Massembly
As part of Upgrade Democracy, we are organising awhat masswe hope will become the UK's largest-ever community assembly: the Massembly!
Bring your ideas and imagination, sharediscuss these with others and decide together:
“How might we take meaningful steps to upgradeUpgrade democracy?Democracy?”
Let’s get our voices heard. Be part of this exciting, UK's biggest-ever community assembly to decide together how we can upgrade democracy! Share this with everyone you know who’s frustrated and fed-up with how things are right now. This is deliberative democracy in action.action!
What to expect
- We will work together in small groups of six.
- Everyone will be introduced to a wide range of ideas about the current democratic system, complementary people power and innovative people power.
ParticipantsWe will be encouraged to discuss these ideas and share views.
- Each group will be provided with a set of Explainer Cards that will walk us through each step in the
process,process.including selecting a facilitator and notetaker.
- We will also be able to vote on a set of statements about the state of democracy in the UK, and how we might upgrade it.
- With these ideas in mind, we will discuss in our small groups what we have heard and read, bring our perspectives, and decide on up to three new ideas.
- These new ideas will then be captured, so that all other groups can consider and vote on them.
- The Massembly will make use of an online tool called Pol.is, to enable us to capture and vote on ideas.
- In order to input to Pol.is, each group will need access to three or more smartphones, to be used in pairs or individually by each group member.
What if I can’t attend the in-person Massembly?
In addition to this in-person Massembly at Upgrade Democracy, we’re planning to run a simultaneous online assembly, to enable those unable to attend in person to participate. If this goes ahead, further details will be made available soon.
Logistics
When:
Saturday 31st August, 13:00-16:00
Where:
Upgrade Democracy, Windsor (exact location tbc)
What to bring:
Pen/pencil/paper or some other means of taking notes (not essential) and a Smartphone (not essential, provided there are at least 3 within each group).
Further information and support
- Stewards will be on hand to help everyone organise into groups of six and to distribute the sets of Explainer Cards.
- An information Hub hosted by volunteers from the Community Assemblies Escalation Campaign and the Citizens’ Assemblies Working Group (CAWG) will be on site.
- Visit the Hub on Friday and Saturday before the Massembly, to ask questions and request additional support, e.g. request a BSL Interpreter to join your small group or for large print versions of the Explainer Cards.
- If you have specific requirements, e.g. needing a buddy, please email xr.inclusion@protonmail.com and we will support these where possible.
What happens next?
- In the weeks following Upgrade Democracy
theweplan ishope to run a series of online assemblies, using the same question and information.Please note:This is still at the ideas stage due to the level of coordination required.Further information will be added here andbroadcaston Rebellion Broadcast as it becomes available.
- These will be scheduled for various days/times to maximise the opportunities for new people to participate.
- The online assemblies will be open to anyone, to uphold the principle of radical inclusivity and
to ensure the inclusion ofincorporate a broad range of ideas and opinions.
- After the assemblies are complete all the ideas in Pol.is will be made available to a much larger number of
people.
people, who Everyonein turn will be able to vote and add their ideasandasthen vote on all the ideas collected from all the individual assemblies.well.
- Through the
processcombination of the in-personMassembly,assembly, online assemblies andongoingfurtherengagement,use of Pol.is, we will continue to increase the number ofparticipants.participantsThis will add toand the breadth and quality ofideasideas, so that we can collectively create the largest-ever community assembly in the UK!
Finally, we don’t want it to stop there
- A summary of the results will be made available.
- To build on the energy and excitement generated and the experience gained, a set of suggestions will be created for how to escalate and take the most popular ideas forward.
As a result, we can genuinely take meaningful steps to upgrade democracy!
Key info for Upgrade Democracy