Let's make this a “Summer of Community”, say the post-XR democracy movement Trust The People
From the Trust the People website
In terms of A/UK’s involvement with the Future Democracy Hub at Extinction Rebellion, we’re constantly proud of one of the most exciting outcomes of that exercise - which is the Trust The People activist community. They describe themselves as “a movement of community builders, open to everyone, sharing tools to help strengthen local communities”.
They’re up to some exciting manoeuvers in the next few months, which we want to share details of and invite you to be involved in. TTP are calling it the Summer of Community - here’s their rationale:
We are going to spend the next few months putting our community organising skills into practice: in streets, neighbourhoods and Climate Emergency Centres near you.
We have the potential to offer an alternative to ‘business as usual’ - something founded on care and connection instead. There are over 1,200 of us in the TTP network, plus over 30 Climate Emergency Centres. Imagine if our whole network worked together on this.
With lockdown easing and people finally able to spend time with loved ones again, the opportunity is ripe for us to create a new world. Consumerism and consumption will be tempting all of us back into the old system. Let’s offer an alternative, something connected, fun and capable of tackling the multiple crises we are dealing with. Let’s do it together :)
To kick things off, we are hosting an online call on Monday 7th June, 6.00-8.00 pm BST.
We will create break out rooms based on region so you can connect with those who are near you.
Registration link: https://actionnetwork.org/events/ttp-summer-of-community-launch-7th-june-2021
There are open documents proposing some initial ideas for a schedule, and the kinds of activities to set up - here’s a flavour of their thinking:
Reaching Out to Members of Your Community
The first question to ask is: where do community members interact?
Here are some ideas about where you can reach members of your community:
Facebook or other social media platforms community pages (set up a page or join existing ones)
Parish and town websites, online mag’s and local newspapers
Nextdoor.com
Council websites for local offerings
Community noticeboard in a supermarket, post office etc.
Mutual aid and community support groups
On the streets - posters, flyers, stickers
Local pub
Parks
Leaflets and flyers in letterboxes:
Door knocking
Posters in community noticeboards, supermarkets, food banks or any other identified areas for reaching people. Take notice, as you move through the local area, of where things are routinely advertised and what catches your eye, and replicate the approaches you see.
Be sure to reach out to those who may traditionally be forgotten about - the more vulnerable and isolated cohorts of your community. Focus on identifying ‘less visible’ demographics and on what the points of contact might be e.g. homeless charities, ‘Refugee’s welcome’, Youth Workers, etc. Ask those actively engaged in these organisations for input on how to engage with the communities they are involved in.