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Planning a Paint the Streets Campaign

How do I join an existing Paint the Streets group?

The most likely points of contact to find out if you have a local / regional Paint The Streets group are either your local group coordinators, arts coordinator or actions coordinator.

You can also take action with your affinity group or by yourself, although some activities like fly-posting are easier with a small group of people.

Join the Paint The Streets UK Telegram chat to share images and ideas, ask for advice, and be part of a supportive community. Please share your photos!

Local/Regional Campaigns

  • Check out the rest of the Paint The Streets book on the Rebel Toolkit for information on fly posting, subvertising, murals and more. This includes legal information.

  • Set up a local Paint The Streets group on Signal, Telegram &/or Mattermost and invite people to join.

  • Create an action campaign together, in line with XR strategy and messaging: see Rebellion Broadcast for up to date action information on U.K. Actions.

  • Send out a message, sign up form and/or contact details to inform rebels about the campaign and inspire them to join. Leave enough time for information to be absorbed and build energy around a campaign. Add interested people into the Paint the Streets group you created earlier.

  • Get your materials printed! For digital designs, you can print the materials yourself, either with your friendly local print shop or online at Solopress (next day delivery available) or DigitalPrinting (especially for billboards and bus stop sizes). We recommend choosing bond type paper (uncoated or natural look). For more specifics on printing specifications for a range of formats, check out this guide.

  • Prepare for the action and be accountable for your action. Be aware of potential charges such as criminal damage, making sure all involved in the action understand the (minimal, but still important to consider and be aware of!) risks!

  • Share final image/s to the XR UK Paint the Streets Telegram, adding info about which group is posting and a message, hashtags & links (if relevant). This will inspire people and spread the message of your campaign; media & messaging teams can also pick up images here and share them on further. NB: Keep security in mind and don’t include people in the photo images unless they have given consent.

  • When you post photos of your action to social media, please remember to include the relevant hashtag for your campaign, along with #paintthestreets (this helps us find them so we can share!).

  • Consider sharing an action guide or prototype of the campaign to the UK group in the form of a linked document or video - so other groups can take it forward and it can be replicated (worldwide!). For example: Children’s Futures

  • Other circles can then share your brief further on other channels and networks where appropriate. Spread the love!

How do we coordinate campaigns with other local groups?

Simultaneous actions across the country can have a very powerful effect, so please connect up with your regional Action Planners group to get informed or share ideas to bring into synchronised campaigns.

UK Wide Campaigns

Planning to create or scale up a Paint The Streets action campaign UK-wide? If you’re planning a new campaign please be mindful of:

  • Location
  • Group capacity, and UK-wide capacity
  • Messaging and aligning with UK strategy
  • Working around key dates/themes. Check the UK Actions calendar

Share your action brief or just sound out ideas with the Paint The Streets coordinating group. Contact the group by posting in the Telegram chat and ask someone from the team to reply. Or get in touch with Action Circle to check in on calendar, capacity and funding, via xr-action@protonmail.com

Key thing to bear in mind:

  • Messaging and targets eg. the funders and profiteers of climate and ecological destruction; the government, corporations and the bank system.

  • Leave approx a month at least to prepare for any big campaign. Rebels need time to get into a project idea, sound out groups and see if it works alongside other actions.

  • Leave approx 2-4 weeks to print and distribute materials in your area. Or create a sharing link so that people can print the design off themselves. This is a more efficient way of sharing, but if you’re able to do local distribution in your city or area then it can be a real booster for groups.

  • Create an action event to rally rebels round a date and purpose. Give time for rebels to plan for this around other actions.

  • Prepare for the action and be accountable for your action. Be aware of potential charges such as criminal damage, making sure all involved in the action understand the (minimal, but still important to consider and be aware of!) risks!

  • Does the campaign fit into the current XR Action Strategy Reflect on the impact of the messaging as well as how it will be interpreted by society as a whole.

Is there funding available for materials?

XRUK funding for printing posters and buying materials is currently limited. Ask your Regional and Local Group coordinators if your group has any budget available.

  • Raise the money required for materials within your community.
  • Check out the list of local groups to make contact with those nearby to you and see if they have any materials you can share. Pooling resources is key where possible.
  • Check out the Finance and Fundraising pages of the Rebel Toolkit for info on grants, and fundraising ideas.
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