| š XR London & South East
š XR East of England š XR Midlands š XR Cymru Wales š XR North East and Cumbria š XR Scotland š XR South-West š XR South-East š XR North š XR Internationalist Solidarity Network |
š UK Nonviolence
š UK Regenerative Circle š XR Faith Voices š Movement of Movements š XR Youth š UK Media and Messaging š XR Working Class š Justice Steering Group š Disabled Rebels Network š UK Strategic Finance Circle š UK Actions Circle
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| Reality check:
We are part of a bigger world than the clique we may have become, and we are working alongside many other Movement of Movements to bring about climate and social justice. The whole planet is screwed. We canāt do this without being part of this Movement of Movements. Crikey, really it will take billions of us around the planet, and that sounds impossible. Isnāt XR all about the Impossible? Hell yeah. |
| Strategic Promises:
XR UK will support rebels to protest in the face of this increasingly authoritarian government. Weāll support those able to take direct action, and create digital or remote options for radical inclusion. The Strategy Assembly held many individual visions but collectively we agreed this 2021-? strategy: |
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š Media
š Government š Banking & Finance |
š Fossil Fuels & Oil
š Trade & Industry š Grr. |
| Reality Check:
We listened to disabled rebels tell us how disappointed they are with the movement, how their needs and rights are ignored on a regular basis throughout XR UK. We sincerely apologise to everyone whoās encountered disablism in the movement, or oppression in its many forms, and we ask that everyone reads this Inclusivity Resource Pack. We must recognise where weāve failed - and continue to fail - disabled, D/deaf and neurodiverse rebels, Lgbtq+ and people with invisible conditions. We must treat everyone with dignity and respect. All needs must be met. |
| Strategic Promises:
XR UK will prioritise the recruitment of disabled, D/deaf, neurodiverse rebels, people with invisible conditions, Bipoc, women, Lgbtq+ and working class people to positions of power-fullness within the movement. And upskill all rebels in access and inclusion workshops. NOW! |
| Reality Check:
80% of rebels in an anonymous survey said they find outreach difficult and donāt enjoy it. Cue: grimace. Early 2020 saw the launch of a mass mobilisation project but when Covid-19 hit, it went belly up! Lockdown scuppered traditional outreach and whilst Digital Rebellion has been a great success, many of us have gone a bit zoomicide. |
| Strategic Promises:
Local Groups will be asked to mobilise like their pants are on fire (never mind the house analogy!). Movement of Movements is a priority. LGs can access:
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Strategic Promises: (cont)
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| Reality check:
Hmmm, for a movement with regenerative practices as a Principle, weāre not doing so peachy. As a movement, weāre still learning what it means to work in regenerative ways and some rebels are working awful hours suffering high levels of burnout and damaging their personal lives. PS, the planet is bleeped, so we need to centre the spirit sisters of regeneration - transformative adaptation and deep adaptation - in our regenerative practices. |
| Strategic Promises:
Regenerative circle has a new rebel-focused mandate, full of vibrant wellbeing ideas to reboot regenerative practices through all working groups: from national to Local Group to community, faith and identity groups. Practically, XR UK can:
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| Reality check:
Does XR UK have a shelf life? 2020 was demoralizing for our lockdowned movement. How many big rebellions do we have left in us before rebels feel itās time to try something else? But time is running OUT. Governments and industries couldn't care less they're Heading us for Extinction. WE DO. This year - for our movement and planet - itās DO OR DIE. Hereās the Actions Calendar. |
| Strategic Promises:
No holding back. Reach for the (north) stars! Hereās our XRUK Campaigns. Those huggable targets, and all-important juicy tactics - digital disruption, creative high-jacking, obstructing vanity projects, iconic targets and psychological disruption, prefigurative actions. |
| Reality check:
ew, itās tough looking in the mirror. The Strategy Assembly was the mother of all magnifying mirrors - did we always practise radical inclusion? Did newer rebels feel as valued as long-standing members? Did we adapt working practices quickly when it started going wonky? Did we show love? These tensions exist through our movement. Then, do we apply critical thinking to each and every action and interaction? How do we even gauge success? When we fail to learn from our inevitable gaffes, we struggle to evolve as individuals and as a movement. Uh-oh. |
| Strategic Promises:
We must all take Feedback and Learning more seriously, in our personal relationships and internal power structures:
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| Reality check:
nee-nah, nee-nah, nee-nah! XR UK is slipping into a patriarchal way of working, with process stifling voices and creativity, creating unhealthy workloads that often fall on the women. Bureaucracy is replacing common sense. We passively aggressively discuss internal power without working on how to empower everyone. Sod that. Letās fix this. We need Co-liberation to set all our magnificence free. Come on, we have toxic societal structures to defeat! |
| Strategic Promises:
Female leaderful-ness is the future, creating healthy and nurturing work practices, with Bipoc and women from marginalised spaces at the helm. End of. Not quite the end of... then, thereāll also be female-designed wo-mentorship to support women into their power. Mother Love is coming. Psst Home Secretary: we canāt stop trying to save lives. |
| Reality check:
after a year of stressful lock-down, tensions are a-plenty, movement-wide. Many of us hate conflict but itās clear leaving issues to fester only escalates them. So, internally we need to embrace nonviolent communication and use intervention techniques early. These same skills will help us emotionally and publicly deal with what we often feel is pure evil - government, powerful individuals and destructive corporations. And the 'opposition' Labour party is losing its edge, so we must remain strong and constructive in our opposition. We have a secret weapon. Love. |
| Strategic Promises:
not only are we facing protest oppression - Rest in Peace, Sarah, weāre also women rising up against gender-violence. Then, thereās systemic racism, modern slavery and post-Covid anti-green recovery. But we'll maintain our nonviolence, swot up on deescalation skills and seek help when needed. Weāll just swear our heads off in private š. |
| Reality check:
weāre living under state violence - 130,000 people - mostly disabled and chronically sick - have died due to Austerity since 2010, and the government is using Covid to silence dissent against climate and social injustice. Changes to the law can not stop us. We will still rise up. Being nonviolent is our movementās backbone and heartbeat, yet many rebels donāt know about the rich UK history of nonviolent protest. And with rebels being asked to fully explore MoMs outreach, nonviolence training may inspire others to be brave enough to rise up, together. |
| Strategic Promises: Deliver nonviolent workshops and support materials to all LGs, provide training in nonviolent communication, Movement of Movements relationship building, increase the delivery of NVDA training, and develop alternative versions for different groups of people, like Bipoc, faith groups, families... |
| Reality check: agh, XR UK needs money to survive, thatās just the reality - in 2020, Voluntary Living Expenses were cut across the movement. To recruit people from marginalised groups, XR UK needs to boost its bank balance, and also decentralise more funds to UK-wide groups. We just donāt have enough volunteers in nation and region coordinating groups or national level, so welcoming people into these spaces with great support is vital (roles from 2 hours a week!).
Many Local Group rebels still feel central working groups are inaccessible and they donāt necessarily feel heard, or have great access to resources or centralised help if needed. Every rebel must believe in their full power, and have clearer pathways to achieve it. 2021 will be hard for protest, weāll all need each other to reach our fullest potential. |
Strategic Promises: Izzy whizzy letās get busy!
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