Rebel Next Steps Pack

This pack is for rebels who have read the Rebel Starter Pack, agree with what we stand for and now want to get more involved with XR UK. It is designed to be a resource for rebels to dip into and come back to as needed, covering all the key parts of how XR works and where to find things. This handbook has been put together by the Rebel Pathway team.

Rebel Next Steps Pack printable PDF

The Rebel Next Steps Pack is for rebels who have read the Rebel Starter Pack and are ready to learn more. It's designed to be a reference, to be used and returned to as needed.

Here is the link to the PDF version of the Rebel Next Steps Pack.

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Introduction

This pack is for you if you have read the Rebel Starter Pack, agree with what we stand for and now want to get more involved with XR UK. Here we tell you more about us and, most importantly, how to get rebelling!

Principle 1: we have a shared vision of change. Our vision is a world fit for the next seven generations to live in

Principle 2: We set our mission on what is necessary. We aim to mobilise 3.5% of the population to achieve system change

How should I use this pack?

A bit at a time! We hope it is a resource you will dip into and come back to as you need.

Welcome!

Principle 6: we welcome everyone and every part of everyone. This principle is our commitment to inclusivity. We want to make XR a comfortable and genuinely welcoming place for everyone.

We use XR Principles of Inclusivity and Diversity & Inclusivity at Actions to provide for the needs of as many people as possible. If you have needs or concerns, please do get in touch with the people organising the event that you're interested in - we want to help you take part. If you see barriers to inclusivity, please let organisers know so they can work to sort things out.

Remote Rebels is a Facebook group for people who want to get involved but have restrictions on their time and/or mobility. (See also ‘Supporter Rebel’).

Co-liberation is an XR group dedicated to ending all forms of oppression. Email: co-liberation@protonmail.com

Although we accept every person, we do not accept every behaviour. We will tackle harmful behaviour or language when it arises (see ‘Poor behaviour’). There are also a few rare cases where we might not be able to include you. Your needs might be beyond what we can meet, or you might risk causing harm to others (see ‘Safeguarding’).

Principle 7: we actively mitigate for power. ‘Power’ is clearly not spread between people evenly. What this principle means is that, in XR, we work at balancing things out.

Here are some ways we try to do this:

See also ‘Community Groups’ - XR groups of shared self-identity

How we care for one another

Principle 8: we avoid blaming and shaming. We do not waste energy or sow division by attacking people personally. We live in a system that damages us all and no one person is to blame.

Principle 3: we need a regenerative culture. The work we do in XR can be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. To protect ourselves, we try to integrate what we call 'regenerative culture' into our everyday behaviour. ‘Regen’, as it is commonly known in XR, means taking care of ourselves and each other, and ensuring that we all take enough down time.

Emotional Support

Grief and gratitude are linked - we grieve for the loss of something we are grateful for or love. Grieving together is a way of experiencing our connection as part of a community where what we feel matters and is heard. For more information on tending to grief, please email xrgrief@protonmail.com or use one of the following resources:

Trust the People

Trust the People is an XR-affiliated movement of community builders. It shares tools to support local communities deal with global crises. One of its workshops is designed to help with personal processing.

Open Homes

If you need somewhere to retreat, rest and regenerate, some lovely XR members have offered places you can go. (At time of writing this scheme is suspended due to Covid. We hope it will restart and will update this entry then.)

XR Community Groups

Community Groups are a way for rebels to connect and work together through communities of shared self-identity e.g. faith, profession, ethnicity or sexual identity.

How we protect one another

Data Protection

  1. How we protect your data: XR Privacy Policy. For queries or requests about your data, please email dataprotection@rebellion.earth
  2. How we ask you to protect other people’s data: Volunteer Agreement. This agreement gives some simple principles for treating data with care and respect. All new rebels should digitally sign this, but it is particularly important that organisers do so.

