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Care and Respect

8. We avoid blaming and shaming: we live in a toxic system, but no one individual is to blame.

3. We need a regenerative culture: creating a culture which is healthy, resilient and adaptable.

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.

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

The crisis we find ourselves in can cause us very real and painful emotions such as grief, hopelessness and anxiety. XR maintains the following support services:

Telephone Active Listening

Extinction Rebellion has a Trained Emotional Support Network (TESN). You can make a request to speak with a trained and vetted Rebel Active Listener by emailing Rebel2Rebel@tesn.uk
Please note that this is not a counselling service.

Watch this video to learn more (2 mins)

Counselling or Psychotherapy

The Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) provides a list of Practitioners offering three free sessions of therapeutic support to activists. Please note that the practitioners have not been formally vetted so it is up to you to confirm their suitability.

If you have a query about either of the above services you can email xr-tesn@tesn.uk. TESN are not involved in any actions, but if you feel the information you wish to share is particularly sensitive please use XR-TESN@Protonmail.com instead.

more details about TESN on the XR UK main website

Resilience and self care

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

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

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 the following code. This gives us a basis for trust in each other and between us and the public.

  • we show respect to everyone — to each other, the general public and to the government and police.
  • we engage in no violence, physical or verbal.
  • we carry no weapons and wear no masks (other than those required due to Covid 19) 
  • we hold ourselves accountable for our actions.
  • we bring no alcohol or illegal drugs.
  • we take responsibility for ourselves, we are all crew.

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 in a damaging way e.g.

  • accepting harm was caused and making agreements to prevent it happening again
  • asking people to take part in a conflict resolution process
  • asking people to leave a meeting or excluding them from a group
  • asking people to leave the movement - a last resort, but one that we are prepared to use if necessary.

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.

Safeguarding

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.

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