Affinity Groups

Extinction Rebellion Affinity Groups (AGs) are small, autonomous groups that socialize, do outreach, and perform direct actions as part of Extinction Rebellion (XR). 

AGs are at the core of our distributed grassroots movement model. We build community and personal connections to hit the streets with confidence, from outreach at a farmer’s market to a blockbuster action that makes the evening news, you’ll know that your friends and fellow rebels have got your back! 

Classically AGs were all about Action, but XR AG’s are for everyone.  Your group may elect to start slow by learning about XR and the climate crisis as a group. Community and bonding is of the utmost importance.  Your AG may elect to start a book club, meditation circle, intramural soccer team, to name a few examples, as a way to get to know each other. Seasoned activists that are well acquainted with XR’s DNA can get right down to putting on their own direct actions, while others may start slower. As your understanding of each other and XR grows you can hit the streets putting on your own XR NYC events and actions. When it comes time for big actions the Action Working Group will put out a call for AG’s to play critical roles in mass actions, and you’ll have a trusted group of rebels to work with. 

AG Support: You’re not alone!

The whole point of Affinity Groups is that you're never on your own. Our XR NYC Action Working Group and it’s Affinity Sub Circle are here to support you as you get your footing! We’ll pair you with an experienced rebel to guide your AG at its start and always be there for questions and brainstorming at optional weekly meetings. We’ll also have trainings on all sorts of topics to help you be the best organizer and action planner you can be. Lastly we’ve got reference recipes for putting on your own events and actions for those that are more a fan of self help!

Since this is all about relationships and trust let’s get started with a conversation: Sign up for a call to chat with an AG integration team member today! Already got a group of friends, teammates, coworkers, bandmates, meditators etc. that you already have affinity with and want to bring into XR? That’s perfect! Tells us about them!

AG’s Taking Action: 

Our rebellion will not be successful if it is not nimble. That’s why AG’s are small and autonomous. Once your AG is familiar with XR’s core principles you can put on events and actions without having to wade through any bureaucracy. If Banksy leaves a surprise street art installation in your neighborhood or the city is attempting to evict your local community garden, you can put a call out to your AG buddies to take into action. At the Banksy site maybe you do your own climate street theatre to spread the word about XR. At the community garden maybe you form a human physical barrier to block the city officials while another team member livestreams. Here’s an example of an Affinity Group taking action on a local issue:

While small actions are great you probably learned about XR from our blockbuster actions like when we shut down London for 10 days in April 2019 to dropping a big sailboat in Times Square. This takes more than the work and numbers of a single AG. The Action Working Group will design plans for larger blockbuster actions and then call for input from the AG’s in an Affinity Group Spokes Council. The action will consist of different roles for AG’s to fill based on their risk intensity level so that everyone can take part. In this way it will be much easier for all of us including your Affinity Group to pull off spectacular actions: Actions worthy of striking fear into fossil fuel checkbooks and sparking inspiration in people’s hearts as they witness the size, breadth and creativity of our clockwork actions thanks to the small teams that get the job done, otherwise known as Affinity Groups. Feeling inspired? Join in now: