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