Inspiration, challenge and good cheer are not experiences I always associate with the annual general meetings of nonprofits, however worthy - but I found them all at last night's London Citizens event. It helped that we were hosted by the American University of Notre Dame, in their fine building just off Trafalgar Square. Some of the University's law students are volunteers - or interns as the Americans say - with London Citizens projects.
It was these projects that provide the inspiration. They ranged from a campaign for a living wage that persuaded Mayor Ken Livingstone to set the London level at £6.70; an ethical framework for the Olympics; and a review of the procedures of the immigration service at Lunar House, Croydon, that engaged the attention of senior civil servants and the Minister. The fight to keep the traditional feel of Queen's market, Newham, in the face of development pressures is ongoing, with a Citizens' inquiry unpicking the planning issues.
London Citizens operates by reviving techniques of broad based organising pioneered in Chicago in the 1930s by Saul Alinsky, and building its strength through coalitions of local institutions. Last night faith groups and trade unions were strongly represented, with schools and residents groups also involved. London Citizens staff organisers, working with leaders of the local institutions, can parade a membership of thousands in their campaigning - and when necessary get them on the streets or in front of County Hall. They can claim to be "the capital's largest and most diverse alliance of active citizens and community leaders".
The methods are non-violent. The really effective action at Lunar House was to park a van outside and offer a cup of tea to those forced to queue for hours in the cold to see officials. This struck the head of immigration service as such a radical approach she came down from her office to see what was happening .... and a conversation was started. Building relationships is at the heart of the process ... but you need some clout to get the power-holders to engage.
However effective this approach of organisating through institutions, it did lead to what was, for me, the challenge of the evening. One person from the audience said that as someone without faith, who was retired and so no longer in a union, he wasn't sure how to become involved. He had been a councillor, and volunteered with a homeless project, and was committed to the values of London Citizens - but he didn't want to be pressed to join an organisation. Couldn't he just join as himself?
I felt the same concern. I've chaired a large regeneration charity and a local community association in the past, but I'm not currently a member of a local group.
The solution, which was later on the agenda, was to make a donation and join a new Friends of London Citizens group. I'll do that, not least to explore how 'Friends' rate in relation to branch or parish members, and the practical issues of mixing individual and organisational membership. I think London Citizens will need to extend their online activities as more people become involved, and add new tools to the older methods of organising. Maybe I can help there.
Any concerns I had soon evaporated as we moved from the auditorium to an excellent buffet. My fellow questioner about individual membership said the Friends would do him fine. I found another online enthusiast who told me about the Open Coop, a group committed to a mix of open space meetings and open source technology in pursuit of a collaborative, sustainable community. It sounded a good fit with London Citizens. It could all be fun, seriously.
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