Community Assemblies

Community Assemblies are a structured way for a group of people to discuss issues or make decisions collectively.

What are Community Assemblies?

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Community Assemblies (also known by other names) are a structured way for a group of people to discuss issues or make decisions collectively. All voices are heard and valued equally; in the spirit of inclusion, no one person or group dominates the discussion. This is what makes Community Assemblies so powerful; they show us what a society could look like where the people impacted most are involved in decisions affecting them.

In a community assembly, members of the community and other interested parties such as business people and local councillors in a town or neighbourhood discuss a locally important issue. If the issue is water pollution, there are likely to be speakers from the water company, an environmental group and people affected. During an afternoon or evening, participants discuss and make recommendations which inform and put pressure on local politicians and create community connections. People and the media begin to understand deliberative processes, and that helps support our campaign for a UK wide citizens' assembly.

Community Assemblies involve:

Community Assemblies are not to be mixed up with Citizens’ Assemblies or People's Assemblies

Large group assembly in Trafalgar Square

Why run Community Assemblies?



It’s time to decide for ourselves, together!

The current political system is failing to take the actions we need.

We must end all fossil fuels and transition towards a society shaped by ordinary peoples’ recommendations for social and ecological justice that arise out of deliberative democracy processes.

XR believes that we need citizens’ assemblies to allow ordinary people to come up with fair, long-term solutions for the most pressing issues of our times.

The reason for XR’s third demand for a citizens assembly on climate and ecological justice isn’t well understood, but experiencing community assemblies in our local communities can open the conversation about how deliberative democracy can work at a national level.

When we organise Community Assemblies in our local areas around the UK, people experience a new and empowering way of improving their quality of life. This can be done in ways that require more or less work, depending on what your Local Group objectives are.

Community Assemblies will be:

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Locally embedded: How Community Assemblies are run is completely up to your organising group. You can follow the guidance here, or try out a local variation. Every community is different, so you need to do this in a way that has meaning for those taking part.

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Collaborative: Community Assemblies are most interesting and enriching when they are attended by people from all kinds of backgrounds. You are more likely to achieve diverse participation if you work with a range of organisations and community groups and plan your Community Assembly collaboratively.

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Goal-oriented - Although taking part in a Community Assembly is an empowering experience, it’s not an end in itself. So when you co-design your local Community Assembly, an important part of your plan should include what you want to do with the outcomes.

By organising local Community Assemblies, we can:

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Open conversations about XR's 3rd demand for a Citizen's Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice.

Grow our local networks by continuing to build local alliances around issues we are all concerned about, perhaps even starting a local campaign or project in collaboration with other groups.

Provide people with a forum where they can hear about, deliberate and decide on local issues that affect community lives everyday.

Invite local politicians and candidates to build positive relationships and ask if they support the CE Bill to further climate and ecological protections.

Keep pressure on local authorities to recognise the climate emergency.

Spread the word about deliberative democracy to empower people by showing what outcomes could be achieved.

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Ready to co-create a beautiful bonding experience in your community alongside your local allies? Continue reading through this book for resources to help with running a Community Assembly. Let's bring deliberative democracy into our communities to show them the power of deciding together!

How to organise a Community Assembly

This manual outlines the various steps that you can take to run an assembly in your local community. • How to plan and organise your assembly • What to think about before launching your assembly • How to decide on an assembly question • What training and support is available • How to follow up an assembly

How to organise a Community Assembly

What key decisions does your community need to make?

Before kicking off your Community Assembly, consider what you want to achieve.

Wondering Whether to Run a Community Assembly With Your Local Extinction Rebellion Group, or to Collaborate with Others?

Running an assembly as a Local Group is easier and faster to organise, but it means that the question you will be discussing will only be relevant to your XR members; there will not necessarily be community support for your recommendations and decisions.

If you invite potential ally organisations and reach out to new ones to co-create your question for deliberation, you will get wider participation and better representation of the wider community, which is the best possible outcome.

An added benefit of co-creation is that other groups can share the workload involved, helping organise.

Also promoting your assembly to their member meetings and followers of their newsletters and social media gives you wider reach.

Remember that choosing to be collaborative from the outset means you’re likely to attract a more diverse audience and participant numbers can give greater weight to decisions made when bringing recommendations to eg your local authority, etc.

The most powerful outcome of an assembly is that people with opposite opinions can come together, have a reasonable conversation together and enjoy the magic of the process.

By reaching out to the wider community you are working on two levels; firstly, you are building a consensus on issues that matter to local people and secondly you are giving them a feeling of how a different kind of democracy can work for them.

Do We Run a Community Assembly on a Local Question, or a Wider Issue?

Here are some example questions below. Any variation of these will open up the discussion, because it invites all voices with an open question:

Trust the People recommend you begin your question for discussion with, e.g. “How can we…”

You might find that it is easier to get community members or local organisations excited about discussing a topics that matter to them; this also helps maximise your numbers taking part. This doesn’t have to be a local issue, but could be, e.g. sewage pollution, locally and in general. If your organising group is committed to running an assembly follow-up, you should consider that a strong question will make follow up easier.

The benefit of these questions is that they draw local communities closer to action. They can also lead to discussion around XR’s third demand, in particular, why a citizens assembly on climate and ecological justice could provide a template for wider democratic involvement of the people in decision making processes.

Assemblies can also attract the attention of local politicians; some organisers make a point of inviting local politicians to participate on an equal footing with their constituents. Building those relationships can help open wider conversations too, including the concept of citizens assemblies.

Will The Assembly Be A One-Off Or The Start Of A Campaign?

Many organising groups can be quite small, so organisers might feel like setting up and promoting a one-off Community Assembly is a pretty big challenge, let alone running a series of follow-ons. This is why it is important to think about your goals from your assembly, such as recruiting for the next one!

