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The Foundation Programme - prepare for and find your ideal role

XR Foundation Programme

This a 4 week part-time course (7-8hrs/week) primarily for people new to XR. It aims to give you a thorough grounding in who we are and how we work. It is coordinated by the UK Rebel Pathway Team.

Find where in XR you best ‘fit’ and become ready to move straight into a role with one of our amazing teams anywhere across the movement. You'll receive support, personal connections, a solid understanding of our work and all the tools you need for a flying start!

This programme will be useful for anyone starting out in XR, whether you have already joined a group or are looking for one.The courses run approximately every month.

A week before the course starts, we will send you a couple of small things to complete before you begin the trainings. You don’t need any experience of XR, just a can-do attitude, a good internet connection and a minimum of 8 hours per week.

The programme consists of (with approximate time commitments):-

Zoom trainings (2-4 hrs/week)

Selected reading and e-learning to check your understanding (2-3 hrs/week)

Support, help and guidance from the course directors

Find out when the next Foundation Programme starts here.

If you have less time to spare, or prefer less training, we also run a Foundation Programme Light, which picks out the most essential trainings and needs only a 1.5hr commitment per week.

We have received positive feedback from our students:-

“Very informative and very welcoming”

“I was inspired and motivated by this course”

“I found the course very useful as a grounding to XR ( I wish I had done it earlier, I would have been better prepared for some actions) and to help me find where I could contribute in the working groups.”

“having now started to engage with SOS I see that a lot of the training I did has put me in a very good position to understand most of what's going on in meetings”.

We're working to make XR UK a diverse and inclusive space and we welcome applications from everyone.

How to find Your ideal role

Once you’ve completed the Foundation Programme, we hope you will be keen to find a role. We encourage you to join a Local Group if possible to see how we work locally. You can find your nearest Local Group and contact details on this map. Local groups are free to do what they want as long as they follow our principles and values; but we encourage them to support actions using whatever creative ideas they can and to follow XR's strategy.

However, you may want a ‘behind the scenes’ role with a regional, national or UK team. And it’s fine to have more than one role in order to experience different aspects of XR. Please note that it’s ok to leave a role if you find you no longer have capacity or you would prefer to move to a different role, but please give your group a little notice.

Our Volunteers website has many roles advertised. Roles are generally for regional, national or XR UK teams, each with a specific purpose, as described by the team's mandate. If you successfully apply for a role, the group's integrator (or Internal Coordinator) will introduce you to the group at one of their meetings and work with you to agree your induction and training plan. Groups usually hold weekly zoom meetings at a specific day and time.

You may be unsure what having a role involves and the Rebel Pathway team is here to guide you and suggest roles that may suit you. We will help you apply, check that teams are responding to your applications and will ask you to feedback how you get on. We welcome feedback on your expereinces as you become integrated. You can contact the Rebel Pathway team here on MatterMost.

Roles advertised on the Volunteer Website can be filtered by 'Role Type':- from home (most roles) or in-person (e.g. Production & World Build Team).

Roles may be for the following UK areas/circles:-

UK Rebel Hive It's accountabilities include facilitating the collaboration of Rebels within and between the UK Nations (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Regions (within England); and growing and empowering XR UK through active decentralisation.

Action planning, creative, production or wellbeing These groups plan specific actions and rebellions which need UK-wide support. Normally you would have some experience already through your local group since you need to be in a position of trust.

Money Rebellion To expose the economic systems that destroy life on earth and offer a path back to a regenerative economy that preserves and sustains life.

Specific campaigns e.g. Digital Rebellion, Deepwater.

Messaging and Media Writing, newsletters, social media, film, leaflets, posters, contact with the press.

Digital (UK Tech) Our computer services and technical team supporting and developing :

  1. our websites,

  2. email campaigns,

  3. messaging systems such as MatterMost and social media,

  4. the Hub, which holds data about XR UK groups and the roles held in them,

  5. the Cloud where each group holds its documents,

  6. GDPR and Security,

  7. platforms and networks where these services run.

Communities Supporting XR groups across the UK, brought together by community, location or other affinity and including teams such as Local Group Development, Talks & Trainings, Rebellion Academy, Rebel Ringers, Disabled Rebels Network and Rebel Pathway.

Relationships Facilitating and nurturing XR UK’s relationships, in order to increase collective pressure on the UK Government to meet XR’s Three Demands

Feedback and Learning Creating a system that supports ongoing learning for individuals and the collective, fitting with XR UK's Principle & Value "We value reflection and learning"

Political Accountabilities include informing the Movement Strategy Team of ways XR can build political momentum across the political spectrum to achieve XR’s demands

Regenerative Cultures Creating a self perpetuating system grown through community, ferocious love and genuine courage which sustains the understanding,exploration, development, training and sharing of regenerative practices.

Self Organising Systems (SOS) With the purpose of clear, functional, and transparent self-organisation throughout XR UK, which inspires, equips, and supports people to work effectively together in a decentralised way, whilst also maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships and accountable use of power

Guardianship and Visioning (G&V) so that all XR UK rebels aligned with the XR UK vision, principles & values when rebelling with Extinction Rebellion

Fundraising To raise enough money for the rebellion to function, and to amplify our wider messaging, deepen our relationship with supporters and create powerful content to serve the whole movement.

Integrated Budget Group (IBG) To distribute unrestricted income raised for XRUK in a way that is fair and aligned to XRUK’s 3 demands and principles & values, in line with the movement’s strategy to ensure maximum impact against our key objectives, and transparent and logical so that it is easy for all XR UK rebels and funders to understand

International Solidarity Network (ISN) With the purpose of mutually respectful, co-operative and beneficial connections with people from existing grassroots communities of resistance on the front lines of the climate & ecological crises in both the Global South & Global North who are working on environmental justice are fostered.

UK Justice Steering Group (JSG) To bring in and amplify the unheard and silenced voices of historically and currently marginalised groups.
To advocate that the movement becomes, and remains, radically diverse, equal and accessible for all through transformative and restorative justice.

Nations and Regions

Roles may also be for Scotland, Cymru Wales and Northern Ireland or for the UK regions North, North East, Midlands, East of England, South West, London, South East. You can find these quickly using the filter UK Region/Nation

Global Support This team supports all groups around the world and this is their website Extinction Rebellion Global

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