Dear rebels, please take note of this information from XR Southwest, and complete the form they mention if you are able to.
WE’VE COME A LONG WAY
Over the last year and a half, we have come together and created a truly beautiful and effective movement (we’re apparently the #1 influencer on climate and ecological issues). Each one of us has come together to form Extinction Rebellion. We’ve put our hearts and souls into it and we’ve become a part of it. At times it has been stressful, painful and exhausting. But it has also been extraordinary and deeply moving, and collectively, as part of the climate movement, we have brought the climate and ecological emergency into the public and global consciousness.
WE’RE IN A NEW PLACE
2020 is a vital year for action, with new challenges and threats, governments and allies on a backdrop of unnatural disasters at home and across the planet. The world has changed since we launched and we need to do the same; understanding this new context and developing our actions and outreach accordingly; revising our strategy for the best chance of success.
STRATEGY TEAM
As communicated on January 1st, we are in a strategy exploration phase. XR UK working groups and regional representation agreed to the formation of an agile team of experienced rebel strategists, including reps from across UK Working Groups and NARD (National and Regional Dev). They have been mandated to research and review data, speak with thought leaders, experts within and beyond the movement to create a suitably ambitious, evidence-based strategic direction for XR in 2020. The results of the rebellion poll have been fed into the process, and the People’s Demand is under review.
The strategic direction will be shared February and iteratively refined, reviewed and developed throughout the year.
HOW CAN I INPUT?
Click here for a survey to input your local group’s findings. The questions are strategy focussed; insights, learnings, contextual understanding. Please get together, discuss and submit ASAP. Answers will feed directly into the iterative strategy process, continuing in February and beyond.
EVERYTHING WE DO IS A MESSAGE
And this year our message needs to be louder and clearer and more powerful than ever before; to cut through the noise of the media bias, the climate deniers and public disconnect. Wherever we go from here, we need to be together, unified in our core message, in what may be the most important year in the history of civilisation.
ON GROWING AND LISTENING
As a movement that has been scaling incredibly fast we’ve experienced organisational bumps and structural difficulties that have at times felt frustrating and confusing. The concerns of many groups have been shared and deeply felt, particularly around the vital process of decentralisation. New teams and mandates have been necessary and new communication needs have been identified. We know we are still far from perfect, but we will continue to learn and grow together.