It is completely fine to organise one Community Assembly, then take a regenerative break to think about your next steps. Do try to share the outputs from your assembly with those who took part, however. This should be a giving back to the community, keeping them in the loop and incentivised to support the next assembly.

Alternatively, a Community Assembly can be a great way of kicking off a local campaign, or building networks. You can collate all suggestions and ideas from participants in your assembly, then commit to following them up with those present and anyone else interested. For instance:

Follow on actions will take more consistent effort, but:

Do You Want To Facilitate Local Action Or Influence Local Politicians?

If you want to follow up your Community Assembly with a campaign, there are three possible approaches.

Some believe that the whole point of Community Assemblies is to take power into our own hands. Acting locally to address local problems helps build resilience in our communities; this equips us to deal with what lies ahead. As all of our local authorities and councillors are failing us, strengthening our community will be needed more than ever in the future.

Others say that in a climate and ecological emergency, it is most important to pressurise politicians to resource large-scale positive action. Seeing that their community is ready to take bold and urgent action will spur others and our politicians on. This is potentially powerful, given politicians’ power to enact legislative change; they can take recommendations from your assembly to your local council or unitary authority to implement them.

If MPs (English Parliament) / AMs (in the Senedd) / MSPs (Scottish MPs) attend your assembly, it will be easier to pressurise your local representative to back certain legislation in your nation’s legislative chamber. For instance, you can engage them in discussions around the Climate and Nature Bill, a Citizen’s Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice, or a House of Citizens.

The third option combines both approaches and will take more effort to organise. It would engage people in follow up activities and future assemblies if you add refreshments and a get together at the end.

How to organise a Community Assembly

Creating a Team

“I can’t change the world on my own, it’ll take at least three of us.”
- Bill Mollison

Below, we have listed a few working groups that may help you get a community assembly off the ground. They constitute best practice, not a minimum requirement. Your local group may feel that so many working groups are well beyond your capacity so don’t let this guidance discourage you! It doesn’t take an army of volunteers to put on an assembly!

Alliance Building

Importance: Essential
Timing: From project start

This is the role that you need to establish very early on in your project. At least one person in your local group should lead communications with other organisations. While it will be helpful to brainstorm in your local group around potential assembly topics and locations, you will need to discuss all of these things early on with other organisations and be open to their suggestions if you want to collaborate with them. Unless you have a political or lobbying team, this will also be the role that contacts local politicians and invites them to the assembly. On Rebel Toolkit, you can find resources for local alliance building to inform this work.

Fundraising

Importance: Nice to have
Timing: From project start

If you end up up working together with other organisations, you can explore sharing certain costs.

Outreach and Integration

Importance: Essential
Timing: From middle of project

Just like you would do outreach to promote a Heading for Extinction talk, we will do outreach to spread the word about our assemblies. At the end of your assembly, you can invite attendants to join your local group or get involved in a local campaign in which case this team will have to prepare how people can join and what tasks they can take on. You will need an outreach and integration crew later in the project once you are clear on assembly time, location, topic, etc.

More information about Outreach and Integration.

Media and Messaging Crew

Importance: Nice to have
Timing: Middle to end of project

The role of this group is to promote the assembly through the media. That could involve your local group’s own online channels and newsletter, but you could also try local press outlets or ask allied organisations to promote the event in their newsletters and social media. On top of that, this team will coordinate taking pictures of the assembly and capturing them on your social media.

If you would appreciate any support with your local media work, feel free to contact media@rebellion.earth and they can put you in touch with your regional/national Media & Messaging rep.

Facilitators

Importance: Super essential
Timing: End of project

For each Community Assembly, you will need at least one facilitator, ideally two. Facilitators maintain radical inclusivity, active listening, and trust so that all voices are heard and valued equally. They keep the discussion focused and structured and prevent it from becoming unwieldy which is absolutely crucial for a successful assembly.

Recommendations:

  • Make sure that your facilitators don’t have entrenched political bias or other strong prejudice, in accordance with inclusion principles. Party-political neutrality in facilitators ensures more effective assemblies.
  • Ideally, a female facilitator is one of the assembly leads. It has been shown that this will greatly increase the level of engagement of female participants and the uptake of facilitation roles of women in general. The rate of engagement and uptake for males isn’t affected in the same way.
  • Lead Facilitators would benefit from completing facilitation training.
  • See our Community Assembly Facilitation Guide for more information.
  • How to organise a Community Assembly

    Budget & Funding

    Example Budget

    Below is an example of a budget to help your planning. This is only a simple guideline, e.g. you might not have to book a venue for an outdoors assembly, translation, or other resources.

    Category Unit Price Notes
    Venue Hire £300 Book your venue for at least four hours to allow for set up, the process, socialising and clearing up.
    Food £200 Invest in anything else that will make your event more appealing and fun.
    Outreach Materials £100 Leaflets and posters are essential. There are templates for leaflets on the Rebel Toolkit, or find inspiration for other outreach methods.
    Flip Charts, Stationery £25 Taking notes during the Assembly that can be seen and read by everyone is essential to highlight the outcomes of the discussion.
    Markers, biros, post-it notes, egg timers all help to have ready.
    BSL Interpretation / Language Translation £160 You may want to create a registration page for your Assembly, where people can flag their accessibility needs.
    There’s no point in paying for an interpreter if no one will need them, but radical inclusivity is a pillar of assembly success in being representative.
    Hearing Loops £80 Consider creating a registration page for your Assembly, where people can flag accessibility needs.
    There’s no point in paying for a hearing loop if no one will need this.
    Creche Provision £250 Your volunteers may be able to provide this, without paying for professionals. However, you should consider safeguarding protections. Arts materials for kids, while their parents participate in the Assembly
    Arts / Entertainment £350 Supporting local arts projects brings a different dimension to deliberation and makes people feel part of something fun.

