Making the group more accessible begins with more people thinking about what new rebels need. You can achieve this by having the group participate in the video integration workshop as a starting point
Make sure others can find your group online, especially local groups and communities. It is essential for local groups and communities to have at least a Facebook page and a complete page on the Extinction Rebellion website. Here are the lists of all local groups (click here), community pages (click here), and national circles (click here). Take a look at the Eindhoven page as an example for local groups. You can request changes for your page through this channel on Mattermost.
Ensure that your events are visible on social media and the website so that everyone can find them.
It is crucial to organize events regularly that serve as the first introduction for new rebels. The event's name may not be as important, but how it is presented determines whether new rebels find their way to your event. For example, titles like 'Introductory Session' or 'Welcome to XR Session' are much clearer than 'Heading for Extinction' Also, planning events well in advance helps.
People who want to join your group will often send messages via email and social media. It is important for your group to have these communication channels, and there should be at least some individuals responsible for responding to these messages. In the past, some groups neglected this, leading to hundreds of unread emails. Discuss who is responsible for this.
New rebels may be hesitant to voice their opinions because they feel they lack sufficient knowledge or experience. Sociocratic facilitation is the way to improve this. It ensures that everyone has time to share their opinions during meetings. As a group, you may consider taking a sociocracy workshop (or only the facilitator and integrator). New workshops are announced in this Mattermost channel.
Meetings can be overwhelming for new rebels. Sometimes they feel unsure and contribute little or do not volunteer for tasks. Regularly organizing work sessions can break this pattern. During these sessions, create a list of tasks together and divide the group into teams (online, this can be done in breakout rooms) to work on the tasks. This way, both experienced and less experienced rebels can collaborate and contribute.
If your group has many different projects, it is helpful to organize separate work sessions. During general meetings, you can briefly summarize the projects, leaving more time for work sessions where people can sign up.
It is easier for new rebels to contribute when they know what needs to be done and how they can help. Some groups use tools like Trello to manage tasks so that new rebels can easily see what needs to be done. Discuss all tasks during each meeting to acknowledge rebels for their contributions.
Sometimes, during meetings, experienced rebels may take on action points immediately, making it harder for new rebels to take initiative. Here are two suggestions:
To help new rebels understand how the group operates, create an online introductory document that is accessible to everyone. Link to this basic document at the top of each meeting agenda and minutes. In this basic document, share information about the group's history, technology used, structure (roles and circles), and other relevant information. More information can be found here. Writing and updating this basic document can be a collaborative effort.
Ensure that it is clear which direction the group is heading. Regularly discussing long-term goals is crucial. What do we want to achieve in the next six months, and how does this contribute to our movement? Make sure these goals are in the basic document or easily accessible.
These goals need to be translated into a strategy. How are we going to achieve these goals? What are the steps we need to take? This can help new rebels understand why certain tasks and projects are important, motivating them to contribute.
Not everyone can attend every meeting. Some people do not like meetings or have other obligations. That does not mean they do not want to contribute. It is common for action items to be assigned only to those present, while others outside the meeting may want to help. Keep a list of people and their skills/interests and check this list during meetings so that you can ask them to take on specific action items. This has two benefits:
Be cautious with the list, avoid sharing personal information unless absolutely necessary and with consent. Also, limit access to the list, for example, through the integrator.
Start by sending newsletters. Newsletters are a great way to share more in-depth information about what is happening in the group. It also provides an opportunity for people to become actively involved again.
Requesting to send local newsletters is best done through the Mattermost channel of the national tech circle.
Create an announcements channel on Signal, WhatsApp, or Telegram. In an announcements channel, only a few people can post messages (the updates), and there is deliberately no room for conversation. An announcements channel is a good way to share information and create engagement in your local group. For example, you can share upcoming events, brief summaries of meetings, open positions, and action items. You can even place a link to your announcements channel on your group's local page or community page).
Some groups use an online calendar in Nextcloud. Information on how to do this can be found here. Alternatively, you can seek assistance from the integration circle. A Nextcloud calendar can be shared via platforms such as Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Disroot Calendar. This allows people to add invitations to their personal calendars, providing a convenient way to keep track of events, actions, and meetings. This makes it clear for new rebels when they can participate and for integrators to expect new members.
The third principle of our movement is to build a regenerative culture. This has various goals, including facilitating integration into the group.
To foster a strong bond within the group, it is helpful to hold physical meetings. This creates a sense of shared responsibility and inspiration. It can also be accompanied by informal moments, such as having a drink together and socializing!
Central organization of these meetings is not always necessary. Sometimes, facilitating is sufficient.
You may also consider creating a group chat where Extinction Rebellion is not the main topic (off-topic). In this group, people can ask each other to do something together, play a game, go for a walk, etc.
To make the group more accessible to new rebels, it is meaningful to appoint certain roles through sociocratic elections:
Electing roles gives new rebels confidence and recognition for their contributions. In sociocratic elections, the most self-assured person does not automatically get the role, which can be an issue in non-sociocratic elections. For more information on the sociocratic election process, you can visit the getting-started page.
Integrators do not need to be elected, as multiple people can be integrators at the same time. We recommend having multiple people working on integration and possibly creating a (sub)circle for integration. Of course, roles within this circle (such as representative and facilitator) should also be assigned through sociocratic elections. Integrators ideally should not have other significant roles in the group to avoid new rebels thinking their integrator is an authority figure or too busy to offer help.
By clearly explaining other roles (by the integrator and/or in the introductory document) and conducting regular re-elections, you can encourage new rebels to sign up for these roles.
It is important to periodically discuss in a group how much commitment everyone can offer. Everyone has different availability and energy levels. Understanding, respecting, and supporting this diversity is crucial. By openly talking about expectations, you can reduce the chances of overload and stress.
When possible, encourage and support all group members to participate in wellbeing training and a nonviolent communication workshop at least once. You can find an overview of available workshops on the getting-started page under 'Workshops.' Consider organizing a workshop in your local group.
Monitor how group members interact with each other. If disagreements or misunderstandings threaten to escalate into serious conflicts, do not hesitate to ask the national mediation circle for help. You can contact them via the email address XR-Conciliation@protonmail.com or through their Mattermost channel.