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Stewarding a March Training

General Steward Role

Accessibility & Inclusion

Stewarding a March

Planning beforehand

The Day of the March

Assemble the March

Summary

Other Support Roles

Communication

Lost Children

Police

Disruption/Angry members of Public/Intoxicated attendees

De-escalation

Crowd Density

Practical Tips

Questions

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The Steward Role

Steward role / How to Steward
General duty of care for people and the environment. Their role at an action is to keep everyone (activists, the public) safe and calm. Calm in the eye of the storm.
A source of information, help and a connection to all the other action support roles.
Talk to people all the time. Smile
Pair up with another steward, ideally someone who’s a different gender, colour, size, etc, so that anyone talking to you has a higher chance of seeing someone they feel comfortable with.
Move around the area you have been designated to so that rebels all get a chance to interact and feel safe.
The public, attendees, etc, will come to you with questions. It’s OK not to know the answer but try and find out for them
Watch for areas with too many rebels (and areas with too few).
Keep routes clear for the public to pass through, think about cycle lanes too
In an emergency, disperse crowds away from Westminster, think about which way you would send people when you arrive at an area.

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Accessibility & Inclusion

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Stewarding a March - Beforehand

Plan the route.

Recce at similar time of day, day of week.
Take photos, especially junctions, obstructions
Accessibility: length, step free access
Document – Google MyMaps?

Plan for alternatives

Poor weather
Altered numbers attending, especially larger numbers

Notify Police

6 Days in advance, Via Protest Liaison

Who will attend

Drummers?
Separate blocks for partners?

Media & Messaging

Purpose of the march
Visuals and copy for broadcasts

Preparation
What is the purpose of the March?
Plan the route. Recce at similar time of day and day of the week. Take photos of junctions so that roadtake teams can plan. Consider alternatives in case you need to shorten or lengthen the route depending on numbers. In general, we march in the same direction as traffic.
Document the route - Google MyMaps is ideal as it allows a team to edit it, add notes for stages and then share final route plan
Notify the police The law states 6 days in advance and you need to give name of organiser.
Plan main march benners, roadtake banners, other flags and visuals. Give as much notice as possible to the creative teams if new banners are required.
Will Samba/Rhythms or other bands be involved, do they have enough notice?
Where will the march assemble? Large open spaces are best as they allows crowds to assemble easily in sequence.
How will the march disperse at the end of the March, or is there another event that takes place at a specific time?
Media & Messaging
How will the march be publicised?
Create visuals and copy for broadcast channels, Facebook, press releases etc.

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Stewarding a March – Before the start

Check the route.

Recce route again, obstructions/roadworks

Locate banners, placards, visuals

Who is organising/distributing them

Roadtaking teams

Enough people recruited
Trained
Supplied with banners

Stewards

Enough attending, if not recruit more
Briefed on march route

Police

Protest Liaison connect with Police Liaison

Amenities

Understand location of toilets, food/drink etc.

Accessibility

Access buddies
Wheelchair access
Transport options

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Stewarding a March – Assemble the March

Front March Leader / Point Steward (backwards)
Empty space (photographers)
Main Banner
Slowest marchers (if not at rear)
Body of march
Drummers
Body of march
Drummers
Tail of March

Side Banners
Road-taking Teams

End fossil fuels

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Stewarding a March Summary

Recce the route
Share the route

Steward and Roadtake teams and banners

Assemble march

Speed, gaps

What to do at the end.

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STEWARD (pink)

For: reporting directly observed risks or opportunities on any site or action

Providing Access Support to rebels who need it.

FIRST AID (green)

For: medical issues

DE-ESCALATOR (white)

For: diffusing tense situations, angry people, bringing some fun if things have got a bit too passive

LEGAL OBSERVER (orange)

For: witnessing arrests / police action against rebels�NB these people are independent and not part of XR. They are often quite thin on the ground

PROTEST LIAISON (Burgundy)

For: negotiating with the police, private security or other parties

WELLBEING (dark blue)

For: support for rebels’ emotional and physical needs e.g- water, lock-on support, emotional support etc

OUTREACH (light purple)

For: talking to the public

XR TEAMS ON THE GROUND

Light

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Things you might need to fetch wellbeing for:�

If a surprise action starts taking place
If it looks like arrests are going to take place
If areas of a crowd look like they may not be able to move for a while
If anything worrying or upsetting happens in the crowd
If it begins to rain unexpectedly / very heavily
Lost Children
People who are very distressed/ people who are struggling with their mental health
People who are overwhelmed
People who want a longer check in / space to reflect with someone else
If people need specific practical help that is bulky e.g. blankets

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Communication

Signal

Indication that a Steward wants assistance, (but doesn’t want to draw attention)

Mic Check

Don’t assume crowd will understand

Demo before needed

Samba

Only speak to Samba Shepherd�(sheep on a stick)

There will be a (probably) Telegram chat for your team of 10 or so stewards, plus a Signal chat for all Lead Stewards to communicate
In a pair of stewards, one can keep an eye on the Signal chat while the other stays focussed on what’s going on around.
Beware of spreading rumours. If you hear of something or are at all unsure - get it checked out. Then we can either stop the message (if untrue) or spread it faster (if true)

Hand signals for all Rebels
One signal just for stewards, raised hand with one finger raised in the air, please come and assist me

Don’t assume crowd will understand Mic Check – so maybe explain and demonstrate during quite parts of the day, so more people are ready if it is needed

Samba can’t hear you, don’t go up to the samba lead – find the samba shepherd who will have a sheep on a stick and talk to them.