Behaviour generally

Rebels who help organise XR are asked to follow our Ways of Working. This guide covers how we expect people to act as individuals and within groups: not just how we talk but how we listen and not just who we work with but how we include them.

Behaviour at Actions

Rebels who attend Actions are asked to follow our Rebel Agreement. This gives us a basis for trust in each other and between us and the public.

Poor behaviour

As XR is not hierarchical, it is the responsibility of all groups to impose discipline. Our Ways of Working show how groups can respond to people who behave badly, e.g.

Conflict

Conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is to be expected when we're dealing with such difficult issues. But when conflict becomes harmful, it needs resolving. You may be asked to take part in a conflict-resolution process by your group if you're a party to the conflict, or if you're outside it and may be able to help resolve it.

When misunderstandings and our egos get between us and our goals, we try to remember our important shared purpose and to hold things lightly.

Keeping each other safe

It is everyone's duty to make sure everyone in XR is safe from exploitation or abuse (especially from those in a position of responsibility).

If there's anything in your past that may indicate a risk to others, you should disclose these to the relevant group before you take on a role within XR (e.g. failed DBS checks, a conviction for a violent or sexual crime (even if spent), or restraining orders). They may not stop you volunteering for XR, but we need to know about them so that we can protect you and others.

We each have a responsibility to look out for each other and report anything that worries us or makes us uncomfortable. If you encounter a situation that makes you uncomfortable either for yourself or someone else, please let your group organisers, and if necessary your wider circle, know so they can work to sort things out.

National helplines

How we learn from one another

Principle 5: we value reflection and learning. We never know how things will change, so we try to stay open and flexible, to experiment and to learn from what we do. This helps us work out how to be as effective as possible. We value feedback and aim to both give and receive it with grace. We share our experiences so we can learn from one another.

Key training:

Welcome to XR (T&T) : This live zoom training covers many of the same things as our Rebel Starter Pack but gives you the chance to meet people, ask questions and join the ‘New Rebel’ Telegram chat for help, support and connections.

We have three main ways of learning:

1. Rebel Toolkit (RT) – public resource library

You are on the Rebel Toolkit right now; click the logo on the top left to start exploring!

2. Rebellion Academy (RA) - e-learning platform

3. Talks and Trainings (T&T) – live, or live-online training

On the following pages, we list training for particular tools or roles (marked RT, RA or T&T to show you which type it is).

How we communicate

Our main communication tools are brought together on The Hub.

To get onto the Hub, you will need to be invited by the Tech Champion of your group (if you don’t know who that is, ask your internal coordinator).

After using commercial apps, our tools may initially take a little getting used to, but to help you find your way around we have the following trainings:

Our organising tools

Mattermost (our main platform for communication) - chat
UK Forums – longer discussions

Sometimes we start a conversation on Mattermost, then realise the thread is growing and so we’ll move it to the forum so that it doesn’t get lost.

UK Cloud Storage – private file storage
Hub circles – XR structure

Sometimes we use commercial platforms too (for particular purposes):

Signal

Many groups use Signal for planning Actions (some use Telegram instead.) Messages can be set to disappear within a particular time limit.

Telegram

As well as using Telegram for Actions, we have a New Rebels channel where people new to XR can get help, support and connections to help them find their way into XR. To access this, you need to attend a ‘Welcome to XR’ session (T&T).

Our news channels

1. …for talking to each other

UK Broadcasts We have two news channels which you can access via Telegram or Mattermost (broadcast only, no chat):

These are a great way of getting regular, concise and up to date news as it happens.

Newsletters (by email) UK newsletter (completing this form also signs you up to the XR Global Newsletter). Many regions and local groups send out newsletters too, as do various campaigns.

Inside XR: a short internal newsletter aimed mainly at coordinators of the central UK teams (although anyone can subscribe)

To unsubscribe from a newsletter, click the link at the bottom of it. Because we are a decentralised movement, different newsletters are sent from different places and you may need to unsubscribe more than once if you want everything to stop.