    Potential Sources of Funds

    There are now a number of players in the deliberative democracy space, some of which are either planning to access funding, or can help your organising group to raise funds or match fund. Check out:

    We recommend that local groups wanting to raise funds check out the Rebel Toolkit's general fundraising guidance.

    What did we miss?

    If you come across a funder of community assemblies, please tell us about your successes in what you asked for, from whom and how. Share a link if you can via our Telegram Chat.

    How to organise a Community Assembly

    Connecting with the Community and Allies

    Relevant teams: Alliance Building, Outreach and Integration

    Before you attempt to bring a community together in Assembly, you need to actually familiarise yourself with that community. This will help you to select an assembly question that matters to the people around you, and to design an assembly event that is appealing to your local community.

    Think: Who makes up the community in question? Where are they? Who are the obvious future participants? Who are the less obvious ones? Which communities are hidden from you? Where are the community connections that already exist happening? Are those connections deliberate or organic/cultural? Who are the influencers, the stakeholders, or the ‘Elders’ within this community?

    Whilst we are connecting with the community, we need to connect with ourselves as well. We need to ask ourselves what assumptions we carry about the community we are trying to reach. We must challenge our own blind spots and prejudices at every opportunity, and continue to do so throughout the process.

    It is also vital to develop active listening skills, so that when you are engaging with others in your community, you are taking time to understand them, their needs and their wants, rather than trying to push your own agenda.

    To help you better connect with your community, take a look at the following modules (downloadable as Google docs) in the Trust The People programme:

    To help boost your ability to connect with those in your community, consider the following:

    In the same phase of your assembly planning process, you want to put your feelers out to local organisations and see if any of them are up for organising an assembly together with you. Working together with other organisations will not only increase the diversity of your audience but will also bring new ideas to the event organising process that you might never have thought of on your own.

    Dare yourself to reach out to a group that you have never been in touch with before. XR groups are most commonly in touch with unions, environmental and faith groups or unions. How about getting in touch with a local racial justice or LGBTIQ+ group?

    How to organise a Community Assembly

    Framing & Scope

    Relevant teams: Your local group and ally organisations

    The exact framing and scope for the assembly need to be agreed upon before any promotional work can occur. The destination and legitimacy of the results of the assembly should be discussed and decided upon prior to convening the assembly, and it is important that all assembly participants are made aware of this information before the assembly begins.

    An Assembly for Sharing and Community Building

    If, for example, you are planning to host an assembly designed to bring community members together to discuss issues that are important to them in the spirit of creating community bonds and finding common ground, then the framing and scope are as follows:

    Framing: The event is open to all members of the community to provide space for discussion around local issues.

    Scope: No decisions are being made, so the scope is limited and does not extend beyond the sharing of ideas and feelings. The ideas and issues generated in the assembly should be fed back to the community through social media and serve as a starting point for future conversations.

    An Assembly for Discussing a Specific Topic and Generating Ideas

    If you are convening an assembly which focuses on specific issues and where what is discussed will be shared beyond the local community with an external body, such as a council, then the scope would be broader. Say, for example, a local sustainability group advertises an open assembly on their social media channels to discuss how the local council can act after declaring a Climate and Ecological Emergency, then the framing and scope would be as follows:

    Framing: The event is open to anyone who chooses to participate to share their ideas on what the council can do.

    Scope: The ideas and issues generated in the assembly could be published on the local group’s communication channels (e.g. their Facebook page or their newsletter), and also be emailed to the local Councillors asking them to take the suggestions to the next Council meeting.

    An Assembly for Making Decisions and Proposals

    Assemblies can also be convened to ask for the opinions of members of a group and to make decisions. Say, for example, a local group calls an assembly to discuss whether they join with a larger group for a day of action or create their own one locally, and they advertise it to all members through every channel of communication, then the framing and scope are as follows:

    Framing: The event is open to the members of the group so they can share their ideas on what they would like their group to do in the action.

    Scope: The assembly has the legitimacy to make the decision on behalf of that group, and the decision made during that assembly will be reported to the group and acted upon. The assembly, however, would not have the scope to make decisions beyond their own group. If, for example, that same group holds an assembly to decide if they, as a region, should combine with another region in the same manner, then the results of that assembly would be fed into a larger decision-making process that would affect other groups within the region as well.

    Lead with the Topic

    Once you have decided on your assembly question or topic, make sure to display it clearly on your promotions materials and the assembly itself for all to see.

    A good question is worded such that it is:

    How to organise a Community Assembly

    Planning & Promotion

    Advance Preparation

    Choose the venue

    Online assemblies

    Holding your Community Assembly online is potentially a good way to be more inclusive especially in rural areas where face to face assemblies could potentially mean long commuting to the assembly or it might be easier to attend an online assembly for parents.

    The process of running an online Community Assembly is pretty much the same as one that you would use for an in-person assembly. Breakout rooms can be used for the deliberation phase. Please find more information in the Structure section of this manual. We also have a page about Using Zoom for Community Assemblies, the popular video meeting tool.

    Communications

    There's lots to do in advance and afterwards (especially to support any funding bid). We've got your back... If you need support on organising press releases, getting your assembly on XR's Events Map, or getting broadcasts out, if you can get your support request in as early as possible, you have the best chance of getting support. Go here to request Comms Support.

    Working with the Press

    An important part of your communications plan for the assembly will be sharing your event with the press. This will include writing one or more press releases, and identifying the press contacts to share those with. To help with this please see the following resources:

    Inclusion

    In the spirit of ‘radical inclusivity’ pillar of Community Assemblies and in accordance with Extinction Rebellion Principles and Values, check the Extinction Rebellion Principles of Inclusivity to ensure the assembly is optimising access across diverse needs.

