Naturalistic Decision-Making in Intentional Communities: Insights from Youth, Disabled Persons, and Children on Achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for Equality, Peace, and Justice

The seventeen UN SDGs address critical global challenges. Among them, Goal 10—reducing inequality—and Goal 16—promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions—serve as foundational pillars in democracies, enabling the achievement of all other goals. Children, youth, and persons with disabilities are among those who stand to benefit most from these goals. Insights from the naturalistic decision-making practices of intentional communities, often framed as Contenders or Deviants in social construction theory, could be instrumental in advancing these objectives. This study examines the decision-making practices of three intentional communities representing youth, disabled persons, and children, each fostering a different version of equitable, peaceful, and justice-oriented governance to build strong institutions. The communities studied include a self-producing Korean popular music (K-pop) group representing youth Contenders, a mental health-supporting annual English conference for individuals on the autistic spectrum, and a Canadian alternative education, self-directed public senior elementary and secondary school—both considered Deviant societies in social construction theory, one focusing on disabled persons and the other on children. The historical method assesses the effectiveness of these communities’ preferred practices in achieving Goals 10 and 16. The results offer actionable insights for enhancing equality, peace, and justice while strengthening institutions to realize the full range of UN SDGs in democratic societies.