Getting Your Group Off The Ground, Quickly
Part III of Creating Bioregional Community Response Groups
Welcome to Part III of this series on Creating Bioregional Community Response Groups. This is where we start to get down to the nitty gritty… the stuff I loathe. I’m a vision and idea guy, not a detail guy. I’ve been involved in activism for 15 years. I’m not a natural organizer. In fact I admire organizers greatly because it’s tough work. Here’s the thing though… in this era of collapse, we need to toss out ideas of compartmentalization and specialization. We need to become generalists. We need to overcome our fears and step out of our comfort zones.
This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t play to our strengths when we can. In any team, it’s great to let people shine in areas and skillsets they excel at. But sometimes you don’t have that luxury. Sometimes it might be only you, or you and a handful of people, especially at the start and especially in volunteer efforts.
I’ve been living in a new area for less than a year here in Oregon. I don’t know a lot of people as it is, and finding people who comprehend the state of the world and bioregionalism is tough enough as it is. This presents significant challenges for someone like myself, especially one not so into the organizing side of things, to start a new community response group (CRG).
Is it even possible? Yes, it is my friends. You might even surprise yourself. I intend to offer you some guidance from my own experience that can help, no matter how little you are starting with. The key is not to use the excuse of waiting until all the stars align before you begin. Start right now. Here’s how.
Getting Started Right Away
There’s some things you can start doing right away that don’t require a board, a non-profit or a bunch of other red tape. If you have all of those things, or an eager team of people that want to go all in, we’ll talk more about how to use the help of others later. This section will still apply to you, whether you are on your own or are a team of ambitious organizers.
Step I: Identify Your Bioregion
Where do you live? I live in Oregon, so I recognized that the Cascadia bioregion was already a thing here. It already has a flag! I don’t have to do any of that work. If you don’t have a flag in your area, it’s not essential. Let’s just start with the name.
Here’s a bioregional map navigator sort of like Google Earth to help you find your spot.
https://www.oneearth.org/navigator/?view=bioregions
Now you’ll notice that bioregions can be broken down into ecoregions as well. If you look at North America, you’ll also notice there isn’t a “Cascadia” mentioned. They identify the larger general area as the “North Pacific Coast.” So it isn’t necessarily about using the naming conventions of this site, and more about identifying what areas around you will share this ecological identity and what the core features are.
In some instances, you may choose to go with a name like Appalachia, or Gulf Coast. In other places, the names might already be given, like Hawaii. No need to rename that.
Step II: Choose an Activity, Like Ruck Club
I recommend ruck club, but it could be something else important to your bioregional history, culture and its current needs. I wrote some about forming a ruck club in January. That’s the model I have gone with in Oregon and here’s why.
A ruck program is a great mechanism for fortifying community ties, deepening bioregional identity, and scouting essential skills crucial for forming an effective Community Response Group (CRG). It’s also very easy to get going.
Step III: Select a Forum
I used Meetup, a popular site for various groups of interest. I’ve used it in the past to find hiking groups. Meetup allows you to create events and people can join your group and get notified about new events, and RSVP.
Others might use bulletin boards, Facebook groups, Reddit forums, or other apps and websites to organize these events and build their lists.
I created a group, called it “Cascadia Community Response Group and Ruck Club (Lane County)” and gave it a nice description on Meetup and it’s worked pretty well. I plan to diversify the marketing efforts as I go.
I then have selected trails appropriate to the goals of ruck club. I set a day and time to meet, and put it out there. So far, people have been showing up. And they’ve been quality people. Here’s how to ensure that happens.
Step IV: Create a Group Description
This can be a living document, so don’t worry about it being perfect. Just describe in simple terms what your group is about. Meetup’s group descriptions literally have a default header that says “What we’re about.” Here’s what I wrote:
What we’re about
In the heart of Lane County, Oregon, we're a community united by a deep commitment to environmental stewardship and robust emergency preparedness. Inspired by the rich ethos of Cascadia, our group aims to embody the principles of sustainability, resilience, and collective well-being, fostering a regional identity that champions the earth and each other.
What We Do:
Our activities are centered around building skills and fostering a community that's prepared, responsive, and deeply connected to our natural surroundings. We engage in:
Scouting Skills: Learn to navigate the diverse landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, understand local flora and fauna, and practice Leave No Trace principles to preserve our environment for future generations.
Rucking: A core part of our physical preparedness, rucking combines fitness with practicality. Carrying weighted packs over varied terrain, we improve our endurance, strength, and readiness for any situation.