    In-depth Plan with Timings

    One Month To Go:

    Two Weeks to Go:

    One Week to Go:

    One Day to Go:

  • Last shout-out reminder on social media.
  • Send reminder emails or messages to anyone who registered on your event page.
  • Re-check there are no issues with the venue that might affect the event such as road works etc.
  • Check in with anyone holding a role that they are all good to go and agree to meet an hour before the start time to set up.
  • Send a reminder email to your local councillors and MP.
  • One Hour to Go:

  • All crew meet at the venue at least one hour before the advertised start time.
  • Host, facilitators and the media and messaging crew run through the assembly plan together.
  • Set up and test any PA equipment being used.
  • Set up food and hot drinks, and any information that is being displayed.
  • Ideally all the crew should wear something to identify them as being part of the organising team- this will make it easier for people to ask questions about the event or the process.
  • Set up the children’s area.
  • Circulate pictures of the assembly being set up through social media channels to generate interest.
  • During the Assembly:

  • Be available to greet anyone coming in and make them feel welcome/explain the process to them.
  • Be aware of tensions and needs.
  • Be available to support anyone. Many people may find themselves moved by the experience of listening to others or having their own voices heard, and some may need space or support.
  • After the Assembly:

  • Be available to answer people’s immediate questions about the assembly process or what happens next.
  • Collect emails and contact details to ensure that people can be kept in touch with, making sure that your process for doing this is GDPR compliant.
  • Pack away all the equipment and tidy up the venue.
  • Plan for a feedback and reflection meeting with facilitators and crew, ideally following the assembly. This can be scheduled for another day, but don’t leave it too long.
  • Have a party with everyone remaining!
  • How to organise a Community Assembly

    Structure of a Community Assembly

    There are three main phases of a community assembly, these are the input phase, the deliberation phase, and the integration/feedback phase.

    Input Phase

    This phase can be broken down further into the introduction and input, the latter of which can be of varying lengths according to the purpose of the Assembly.

    Ideally, the input phase should be around 30 mins in total. However, if a speaker is attending or it is important for those present to learn about a subject, then the input phase may take longer.

    Introduction
    1. Start on time.
    2. Lead facilitators introduce and explain the hand signals, so that they can be used throughout all parts of the assembly.
    3. They then introduce the assembly agenda, including where the results of this assembly will go.
    4. They then talk through the three pillars (radical inclusivity, active listening and trust) and ask for help from the crowd to remove any barriers to engagement that may be identified, before reading out the Inclusivity Statement:
      “We value all voices equally in the assembly, as the aim is to hear the wisdom of the crowd gathered here and not to have the assembly dominated by individual voices or groups. We recognise that confident speakers are not always right and that those who are not confident speakers will often have the most useful ideas or opinions to put into the discussion. This is why we value all voices equally and we ask you to do the same. We do not tolerate any calling out, abuse or shaming and should conflicts arise in this way. We welcome all people but not all behaviours.”
    Input

    This can be as simple as the lead facilitators framing the question for discussion and explaining why the assembly has been convened.

    Or it can involve a longer and more in-depth input section such as a live panel of experts, or a video input.

    The Input should be balanced and factual – if research is being done to provide context, consider how you will keep it impartial.

    A badly planned input can skew a deliberation and deliver unwise answers.

    Testify

    Invite people to take the microphone for two minutes maximum and share their feelings about what has brought them to join the assembly or action that day.

    In an open public assembly, this section can be drawn out as long as people volunteer to speak.

    It opens the space for people to connect emotionally, but be carful to ensure it is not used as a ‘soap box’ on the issues about to be discussed.

    Ideally ask for a woman to speak on the microphone first (It has been shown that this will greatly increase the level of engagement of female participants. The rate of engagement and uptake for males isn’t affected in the same way), and allow as much dead air as is necessary for people to build up the courage to come and talk.

    Be strict with timing but ensure that the people speaking are supported and made completely safe in their sharing.

    Ideally work with two facilitators so that one facilitator ‘guards’ mic and keeps stack, whilst one sits in front of the speaker with timer and gives ‘round up’ hand signal as they approach 2 mins.

    Deliberation Phase

    Main Deliberation
    Breakout Groups

    In the breakout groups, it is good practice for the facilitator to restate the discussion topic or question and for the note taker to write it down. This enables people in the group to refer back to the original point for discussion to make sure the group stays focused and on subject.

    It is also good to start by going around the group and stating names, and making space for anyone to highlight any barriers to engagement that they may have that the small group can work together to try to work around.

    The breakout groups will have a set amount of time to discuss the topic, as outlined by the lead assembly facilitators beforehand – a good amount of time is 25 mins.

    10 minutes before the end of the deliberation phase, the lead facilitators should notify the breakout groups that they have ten minutes left, and should request that the breakout group note takers feed back their summary of the discussion to their groups, so that they can identify which key points they will be feeding back to the main discussion. It is also a good idea for the lead facilitators to remind the breakout groups how many points they will be feeding back.

    Integration Phase

    Feeding Back
    Finishing Up
    How to organise a Community Assembly

    Training & Support

    We highly recommend that in the run up to your assembly, you pull together volunteers who want to help facilitate and/or note-take and run practice sessions face-to-face, or even online. Offer practice sessions in the run up to the community assembly to help your facilitation and note-taker team feel confident.

    Recorded Trainings & Open Calls

    Trust the People

    THE expert trainers inspiring and empowering people everywhere to really bring democracy home, Trust the People run excellent training sessions to give people the knowledge and resources, try out new skills, and feel confident in their ability to organise and run an effective Community Assembly. We highly recommend their training.

    Talking To Local Politicians

    If considering involving politicians and officers in your community assembly or escalation plans check out the Local & Regional Authorities Map.

    Also, check out Hope For the Future’s website. They run regular trainings, which are very informative.

