Rhizome Blog
Here you’ll find stories of successful organising, training and facilitation, what’s new in these areas already helping us build the world we want, news of Rhizome’s activities, and news of upcoming events. Have a browse or use the search for interesting topics we’ve written on. Please do feel free to comment and leave your own reflections – we feel that we’re on this learning journey, together.
On power, margins and dog-whistles…
We have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the contexts, the historic and current interrelationships and intersections between different marginal groups, and then to watch out for the ways we as facilitators might be pulled in to become aligned with some of the people who have privilege in the world, if not the room
Partial to a bit of facilitation?
Facilitation, as it’s usually conceived of, leans towards an ‘All Lives Matter’ approach, with all the problems that entails. By that I mean that facilitators are often trying to be so scrupulously fair that they end up perpetuating unhealthy power dynamics in groups. Fairness often plays out, for example, as ensuring that everyone has the […]
The pitfalls of online meetings
Adam spotted aspirationtech.org’s blog on Power Dynamics and Inclusion in Virtual Meetings. This far into using online tools instead of face-to-face meetings, it would be easy to believe we’re up to speed and doing a great job. We’ve probably all read a number of how-to guides and sat through webinars on facilitating online. Still, I’d […]
Capitalism and Racism
The successor to feudalism, capitalism rests on the past enslavement of Black people and ongoing globalized exploitation of Black people and people of color as the cogs of production
Virtual Worker Co-op Weekend
Like many events, the annual Worker Co-op Weekend, Friday and Saturday of this coming week, can’t go ahead as planned. But a number of Co-ops, including Rhizome, are coming together with Co-operatives UK to deliver a programme of webinars, online discussions and workshop. If you’re a worker co-op take a look at the programme and […]
Co(ho)ronavirus – Cohousing and Covid 19
An American webchat we spotted indicated the steps that cohousing groups there are considering or have taken. Here are a few: Close the common house We’re having Skype and zoom dinners!! (If not already done) ask every member to fill out a questionnaire that includes relative/friend contact info, doctor and medicine info, allergies, health conditions, […]
The shoes of others
In this series, I am suggesting ways in which people who disagree over Brexit, maybe bitterly so, can have a constructive conversation. In the last two blogs I wrote about destereotyping and how to show that the ‘other side’ are not a bunch of extremists. This blog is about a third approach to reducing the […]
From the place where we are right, Flowers will never grow in the spring
I dashed off the last blog I wrote, about destereotyping, and failed to put the topic in context. Jean-Luc Godard said that a film should contain a beginning, a middle and an end – but not necessarily in that order. In that spirit, this follow-up blog is my beginning. A while back, I wrote a […]
Free Movement Building Training by Animal Think Tank, August 10/11 in London
“This free training is for people in the animal justice movement who want to think big and get inspired. Drawn from cutting-edge research on mass movements and civil disobedience, this training will introduce some key concepts, principles and strategies for building a powerful mass movement that can achieve transformative change for other animals. The deadline […]
CTRLshift
Sounds like it could be an exciting event… Explore the 20 Solutions Sessions and the rest of the CTRLshift Programme, all taking place in in Stoke in just three weeks time! Whether you interests are Wellbeing, Citizen Action Networks, Citizen-led Economic Transition, Mutual Credit, Local Food, Students as change agents, Regional Networks, Women as a […]
Cooperation Jackson: Building Economic Democracy
Jackson, Mississippi has become a noted hotbed of radical, municipal politics over the last decade. One of the leading organisations in this radical municipal experiment is Cooperation Jackson. Cooperation Jackson is an emerging vehicle for sustainable community development, collective ownership, and economic democracy in Jackson. The mission of Cooperation Jackson is to build a solidarity […]
Workers’ Coop Weekend
The Worker Co-op Weekend, hosted by Co-operatives UK is aimed at worker co-operatives to help them learn, share and be inspired by one another. The programme is made up of practical sessions designed and run by worker co-ops and covers a range of topics. This year’s venue is Rock UK Frontier Centre in Northamptomshire, Key elements to the Worker […]
Training for Social Action Trainers (TSAT) is back!
