Week Six Action: Join up
For the next part of our active citizenship “Couch to 5K”, we invite you to join up to something. After all, being a citizen is something we do with other people. Signing up to something or becoming a member is one of the simplest ways to start participating with others.
It doesn’t have to be a big commitment - we’re not asking you to sit through any meetings! And many membership organisations are free to join, or low cost.
Depending on what you’re into, here’s a few ideas:
Sign up to a newsletter. The easiest option. If you’re keen on environmental issues, most local Transition Towns send regular lists of actions and events that signpost simple ways to get involved in the climate fight. Our fellow Year of Action collaborators Today Do This have a “do-something-about-the-news letter” each Friday, which highlights one news story and gives you one simple and immediate thing you can do about it. We’re also excited by the launch of Purple Power, Martyn Sibley’s newsletter on disability inclusion.
Join a hyperlocal social media group. If you’re locally-minded, join your neighbourhood WhatsApp group or local Facebook page. We can promise that you’ll learn a lot about the place where you live! Bring popcorn, as some of these groups can get feisty at times, but you’ll get a warts-and-all view of the different personalities, viewpoints and stories that make up your neighbourhood - and maybe get some ideas about how your local place could be even better.
Join a Supporters Trust. One for football fans! Supporters trusts are democratic fans’ groups that promote fan influence in football. Find out if your favourite football club has a supporters trust by visiting the Football Supporters Association (FSA) website (or by googling your club’s name + supporters trust). You can also join the FSA itself for free.
Join a professional network and/or a trade union. This can be a great way to learn more about what’s going on in your field, and start to explore how you might get involved with others in making it better. Many professions will also have specific networks for people from different backgrounds, such as the Bristol Junior Chamber, while this useful tool from the TUC can help you find out which trade union is right for 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!