    If you are contacting a Member of UK Parliament (MP), XRUK's Political Advisor can provide general guidance to help you find out the most effective approach. Contact political@extinctionrebellion.uk.

    Let Us Know

    We’d love to know if you are planning a Community Assembly in your local area so that we can support you with any questions you have, help obtain expert advice and possibly help provide facilitation. Please:

    Further Training and Support

    More and more trainings are popping up regularly. If we are missing some great training resources, please message us to request adding links here.

    Just Go For It!

    While we hope that everything you need to know is here, it is worthwhile remembering that every assembly is different because it reflects your community’s particular needs.

    Deliberative democracy is a learning curve for all of us. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. Just give it a go, do your best, then enjoy the process. Your effort will really be appreciated by participants who are not used to being listened to and who enjoy getting to meet like minds in their community.

    You may find that there is demand for more assemblies. Trust the process and go for it!

    Community Assembly Facilitation Guide

    How to facilitate and moderate a Community Assembly. This is a summary of facilitating an assembly and a guide for assembly facilitators. It offers a flexible running order of the Community Assembly for the main facilitator to schedule the different elements of the three stages of the process and help breakout group facilitators to see where their support fits into that process.

    Community Assembly Facilitation Guide

    Roles

    Each assembly needs:

    Main Facilitator (Ideally two with a gender balance)

    Assembly Notetaker
    They are responsible for recording the results of the feedback/integration phase of the assembly and for feeding the assembly results into wherever they are destined to go. They might, for example, need to send them to the local Council to demand action, or feed them into an online organising platform. The destination of what is generated in assembly needs to be clearly defined before the start.

    Each breakout group needs:

    Facilitator
    They facilitate the discussion using hand signals, ensure no one dominates, keep an eye on the time, maintain radical inclusivity and active listening and adhere to the ‘Inclusivity Statement’.

    Notetaker
    They summarise the most popular points, ideally as bullet points, aiming to boil them down to 2-5 key points or ideas from the discussion. They look for wavy hands to record agreement.

    Online Roles

    Ideally for an online Community Assembly, some of the facilitation team would focus on the technical side. Technical Facilitator(s) are responsible for managing breakout rooms, muting people, monitoring chat questions, etc. They may also manage tools, such as Slido, or other digital support platforms. While it isn't essential, this role helps the group facilitator focus on discussion and deliberation.

    Community Assembly Facilitation Guide

    Hand Signals

    Assemblies maintain inclusivity and ensure all voices are heard equally by using hand signals to facilitate the discussion.

    Point (or ‘I would like to speak’)

    Point.png

    When someone in the group wants to say something, they should point their index finger up and wait for the facilitator to let them have their turn in speaking. It is vital that people do not talk over anyone else and wait for their turn. If someone, who has not yet said anything, puts their finger up to speak, whilst others have spoken a lot, then the facilitator should give that person priority over the ‘stack’ (the queue or order of speakers based on the order they raised their finger to speak).

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can type STACK in the chat or use the raised hand in the participants’ panel, or say ‘stack’ for their name to be stacked.

    Wavy Hands (I Agree)

    I agree.png

    The ‘wavy hands’ signal of approval is used to show agreement or support for something someone has said. If everybody erupts into a forest of waving hands during a breakout session, for example, the note-taker can see that this is one of the more popular points made and it will become one of the key bullet points fed back to the main meeting room.

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can use the ‘clapping hands’ icon under ‘more’ in the participants’ panel, or write ‘AGREE’ in the chat.

    Clarification

    clarification.png

    If someone says something that is unclear, people can hold their hand in a ‘C’ shape as the ‘clarification’ signal. The facilitator will then pause the discussion giving the person who made the signal the opportunity to ask a question to clear up any confusion.

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can write ‘Clarification’ in the chat, or unmute and say ‘Clarification' and their name.

    Speak up

    speak up.png

    If someone is speaking too quietly or they cannot be heard, others can ask them to raise their voice by raising and lowering their hands with palms open and facing up.

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can write ‘Speak Up’ in the chat, or unmute and say ‘speak up’ or use the ‘thumbs up’ icon in the participants panel. If using this second option you will need to explain to the whole assembly what the thumbs up icon means so they know to increase their volume if speaking.

    Direct Point

    direct point.png

    If someone has directly relevant information to what is being said, then they can make the ‘direct point’ hand signal and the facilitator will let them provide that information immediately after the person speaking has finished. The direct point signal is not an excuse to jump the queue just to make a point. It is important that people do not abuse this signal as otherwise it can make all present lose trust in the process.

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can write Direct Point or DP in the chat, or unmute and say ‘Direct Point’ and their name.

    Technical point

    technical point.png

    If someone has information that is immediately relevant to the running of the meeting, they make a ‘technical point’ signal by making a ‘T’ shape with their hands. This is only to be used for concerns external to the discussion that need to be addressed immediately e.g. “We only have ten minutes left” or “I am the note taker and I need the loo so can someone else take over?” The facilitator should stop the discussion to address the technical point.

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can write Technical Point or TP in the chat, or unmute and say ‘Technical Point’ and their name.

    Round Up

    round up.png

    Facilitators need to ensure that no one speaks for more than necessary (two minutes is a suggested maximum amount of time as it encourages people to be concise). If someone has been speaking for two minutes (or whatever the set amount of time is), the facilitator makes the ‘round up’ hand signal by repeatedly making a circular motion with their hands (as if they a tracing a ball). This must be done sensitively, but firmly as it ensures that no one person dominates the meeting.

    Online consideration: If people do not have their video turned on, they can use the ‘time’ icon under ‘more’ in the participants panel.