A 3.5-day workshop in Birmingham learning the basics of an approach has inspired Rhizome training and facilitation work: a hands-on, learner-centred, inclusive approach to training. One of Rhizome’s trainers went to the first UK TSAT in 2013, and this fundamentally shaped our approach; another of us went a few years later and blogged about the […]
Supply + Demand: two days of climate action against fracking and new gas infrastructure
What: Two days of resistance and direct action to disrupt the fracking supply chain and new gas infrastructure When: Friday 22nd – Saturday 23rd February 2019 Where: Locations across the UK Who: Environmental, anti-fracking and grassroot groups across the UK including Reclaim the Power, Fuel Poverty Action, Frack Free Leeds and Preston New Road crews. Click here to add […]
Earth First! Winter Moot
Dates: 22nd-24th February, 2019 Location: Halton Mill, Hill Lane, Halton, Lancaster, LA2 6ND Nearest Station: Lancaster A weekend of campaign updates, networking, planning, solidarity and socialising in Lancaster – in solidarity with Lancashire anti-fracking resistance. Involved or want to get involved in ecological resistance in Britain & Ireland? Whether you are fighting fracking, opencast coal, […]
Facing up to race, power and privilege
Spotted on the New Economy Organisers Network email list: For some of us, 2018 marked a turning point. We could no longer ignore the effects of race, power and privilege in the workplace. Fifty years after the Race Relations Act, systemic racism is alive and well. We’re still trying to eliminate workplace racial inequality by […]
Training for Trainers for NEON Movement Builders
Apply now to participate in the first ever Movement Builders UK Training for Trainers – DEADLINE MIDNIGHT 21st JANUARY 2019 ****** When (dates): 8th-11th Feb 2019 When (times): Fri 8th 9.30am – Mon 11th: 8.30pm (residential) Where: Storthes Hall Park, Kirkburton, Huddersfield, Yorkshire Cost: Fees for Movement Builders operate on a sliding scale: Grassroots/Unpaid Organiser: […]
Collaboration in conflict: Convergent Facilitation
From our training collective cousins, Navigate and Tripod: Finding Collaboration in Conflict: Exploring Convergent Facilitation as a process for making difficult decisions in groups Would you like to learn how to facilitate groups that are stuck in disagreement to move forwards? Do you want to better support groups to come up with decisions that work […]
De-stereotyping
The process of polarisation can lead to one person seeing another as being without humanity and complexity, flattened into a two-dimensional caricature. One American organisation that has worked hard on ways to reverse this is Essential Partners, which has grown out of the Public Conversations Project. This in turn started when a group of family […]
Exploring Class workshop
Following the 3-day Exploring Class Train the Trainers, where we learned lots too, this important workshop from our fellow trainers at Navigate, is one to attend: Saturday 12th January 2019, 10.30 –5.30pm, Bristol The class system is embedded in all of our lives and its not surprising that when we organise for social and environmental […]
Climate Warning! Creating a map for what’s to come – Deep Adaptation event
Invitation to Deep Adaptation Deep Dive Join us for a shared exploration of how to be and act in extraordinary times. This is a professional, personal and creative gathering. Part ‘Lab’, part facilitated journey, part Open Space. The times are urgent. Let’s slow down together When: Sunday December 16-Thursday December 20th, 2018. Where: Venue somewhere […]
Rhizome newsletter autumn 2018
Take a look at our newsletter, packed full of upcoming Rhizome workshops, what’s hot in our field, featured resources and more. Book on to our one-day workshops whilst there’s still spaces – our Facilitation Masterclass at the end of October, repeated already due to popular demand in Manchester, and our Facilitation Masterclass then travels to […]
Facilitation masterclass – how to add zest to your meetings and discussions – London
Effective facilitation of meetings, decision‑making and discussions are a vital element of a team’s success. Good facilitation enables better planning, goal-setting, governance and communication. Sometimes meetings drain energy and tensions take control, particularly when the going gets tough. A good facilitator will be able to support increased participation and better communication when it matters most. This hands-on […]
Occupy and consensus decision-making
At this year’s Green Gathering festival near Chepstow I bought a book called From Democracy to Freedom. It is produced by Crimethinc, which among many other descriptions says that it is an international network of aspiring revolutionaries. Their book led me to an article on the Occupy Wall Street website called Occupiers! Stop Using Consensus! […]
Facilitation masterclass – how to add zest to your meetings and discussions – Manchester
Following the great success of the Facilitation Masterclass we ran in July, it’s back in Manchester by popular demand. We’d be excited to bring the benefits that participants shared with us following the last workshop, to you and your organisation or group. Get in touch, and watch this space for more. Effective facilitation of meetings, […]
