For those who want to join the team and play a significant role in the platform's development.
These statuses don’t place anyone "above" anyone else; they simply reflect different levels of involvement and responsibility. You can also join via an invitation from an existing member — people inviting people.
If you never take the first step — you will never get closer to the goal
We are at the very beginning. We don't promise it will be easy, and we don't guarantee we will “fix the whole world” overnight. It will obviously be a long and difficult road, and we will walk it exactly as far as we can walk it together.
That is why your participation matters so much right now — those of you who are ready to share this dream with us. We need people who feel close to our ideas and are ready to settle this space together with us, discuss its principles and help the project grow.
Join us, and together we will try to build New Ecumene — a place online where you want to live and talk!
This page is only the project's shop window
These texts will help you understand and learn more: