Week Eight Action: Start something (anything!)
So far, we’ve asked you to look around and notice where you’re being treated as a Consumer, and where you’re being treated as a Citizen; to try joining up or signing up to something, so that you can come into contact with others who care about the same things; and to roll up your sleeves and find a way to get stuck in that works for you.
Now, if you’re feeling up to it, why not start something up yourself?
This is the “5K” of our “Couch to 5K”! It might feel daunting, but remember that starting something up is not about making yourself the hero, or taking on all the work. As Citizens, it’s important that we always make room and space for other people to get involved, which takes the pressure off you as well.
Once you’ve got some idea of where you want to try to make a change, here are some ways to make starting something up easier and more manageable:
Build connections first. Our starting point is always to ask people, “What are you trying to do that’s so big, you need other people to do it with you?” So before you even act, gather your people over a cup of tea, talk to a neighbour about what’s on your mind, and suss out what’s already going on around the issue or topic you’re interested in.
Take small actions quickly - don't overthink. Once your gang has a notion of what it wants to do, remember that it’s often better to prototype one small action to take together, rather than to spend ages developing a grand plan (you’ll tire yourself out). We call this “Make, Measure, Learn”, with an emphasis on the “making” - this is what keeps the energy and momentum up and reassures everyone that visible progress is being made, however small it might be at first.
Look for opportunities within existing structures. You don’t necessarily have to create something completely brand-new and standalone in order to make positive change. For example, inviting colleagues to start an anti-racism reading group with you is a simple way of sparking important conversations that doesn’t require you to set up a whole new organisation!
Look for toolkits and resources. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Inspiring community-led movements like Mothers CAN, Money Movers, Incredible Edible, Men’s Sheds and Library of Things all have resources on their websites that make it easy to start your own local group under their umbrella, using their branding and platforms to attract new people.
Celebrate the wins. So crucial, and so easily overlooked. When things go well, TELL PEOPLE, and carve out time to celebrate with your team and acknowledge everybody’s contributions.
The beauty of building your participatory muscle together with others is that small things can blossom into much bigger transformations. Grimsby-based community group East Marsh United started as a litter pick, and ended up seeking to transform a whole town by creating affordable housing, planting trees, launching an arts programme and community magazine, among other projects. Positive Carrickfergus, meanwhile, began when a single person set up a Facebook group to start telling positive stories and sharing positive ideas about life in their town, and has now grown into a community interest company driving community-led regeneration and increasing civic participation across all of Carrickfergus.
Whatever you choose to do, remember that the work has to start with the active choice to believe in people - without this, Citizen work is impossible. This means believing that others care too, and just need the permission, the conditions, and the opportunity to show it.
With this in mind, we’ll close by offering you one final question. It’s not a question to answer right now, but a question to hold with you at every step of your Citizen journey - a question to keep coming back to. The question is:
What would you do in this time if you truly believed in yourself and in those around you?
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A note from New Citizenship Project:
Taking small, positive actions in our individual lives is vital, but nothing beats joining forces with others, tapping into our collective power and being amazed at what we can achieve together. Indeed, the first step to truly changing the world is simply recognising that people really do want to - and can! - shape the things that matter to us for the better.
That’s not always the story we’re told, but it’s a story that’s growing in power, day by day. By having faith in humanity, locating where we personally have influence, finding other people who care about the same things, and figuring out with them how we’re going to get started, we can all step into our own “Citizen Story” and shake off the “Consumer Story” that holds us back.
To do this, however, we need to build up our “participatory muscle”. So, over the month of February, the team at New Citizenship Project is offering our own version of a “Couch to 5K" for active citizenship!
