Why do we need them?

Citizens’, community and people’s assemblies are based on the ‘assembly’ process which enables people to share equally and openly within an environment that is non-judgemental and respectful - and facilitated to that effect.

As the world becomes more and more atomized, meeting with strangers and sharing your feelings is itself transformative.

In the context of Extinction Rebellion, assemblies are constructed in a way where people are safe to share their experience, make decisions collectively and work together to problem solve, as well as share the grief and loss they feel for a world that is rapidly collapsing.

The assemblies hold that grief with respect, and allow people to work together to organise towards rebellion and a shift away from the system that has brought us to this crisis of all crises.

Assemblies are not an alternative to nonviolent direct action in fact people's assemblies can be used to complement such action and can themselves be a form of direct action if they are being held in a space designed to be disruptive or during occupations.

As societal structures collapse, we are going to have to reclaim power for our communities and all these forms of participatory democracy will become essential to the way we organise.