Facilitation tools and techniques – new free resources to help you work with groups, teams and organisations
We are excited to share with you two resources to help you in the role of facilitator. They are part of the resources featured in our Facilitation Masterclass, a recent event we’ve just run with Cooperatives UK in Manchester and that will be organised in several other towns in the UK in the coming months […]
Worldwork facilitation and leadership, 12-17th October, London
This is a five day facilitator training that we can highly recommend from personal experience having participated in several. Worldwork is the application of Process Work to facilitating groups, organisations and communities, and working with conflict and hot spots in the issues that tear us apart. Rhizome uses Process Work concepts and approaches in much […]
London event: post-consensus, cooperative decision-making
We’ve just heard about these events that look interesting, but can’t make it ourselves. We are fans of all forms of participative and democratic decision-making, so drop us a line if you go, to give us the low down. What should we do when consensus can’t be reached? What if cooperative decision-making is better achieved […]
Action Aid survey on participatory methods websites
Rhizome recently published key Reflect learning resources, that have been useful for important work around the world, including Community Development and Freirian training in the UK, and our approach to facilitation and training. The reflect-action.org website had stopped working so these resources weren’t readily available for the wider public. ActionAid, who previously hosted Reflect, […]
Summer Gatherings – NEON & Earth First!
NEON Summer Gathering 21st July 2018 2018 has been an important year for social movements. We have seen ACORN tenants groups successfully stop housing evictions, Grenfell campaigners demanding justice and communities stopping new Fracking sites; health and education groups have stepped up their fight against the ever expanding hostile environment policy and cleaners at the […]
Rhizome newsletter early summer 2018
Take a look at our newsletter, packed full of upcoming Rhizome workshops, what’s hot in our field, featured resources and more. Book on to our one-day workshops whilst there’s still spaces – a facilitation masterclass and managing conflict. There are also open workshops we’re offering at Block around the Clock, on building resilient groups, avoiding […]
Facilitating much needed community conversations
Rhizome has been busy facilitating community conversations around the country, using our facilitation skills and experience working with conflict. We’re interested in your experiences doing the same, so do please get in touch or comment below to share how it went. If you’d like us to come and hold a space for needed or challenging […]
Rhizome workshops at Block Around the Clock, against fracking
Rhizome likes both our action and our democracy direct, so we’re very happy to be supporting Reclaim the Power’s blockade against fracking at Preston New Road at the end of June. The Block around the Clock programme has a great line up of speakers, workshops and activities to get you inspired, informed and ready for […]
Updated privacy policy
Dear supporter, Rhizome facilitates, trains and supports groups and communities to grow in resilience, and be better able to organise collectively, dynamically, innovatively and effectively towards a just and sustainable world. In line with our mission and recent EU legislation, we’ve updated our privacy page so it’s clear what we do with your personal data […]
Tripod call-out for volunteer grassroots social justice mentors
Tripod Training, our Grassroots Trainers Network cousins north of the border, are calling out for people to support their great new programme. Hey friends from the grassroots social justice movements scene! We are looking for experienced/skilled organisers or campaigners who would like to volunteer their time to mentor a group of participants in our Organising […]
Managing Conflict in Cooperatives, Birmingham, 14th July 2018
In this one day training run by Rhizome coop, participants will: – develop a deeper understanding of the role of communication in working with conflict – explore and practise some of the co-operative skills and attitudes necessary for effectively managing conflict Through engaging exercises, drawing on participants’ own experiences and considering case studies, the workshop […]
apply to Tripod’s Organising for Power to support your campaign for racial justice
Tripod Training, our Grassroots Trainers Network cousins north of the border have been working hard to bring you this exciting programme… Apply now!! Join the Organising for Power Programme and you get not just high quality training but months of continued support with your campaigns for racial justice! Are you an organiser or campaigner tackling […]
consensus decision-making videos from Seeds for Change