2. …for also talking to the public
Websites
Social media

Since the mainstream media refuse to cover the majority of our work, these channels are a vital way we share our message. We use social media to: share news about our actions, effects of our work and the work of others connect with each other and with people and organisations with power organise together in groups and create public events to share

See ‘Supporter Rebel’ for ways to make our social media posts more effective.

Our main, UK-level, social media channels:

Local Groups and Community Groups often have their own social media accounts. Some of the larger ones have their own websites too.

ACTION rebel

As an Action Rebel you want to be involved in arrestable or non-arrestable direct action, either through participation or taking on a support role. You could also think of Action Rebels as protestors.

Principle 4: we openly challenge ourselves and our toxic system. We ‘own’ our personal actions and stand up to explain why what we do is necessary.

Principle 9: we are a non-violent network. We use non-violent methods as the most effective way to bring about change.

Join an Action!

Details of XR actions can be found through our Rebellion Broadcast on Telegram or Mattermost and also through our website events and campaigns pages.

Affinity groups (AGs)

These are civil disobedience support groups - a powerful way of taking action together. They contain a minimum of 4 and ideally between 8 and12 people. AGs can join with an XR mass action or arrange one of their own. They are completely autonomous.

Guidance and Support

Key training:

Further training:

GRASSROOTS rebel

As a Grassroots Rebel you want to get involved in projects at a local level - this could be by joining a local group, doing local outreach or even setting up a group where none currently exists.

Principle 10: we are based on autonomy and decentralisation We organise in small, autonomous groups distributed around the world. The aim is to balance being able to act quickly with using group wisdom when needed.

Join a Local Group

A Local Group (LG) is a group of people that gather in a local area to build support and take action towards XR’s three demands. These groups organise as different Working Groups as much as possible for faster decision making. (Working Groups are parts of the overall group which focus on particular areas of work e.g. media, arts etc). To find a local group close to you, follow the link in the heading to go to the UK local group map.

Start a new Local Group

If there is no local group near you may want to start one. Use this document to help you - it’s not as hard as it sounds!

Join a Community Group

XR Community Groups are a way for rebels to connect, work together and support one another through communities of shared self-identity e.g. faith, profession, ethnicity or sexual identity.

Start a new Community Group

There are currently nearly 90 different groups but there is always room for more! Could you moblise your community?

Key training:

Further training:

MOVEMENT rebel

As a Movement Rebel you might not be willing to get arrested, but still want to be involved in actions, plans and strategies. You may have skills to contribute at a regional, national or UK level.

Volunteer Agreement

Simple principles for treating data with care and respect. Organisers are asked to sign it (digitally) as they may need to handle personal data.

Volunteer Website

This website is a volunteering roles board, helping volunteers find roles and groups to find volunteers. The roles are usually at a UK national or regional level.

Browse roles by type of work, location or by entering key search terms. If you don’t see anything you immediately want to apply for, you can sign up to receive a weekly email for the types of role you are interested in.

Most roles go to people who apply directly, but to maximise your chances of finding a role, set up a profile. Groups can then find and contact you directly too.

Advertised roles typically ask volunteers to:

Site support: volunteer@extinctionrebellion.org.uk

Internal Newsletter

Inside XR UK gives updates on XR UK teams. It is mainly aimed at people in organising roles.

Key training:

Further training:

SUPPORTER rebel

As a Supporter Rebel you may not want to attend actions, or have regular time for a role in a group, but you still support what Extinction Rebellion is doing. You may want to learn and talk about the crisis or help in other ways.

Donate

Talking with friends and family

Educate yourself about the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE), and help educate and involve others. Here are some resources to help you:

Support us on Social Media

Social media is a crucial tool in getting our message out. Follow the link to see how you can boost our posts so that they are seen by more people.

Support our Current Campaigns

You can support many of these campaigns from home in your spare moments:

Join our Digital Rebellion telegram channel for a range of actions you can take digitally.

Other ways to support us