Emergency Community Response: We train in basic first aid, emergency response techniques, and disaster preparedness planning. Our goal is to be a reliable support network for our neighbors in times of need, fostering a resilient community capable of facing challenges together.
Who We Are Looking For:
We welcome individuals from all walks of life who share our passion for the environment, community service, and personal growth. Whether you're an experienced outdoors person, a fitness enthusiast, or someone keen on improving your emergency preparedness skills, you'll find a place with us.
Why Join Us?
Community: Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about making a difference in our region and beyond.
Skills Development: Gain practical skills in scouting, rucking, and emergency response that will serve you and your community in times of need.
Environmental Stewardship: Play an active role in protecting and preserving the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, aligning with the ethos of Cascadia.
Physical Fitness: Challenge yourself physically and mentally through rucking and outdoor activities, improving your health and resilience.
Meetings and Events:
Our group meets regularly for training sessions, rucks, and workshops on various aspects of emergency preparedness and environmental stewardship. We also participate in community service projects and environmental conservation efforts throughout Lane County and the wider Cascadia bioregion.
Join Us in Building a Resilient, Sustainable Community!
Whether you're here to improve your preparedness skills, connect with nature, or build a supportive community network, the Cascadia Response Group and Ruck Club welcomes you. Together, we can make a lasting impact on our region and each other.
Let's prepare, protect, and prosper, in true Cascadian spirit!
A description like this ensures that you are attracting people who at least sort of understand things. How much you want to narrow the scope of your net depends on your area and conditions. This language may not work on some areas. You will have to decide who your target audience is.
The language I used brings in people with some level of ecosconsciousness and who have an interest in building community and skillsets. What I heard from participants I talked to is that some of them never went to Meetup events until they saw my group.
In my estimation, there are people out there looking for somewhere to go, some way to get involved that isn’t something coopted by the empire and the ruling capitalist elite. They want something authentically grassroots. If you build it, they will come.
Step 5: Expand Based on the The Three Tenets of Bioregional CRGs.
As you can see, I left the group description pretty broad in terms of activities. In essence, they center around three core tenets we focus on here on Collapse Curriculum:
Teach Skillsets
Cultivate Bioregional Identity (Ecoconsciousness)
Build Community
The rucking portion already does all three of those things. But of course, expand out from there as you are able. Remember, you have the Scout Level I curriculum right here to guide your skillset trainings too. The guides we have here are meant to teach you so that you can teach others.
Step 6: Bring In the Core Members
You will begin to find that some of the members are really into the group and really care about the three tenets. These are people who can help you build out further. We all have various levels of busy lives, and its hard to dedicate all your time to something. It’s better to share the work. It’s also great to leverage people’s strengths and allow people the opportunity to grow.
If someone in the group knows native flora and/or fauna, they might be great leaders for a bio walk. Someone who knows the local trails might be great hike leads. Someone who is a medical professional might be a candidate for teaching a wilderness first aid class.
Step 7: Create a Newsletter (Hey Substack!)
You are building a group of people who might not show up to all the events, but are interested. Keep them in the loop. You then also have the opportunity to share more information about bioregionalism, the local resources and issues pertaining to it, and to generally share bioregional viewpoints. Sharing skillsets via the newsletter can also prompt more interest in event attendance.
Remember - You Can’t Please Everyone
You will find as you go along that people have personalities and differences, like most groups of people. People can get offended or turned off by both toxic behavior and the most innocuous things as well. Managing these things can be a challenge, depending on the personality types involved.
A while ago I wrote an article I highly recommend about how Kurdish revolutionaries handle internal conflict using a process called Tekmil. This is something that can certainly be implemented as you grow. It will be interesting to see how that works out. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Fundamentally, you just have to accept people are going to be “people.” Set your expectations right from the beginning so you don’t get frustrated. Be there to have fun, not to operate like a military unit where everyone is expected to behave in a uniform manner. Your inner groups can implement higher standards of behavior for cohesion if they begin to practice field operations together (when you get to that point).
Be led by both your intelligence and your intuition. Trust your instincts, but also be a critical thinker. There’s a balance.
Go For It!
This is just the beginning, but its how you can get this thing on liftoff right away. Don’t wait to take action. You can always improve things as you go. For now it can literally just be a ruck club or your choice of activity. It’s the spark that ignites the flame.
I will keep writing about this topic. There’s much more to talk about, from security culture, to finances, plus more about marketing and democratic governance. Stay tuned! Ask questions in the comment section. Consider subscribing and sharing with friends who might want to build one of these groups with you. Cheers!