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Guide for Integrators

In April 2020, the UK Integration Team (Communities Circle) launched the XR UK Volunteers Website (roles board) where groups across XR UK can sign up for accounts and post roles. (If your team is UK level, you can also search a database of volunteers.) This replaced a system where the central UK Integration team found volunteers for teams. Start on the Integrator homepage.

Support

The UK Integration team has now merged with the Rebel Pathway team, but we are still here to support you!

Guidance for Working Groups

We recommend that each team has one or two friendly, empathetic integrators who understand the needs of the team and can post roles and onboard new Rebels.

Guidance for Integrators

Advertise your roles on the Volunteer Website

The website is simple to use. Please watch our short training video, which will show you how to set up your account, post roles and monitor applications. How to use the website is described in detail in the next page Recruiting for your Team - Volunteer Website.

Once you have found a new Rebel for your team, the next pagesection, Onboarding Roadmap, gives a suggested path to welcome and bring them into your team. Make it your own and let us know what works well so we can pass it around!

We recommend that you buddy-up newbies with a team member who will mentor them for around a month, helping them to settle in.

Personal connection is probably the single most important thing in getting people to stay!

Onboarding Roadmap

1) Contact your new Rebel

These are the people who have applied for your advertised role on the volunteer website or people you find on the database who seem a good fit for your team.

  • Call them (emails don’t work well as a first contact) and schedule time to talk if they are busy
  • Make time for their grief and questions, ask about their experience, tell them about your group and how you hope they might help you.
2) Send them some initial information

Not too much! It is easy to overwhelm people at this stage. This is all your Rebel needs at the outset:

  • The Rebel Starter Pack includes Heading for Extinction talk
  • Volunteer Agreement (Principles & Values and data protection), ask them to sign digitally and confirm.
  • This roadmap: (optional) can help Rebels to see what to expect, where they are in the induction process and to proactively request next steps.
  • An invite to your next working group meeting.
3) First Working Group Meeting
  • Introduce them to other team members; give them contacts.
  • Ensure they know the hand signals and the process.
  • Make sure to give space for questions.
  • Have a post-meeting debrief.
4) Induction / orientation

Tailored to your team and staggered according to your Rebel. It is best to let them absorb one thing before moving onto the next.

  • More information about your group (optional) (keep it simple - preferably not a long reading list with lots of links!)
  • Send details of the general Welcome to XR zoom call or the Rebellion Academy introductory training if they prefer (these cover similar ground).
  • Add them to the communications platforms. Encourage them to take Ned’s training on how to use the tools.
  • Offer the UK Buddy programme, to help them forge wider connections.
5) Direct them towards concrete tasks

Super important for volunteer retention! People are more likely to stick around when they feel valued and affirmed.

  • Have a list of simple tasks that a new rebel can take on easily e.g:
    • Secretary tasks: taking notes, sending around APs etc
    • Emails: keeping on top of your inbox (guidance needed to start)
  • Share Action Points - if you’ve got too many things on your plate, ask them for help!
6) Check in, check progress

Try to have a weekly call with your new Rebels.

  • Try to answer their questions and, if you can’t, let them know who can.
  • Try to gauge their understanding of XR and find out if there is anything they would like to learn about in more depth. If so, direct them to Rebellion Academy or specific talks / trainings.
7) Invite them to a circle meeting (optional)
  • This will help a new Rebel see the XR structure from a different perspective and how information moves across the system.
  • You do not have to be in the Circle meeting with them but, by this point, they should be well acquainted with the team External Coordinator so there will be a known face.
8) Final debrief / allocation of role

After about a month, most new Rebels will feel like they have an understanding of XR and how things are structured. You have now shared your skills and contacts - this marks the end of your guidance!

Have a Zoom Meeting to debrief;

  • how was their experience, where do they want to go from here?
  • Will you continue to share the mandate?
  • Is there a way to split the mandate?
  • Is there a gap within the team they would like to fill?
  • Do they have a project idea of their own they would like to pursue within XR?

Every rebel journey will have a slightly different conclusion; please take some time to reflect on your experience.

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