    Temperature check

    Jiggle the fingers on the palms of both hands at a level that corresponds with feelings. If hands are pointed upwards and jiggled, this suggests support. If they are held horizontally, this suggests people are ambivalent, and if they are pointed downwards, then this suggests that people do not support something. A temperature check can be used to quickly check the feelings of the group.

    Community Assembly Facilitation Guide

    Main Facilitator

    Input Phase

    What do you need to mention as the Main Facilitator in the Input Phase?

    Active Listening

    Active listening is focusing on hearing someone all the way through to when they finish, before responding. It is also about overcoming our urge to start figuring out our response in our own mind whilst someone is still talking. Sometimes listening actively leads to shifts in our own focus. Assemblies recognise that no one person or group holds all the answers. It is through the collective wisdom of the crowd that we gain powerful intelligence about the issues being discussed. Active listening is also vital to enhance our capacity to empathise.

    Trust the Process

    Once the system and process for assemblies has been agreed on, it is essential that all participants be invited to trust the process, the facilitators and to trust the various working groups involved. Facilitators and assembly teams enable this trust, through sticking to the agreed process and ensuring that everyone follows the facilitators.

    Radical inclusivity

    Effective assemblies achieve radical inclusivity, where the emphasis is explicitly put on all being heard and valued equally. Explain that this means no voices dominate, so the collective wisdom of the assembly is harnessed. People can participate safely and openly without fear of judgement or ridicule. Radical inclusivity, therefore, also means being aware of potential barriers to engagement and working with those affected to enable their participation. For instance, those not comfortable speaking in groups may wish to make a note on a sticky note / piece of paper / draw their thoughts. Dominant voices will have the same time limits on sharing as those who are quieter. Sometimes the quieter voices have more valuable inputs.

    “We value all voices equally in the assembly, as our aim is to hear the wisdom of the crowd gathered here and not to have the assembly dominated by individual voices or groups. We recognise that confident speakers are not always right and that those who are not confident speakers will often have the most useful ideas or opinions to put into the discussion. This is why we value all voices equally and we ask you to do the same. We do not tolerate any calling out, abuse or shaming. We welcome all people but not all behaviours.”

    Deliberation Phase

    What do you need to do as the Main Facilitator in Deliberation Phase?

    Integration Phase

    What to do as the Main Facilitator in the Integration Phase?

    Community Assembly Facilitation Guide

    Breakout Group Facilitators

    Breakout Group Facilitators are mainly needed in the deliberation phase of a Community Assembly, with at least one facilitator per group.

    What do you need to do as a breakout group facilitator during the deliberation phase?

    “I am volunteering today as a facilitator. Our group is a safe place for us all to share our experience, understanding of the topic and to work together. Please keep confidential what people say in our group today; do not name people and ensure people cannot be identified when discussing today with others.

    Remember: no one person has all the answers. Please respect other people's right to hold opinions that you disagree with. We are all here to listen to each other and be heard.

    So everyone has enough time to speak, we will be limited to [X] minutes. Everyone will speak uninterrupted for [X] minutes at a time until finished. Everyone else will listen."

    “We value all voices equally in the assembly, as the aim is to hear the wisdom of the crowd gathered here and not to have the assembly dominated by individual voices or groups. We recognise that confident speakers are not always right and that those who are not confident speakers will often have the most useful ideas or opinions to put into the discussion. This is why we value all voices equally and we ask you to do the same. We do not tolerate any calling out, abuse or shaming. We welcome all people but not all behaviours.”

    Run a first round of everyone briefly introducing themselves and saying what they hope to gain from the event

    More (In-Person) Group Facilitation Tips

    Review Of Break-Out Discussion. Prep for the Final (Integration) Phase

    When the discussion has reached its time limit, thank everyone for their contributions. Ask the Notetaker to read group comments out again, one by one. Check with the group that the Notetaker has understood each speaker correctly and recorded them accurately. (Notetaker amends as necessary.)

    Ask the Notetaker to summarise themes and any priorities emerging from the discussion.

    Also ask group members to indicate the importance of each theme with hand signals (Demonstrate).

    The notetaker will make a mark of his/her own choosing next to each theme to denote its level of consensus in the group. (e.g. ‘+’ or ‘✓’ to denote one person’s agreement; + + / ✓ ✓ = 2 , etc.

    Feedback and Whole Assembly Key Points

    Your nominated person will read out your key headings and main themes from your group’s discussion to the whole group. The Assembly Notetaker will write these up visibly on flip chart paper.

    Other groups can ask your group questions and/or comment. In this way a whole group discussion happens. Timing will be framed by the Main Facilitator. Note: comments at this stage can lead to further comments, so be careful to note that further discussion may be needed at a future assembly in order to keep to time.

    Each group will feed back in this way, with the whole group clarifying with questions and commenting within the time constraints.

    The Assembly Notetaker will then read out all of the headings one by one, then asks the whole group to vote its agreement (Demonstrate hand signals).

    The Assembly Notetaker counts raised hands, adds totals onto the flipchart next to suggestions.

    The Main Facilitator then reminds the participants about the eventual usage of the feedback, (e.g. to share with local authority). They may also invite everyone to vote on possible next steps (e.g. follow on assembly along with sharing outputs with the local authority)

    Community Assembly Facilitation Guide

    Dealing with Difficult Interactions

    Sometimes when you are running assemblies, or doing community work in general, you might have difficult interactions with people. Whilst there is no easy way to overcome these, here are some suggestions:

    Handling Tricky Situations

    Trust the People's 'Engaging Communities' module has a document on how to deal with conflict when engaging with strangers, which uses methods from Non-Violent Communication (NVC) - it is worth reading to prepare for community assemblies.

    Using Zoom for Community Assemblies

    In recent years Zoom has become the most common software in usage for meetings and assemblies. Here is some guidance for holding Community Assemblies via Zoom:

    Settings Management

    To create a Zoom link and publicise it everywhere, check Extinction Rebellion guidance for Zoom set up and promotion.