One of our cousin training collectives, Seeds for Change, have produced new videos about how to take decisions and feel empowered and listened to through consensus decision‑making. Intro to consensus decision-making video The consensus process video Key values, attitudes and behaviours video The last video also explains the need for facilitation, addressing power and privilege […]
Facilitation masterclass – how to add zest to your meetings and discussions
Effective facilitation of meetings, decision‑making and discussions are a vital element of an organisation’s success. Good facilitation enables better planning, goal-setting, governance and communication. Sometimes meetings drain energy and tensions take control, particularly when the going gets tough. A good facilitator will be able to support increased participation and better communication when it matters most. This hands-on […]
Exploring Class – a training for trainers, 14-17 June 2018
Peace News brings a pioneer in activist training around class and classism to the UK for a ground-breaking training of trainers. The closing date for applications is 1 May. Do you want to support your own or other organisations working for social change to deal more skillfully with social class and classism in the organisation, […]
Taking decisions – developing shared criteria for decision-making
In the final post of our series about decision-making, we illustrate the importance of developing shared criteria upon which the decision is made. Let us know about your experiences of decision-making in practice, or share your views in the comments below. There are resources available to help you in your decision‑making, on facilitation, on consensus […]
Taking decisions – defining consensus
Continuing our series of posts about decision-making, here we explore the definition of consensus. Let us know about your experiences of consensus in practice or in the comments below. There are resources available to help you in your decision‑making, on facilitation, on consensus decision‑making, and a plethora of our older resources here for even more […]
Taking decisions – is voting a hallucination of democracy?
Continuing our series of posts about decision-making, here’s a couple of stories about voting, and whether it’s part of democracy or not – from neighbourhood assemblies in Greece, to village meetings in Rwanda. Let us know about your experiences of decision‑making in practice, or share your answers to the title question in the comments below. […]
The future of Edge Fund
Edge Fund have sent out the appeal below. We facilitated their meetings when they were setting up, and have kept up with the valuable work they have funded ever since, so please take a look and consider if you can help. We need to ask for your help! Our annual income has fallen from over […]
Taking decisions – misunderstandings about voting
Continuing our series of posts about decision-making, we’re starting to explore here the relationship between consensus decision‑making and voting, and when to use different methods. Let us know about your experiences of decision‑making in practice, citizen’s assemblies and other topics touched on in this blog. There are resources available to help you in your decision‑making, […]
Organising for Change workshop, 16-18 March, London (deadline this Friday)
Another event that looks good that you, our dear readers, might be interested in. Based in part on interesting theoretical bases about organsing and power that have come over from the USA. Training offered by Organising for Change. Training is 16 – 18th March 2017 at Friends House, 173 – 177 Euston Road, London NW1 […]
Taking decisions – group solidarity
Continuing our series of posts about decision-making, we’re starting to explore here the relationship between consensus decision-making and voting, and when to use different methods. Let us know about your experiences of decision-making in practice, citizen’s assemblies and other topics touched on in this blog. There are resources available to help you in your decision-making, […]
Running Great Workshops, 23rd-24th March 2018, Edinburgh
Get their take on what makes a great workshop: our Grassroots Trainers’ Network colleagues at Tripod are organising a useful workshop in Edinburgh. Contact us if you’d like a similar workshop run by us and tailored for your needs where you are based. We would bring our extensive experience to bear, designing workshop packages on […]
Conflict in Groups: Facilitating Change, 10-11 March, Manchester
Get their take on working with conflict: our Grassroots Trainers’ Network colleagues at Navigate are organising a useful workshop in Manchester. To get a taster of the extensive work we’ve done on communication and working with conflict, have a read here. or if you need a hand from Rhizome, read about our working with conflict […]
Taking decisions – involving stakeholders in decision-making
Continuing our series of posts about decision-making, we’re talking here about important things to get right in decision-making, before we explore the relationship between consensus decision-making and voting, and when to use different methods. Do please let us know what you think. There are resources available to help you in your decision-making, on facilitation, on […]