    In your Zoom account ‘Settings’ on the left, under ‘My Meetings’, click on the meeting you are facilitating. Make sure the following settings apply:

    Ask people in advance via promotions who have used Zoom before to sign in 5 minutes before the start time, and those who have not used Zoom before to sign in 10 minutes early; this allows time to work out how to use the buttons on their screen.

    Penn State has an excellent guide on using Zoom for circulation to facilitators and / or participants in advance, in order to familiarise teams with options available.

    Zoom Facilitator Roles

    For an online Community Assembly, facilitators can take on different roles, e.g.:

    5 Step Escalation Plan

    The Vision

    Imagine a plan to make sure the interests of people and nature are taken into careful consideration in all decisions. How might our society look if none were left behind, as we transition together to a healthier, fairer society?

    We have seen corporate offices and government buildings occupied all over the country in recent years, including those with the simple demand to follow the recommendations of a local community assembly on issues that are important to those campaigners.

    Community assemblies are one tool in the toolbox of activists; they are a great way to bring people together, bridging divides and laying out practical steps towards fair and inclusive transformation and green transition. They can be one part of making our communities more resilient and bringing us closer to community influencers.

    Without effective community decision-making, there can be no just transition; assemblies for the people, by the people help shifts in power.

    We know the voices of local communities are systematically ignored or purposefully polarised and that things are getting worse. That’s why we need stronger, engaged communities and regular assemblies everywhere to ensure we are all heard in respectful, inclusive and effective ways.

    To apply people powered pressure, you need to be clear who your target(s) is or are, e.g.

    Relevant authority

    Depending upon the local issue that you have identified and the structure of government in your area, the authority that has relevant powers may be your county or borough council, your metropolitan authority (e.g. in London that is the Great London Authority or the London Assembly), your devolved authority (e.g. Welsh Assembly), or Westminster.

    Relevant decision-makers

    These are the people with the power to make decisions about your issues of concern. They could be councillors sitting on your county or borough council, the metropolitan authorities, members of the devolved authority, your local MP, or executives of corporations (the company board members, CEO or other key staff).

    Do invite these key decision makers to your assembly, either as expert speakers (with speech parameters set by the organising group), or as general participants, like other members of the public. We want radical inclusivity, so get them onboard. If they say no, at least you know where you stand!

    The XR Community Assemblies Campaign group believe that:

    DEMOCRATIC ASSEMBLIES + DIRECT ACTION = FAIRER SOLUTIONS EVERYWHERE

    and that there is another way to bring about change via a 5 step process...

    A Simple 5 Step Plan

    1. Research:
    2. Prepare:
    3. Act:
    4. Occupy:
    5. Escalate:

    More Info & Support

    At the end of 2023, into early 2024, over twenty local XR groups had run community assemblies, badged and unbadged. When XR funding ran out, Humanity Project took up the mantle and continued supporting what they called 'POPS' (now 'Popular assemblies'). Since then, assemblies, peoples' assemblies, peoples' juries, etc. are happening regularly around the UK.

    There are other organisations joining the push for upgrading our democracy, whom you can read about elsewhere in this book. That said, our focus in XR is our Third Demand for a Citizens' Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice. The role of the Community Assemblies Campaign crew is in helping people understand the 3rd demand, through experiencing deliberative democracy where they are and seeing how this might work at a national level.

    The assembly escalation plan has been based on a successful action by the Cornwall Climate Coalition, who consistently show what is possible with collaboration with local and district authorities. With some tailoring to the realities of specific authorities, there is no reason why their example can’t work elsewhere.

    Assembly Escalation is a direct action campaign to build community resilience and elevate our Third Demand to encourage UK-wide conversations, starting at the grassroots and taking it to the pillars of power. Organising an assembly is sowing the seed at the local level for democratic change and opening conversations on a Citizens Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice.

    Community assemblies provide an opportunity to reach out to and build alliances with local community organisations, aligning with XR UK's values as far as possible. They offer one way to give local groups a more powerful voice and help to include a more diverse range of people and viewpoints.

    We are stronger together, but unity does not mean uniformity. It is vital that local groups are prepared to stretch their comfort zones. We are all learning together through practising. We need to listen to the voices of other community groups and ensure that projects worked on together are done in the spirit of cooperation, mutual aid and common good.

    Let's adapt, unite, build together with this proven tool in our community building toolbox.

    Join the UK Assemblies group; the Community Assemblies team is here to help every step of our journey into upgrading our democracy together.

    Case Studies

    Case Studies

    Cornwall's NVDA Assembly to Local Government Representation

    Cornwall local XR group were the first to really get success in using NVDA as a tactic, running alongside community assemblies to achieve support from the local authority, initially, then later representation on the District Council.

    What follows is the background for everyone to delve into and follow the example of to empower your local community to be heard by local government decision makers and be invited to participate in the statutory decision making process.

    How Escalation From Assembly to NVDA and Council Decision Making Inclusion Began

    In this video, Myghal Rual, an assembly organiser, talks about Cornwall's Community Assembly here

    Prior to the Festival of Resistance in 2022, in his own words, Myghal wrote the following summary of how their escalation process from assembly to NVDA began:

    "Just a quick background story to how we held a People's Assembly about the climate and nature crisis. Bringing together Climate Activists and Cornwall Councillors .

    We occupied Cornwall County Hall. The seat of power in Cornwall. We were asked to leave by the police and council officials, we held our ground and had our first Peoples Assembly inside county hall. We went on to have many PAs inside county hall.
    We have built up constructive dialogue with Cornwall Council. We now have a 4 person team who meet leaders of the council. Ensuring transparency and accountability on a regular basis.

    We also occupied Truro Cathedral and asked for a PA in the Cathedral. That PA happened inside the Cathedral on April 6th 2024 with nearly 100 people present."

    He goes into more detail on the Assembly escalation process as follows:

    "In September 2021 we held a large protest of community coalition groups including Greenpeace, Green Party and XR, outside of our Cornwall County Council building. We decided to go inside the building to hold a People's Assembly on a climate related theme.

    We then established contact with the Leader of the Council and other leading Council officials, with the aim of creating constructive dialoge with them.

    We now have regular meetings with these council officials and present the feedback from our regular People's Assemblies at County Hall to council officials.

    Some councillors have also joined us at our Peoples Assemblies inside the building, in recognition of the spirit of deliberative democracy.

    We have also have a working group who engage with the council's carbon neutral team.

    In June 2022 we set up a Marquee on Council grounds for a two week occupation. During these two weeks we camped in the County Council grounds and offered an extensive programme of educational events made available to the public and councillors. Initially we were asked to leave. We held firm and eventually Cornwall Council accepted our decision to stay.

    These two weeks were an outstanding success, the Leader of the Council even gave a speech as did the Director of Public Health Cornwall, in the marquee. Extensive publicity was generated, largely positive.

    Cornwall Council have an aim of Cornwall as a whole reaching net zero by 2030. We aim to ensure that by action, accountability and transparency this target is met."

    People's Assembly Held on 29th November 2022 - Summary

    PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY AT COUNTY HALL, TRURO ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29th 2022 Attending: 48

    Six breakout groups selected their top priorities.

    QUESTION 1

    QUESTION 2

    Following this initial assembly, more organisations came on board via an online assembly, as can be seen the following month...

    Assembly Held on 15th December 2022

    Cornwall Council and Members of Cornwall Climate Action Coalition Summary points Topic: Climate Commission Model - continuation

    Attendees: Cornwall Council (CC) Cllr Martyn Alvey: Portfolio holder for Environment and Climate Change Mark Holmes: Manager, Carbon Neutral Cornwall Cllr Linda Taylor: Leader Cornwall Council Cllr Louis Gardener: Portfolio holder for Economy, good growth fund, SPF, LUF, energy policy parts of NQ airport & spaceport and councillor for NQ & Pentire Cornwall Climate Action Coalition (CCAC) Karen Jeffereys John Carley Helen Angel Tom Pine Andrew Stott

    QUESTION 1: The Climate Commission What has the Council found out about the climate commission model from their contact with ‘Place based Climate Action Network (PCAN)?

    QUESTION 2: Timeline and budget

    Please outline what is the timeline and process for adding an item to the annual budget?

    ** Useful background reading** - (Link to PCAN): What is a local climate commission? | Place Based Climate Action Network (pcancities.org.uk) ** For reference CC shared a link to the new reports page on the Hive (This brings together key Cornish reports, including links to the action plan, inventories and performance reports. This was something promised at a previous meeting and the Climate Change pages on the CC website are also under review). In depth notes of the meeting are available via: Karenjeffereys@tiscali.co.uk

    Case Studies

    Massembly 2024

    Over 450 people took part in our incredible Massembly at Upgrade Democracy, to discuss the question: "How can we take meaningful steps to Upgrade Democracy?"

    The 'Massembly' took place in-person at Windsor and also online and a second online 'massembly' took place in Oct 2024.

    The input and questions for discussion

    Massembly Information Cards

    Summary of Results

    Sat 31st August 2024 In person and online Over 450 people took part in our incredible Massembly at Upgrade Democracy, to discuss the question: "How can we take meaningful steps to Upgrade Democracy?"

    1. Citizens' Assemblies and Participatory Democracy

    2. Civic and Political Education

    3. Accountability and Transparency in Politics

    4. Political Reform and Representation

    5. Environmental Protection and Rights of Nature

    6. Building Trust and Confidence in Democracy

    7. Long-term and Future-focused Governance

    Sun 13th October 2024 Online 447 participants voted, 43,153 votes were cast, 96.54 votes per participant on average, 137 commented, 453 comments submitted.

    1. Citizens' Assemblies and Participatory Democracy

    2. Education for Democratic Participation

    3. Reducing Corporate and Private Influence

    4. Long-term Thinking and Future Generations

    5. Transparency and Accountability in Governance

    6. Inclusivity and Diversity in Decision-Making

    7. Reforming Democratic Structures


    Case Studies

    More Case Studies

    Haringey Community Assembly on Climate (2min video)



    Blaenau Gwent Climate Assembly, this was the first climate assembly in Wales.

    Blackburn People's Jury on Climate Change Crisis - September 2022, a group organised by the council and the Sortition Foundation; they came up with 15 recommendations to tackle local issues related to climate change.

    Cheshire East People’s Panel- video on the cost of living with Positive Money.

    Co-operation Hull

    COP26 Global Assembly produced a report answering the question 'How can humanity address the climate and ecological crisis in a fair and effective way?' Findings in their report came from both a Global Citizens' Assembly, and self-organised Community Assemblies around the world.

    Eastbourn Citizens and Local Authorities Partnership

    Grassroots To Global - Scotland.

    Los Indignados Assemblies, a Spanish ad hoc citizen coalitions to challenge specific government actions.

    S. Yorkshire Climate Assemblies was a council enabled Assembly that made recommendations on the route forward for South Yorkshire. NB the Mayor backs the popularisation of assemblies.

    Walshaw Wind Farm Community Assembly, near Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

    Additional Learning

    Guides to Deliberative Democracy

    Books

    Other Resources

    Citizens' Assemblies

    See Citizens' Assemblies information on the toolkit.


    Need More Help?

    Join the UK Assemblies Telegram channel. Ask anything, share your positive stories.

    Email the UK Assemblies working group with your questions at assemblies@extinctionrebellion.uk