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Electronic Communications

Public Telegram Broadcasts

Big Stewards Chat
London Stewards
Coalition Stewards

Private WhatsApp groups

Private Signal Chats

In very busy areas signal can be delayed – walk over for urgent messages (or send another rebel)

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Lost Children (& vulnerable adults)

If you find a lost child

Don’t move the child
Summon pair of mixed gender stewards
Wait 5 mins
Take Child to Welfare Gazebo
Lead Stwd -> Protest Liaison -> Police

Any adult claiming to be parent/guardian taken to second gazebo to confirm details of child.
Wherever possible, police will handle reuniting process

Helpful to carry a Sharpie pen

Parents to write phone number on child

If you find a carer who has lost someone

Take notes of full description, where/when last seen, contact details
Lead Stwd -> Protest Liaison -> Police
Contact welfare gazebo to see if child found (but do not reunite)
Wherever possible, police will handle reuniting process

In the event of a child found without a parent/guardian follow the procedure below:
Don't move the child.
Summon a pair of mixed gender stewards to take over from you. Stewards will be more numerous and quicker to access than Wellbeing.
Stewards will wait for 5 minutes to ensure that parents are not close by, then will take the child to the Wellbeing gazebo and hand them into the care of an enhanced DBS rebel. The Wellbeing gazebo will be staffed with E/DBS and FA volunteers during all protest hours.
The PL will be contacted immediately in order to inform the police.
A record should be made of the time, place the child was found, with the child’s details/description and the finder/stewards if possible.

In the event of a parent/guardian reporting the loss of their child at the occupation follow the procedure below:�Take full description/details of missing child, parent/guardian’s details, mobile number and time place circumstances the child was last seen and contact PL, stewards and welfare gazebo to check if a child has been found. If so, do not re-unite the child with them until identity has been established and police are aware.
Contact PL/inform police/circulate description of child with support staff
Consider announcing description over PA but be led by police advice
Wherever possible, Police should be involved in reuniting child with parent/guardian, they will carry out checks to reduce the risk that a child is handed to the wrong person

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Police, Police Liaison (light blue police bibs)

Police dislike uncertainty and risk. For most events we can assure them that there won’t be any lock-ons or sitting in the road, and that we’ll be leaving at a certain time, and if they trust us, they’ll be calmer.
There’s more chance the police will be helpful if we’re polite to them.
If the police ask you questions, pass them onto Protest Liaison or the Head Steward.
Police will try to intimidate people into giving more information. They’ll pick on people of colour or other marginalised groups.
If police are sprinting, they’re usually responding to a crime in the vicinity, which isn’t usually part of the action.
If police numbers change, it’s often just a shift change. The new shift will line up in ranks and march in. Activists may think the police are increasing their numbers so stewards may need to stop rumours.
Blue lights and sirens (including police with blue lights) we move people out of the way.

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Marginalised Groups and The Police

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Disruption

Disruptive/Angry members of the public
Your safety and that of rebels and the public is our primary concern - so don’t engage with disruption if you are alone. Call for help if needed or you are unsure.
Engaging with angry people is always an improvement on not engaging. Make eye contact, smile, apologise a lot. They may still be angry but perhaps slightly less
You may encounter disruption from other groups who may or may not share our values. Like Climate deniers, people with megaphones, Groups that don’t respect our approach.
Look for de-escalators to engage with them too.
Intoxicated Attendees
Your safety and that of rebels and the public is our primary concern - so don’t engage if you are alone. Call for help if needed or you are unsure.
XR Rebels have agreed to the Rebel Agreement so no drink or drugs at actions/events
Members of other organisations collaborating we can assume share similar values
Members of the public - suggest they would be more comfortable somewhere else
We want to retain a family friendly atmosphere.

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De Escalation / Embedding Non-Violence

Breathe. Ground yourself. Notice your sources of support.
Remember The Humanity of All
Empathy Before Education
Ask First - Is the other person ready to hear your perspective?
BreaTHE. Debrief with Support

Full training in non-violence techniques is available and recommended. Here is just the essence of one technique:

To help in tense circumstances we use a 5 step process. We use the acronym - BREATHE:

B for Breathe. �The purpose of taking a breath is to calm you down and slow your responses. Being calm has a calming effect on others.

Look around, notice who’s around you and could support you if needed. If it’s easier for you, ask someone to stand with you/help. �R for Remember the Humanity of All

Take a moment to put yourself in the other person's position and think about what is important to them right now. Consider their feelings and needs. �E for Empathy before Education

We need to build on our understanding of the individual and to express empathy. We need to listen to the person’s perspective, without jumping in with a justification or explanation. Be respectful.

Actively listen to the person. Nod your head if it feels natural. Maintain eye contact occasionally looking away to the side.

Reflect back on what you are hearing in order to let them know that you understand. Use short phrases to echo what they have just said.

You may choose to express empathy by listening in silence, giving non verbal acknowledgement. The key is for the other person to know they have been heard.

A is for Ask First.

After a few reflections, you may want to offer your perspective. However it is important to ask if the person wants to hear it! Mentally this prepares them to listen and helps create a culture of consent.Asking for consent prepares them in a small way for listening, so they are more likely to take on board what you are saying.�THE - Breathe

When the conversation is over, come back to your breath. Check in with your buddy and share your thoughts.

�

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Managing the Crowd Density

No Contact

Less Than 3 people/m²
All OK

Bumping against one or two people around you without meaning to,

4-5 people/m²
No immediate danger, but move away from the centre of the congestion.

Can’t freely move your hands, to the point that it is difficult to touch your face

Too many people
Danger! – Move away

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Practicalities

Start of Shift

Arrive on time

1hr before shift

Refresher of Steward Role
Points to note about the day
Points to note about area
Collect Hi-Viz
Walk around the area with Lead Steward

End of Shift

Return Hi-Viz
Debrief form

What went well
What even better

Take some rest

Things to Bring

Comfortable Shoes
Clothing Layers
Water bottle
Food container
A-Z Paper map (ebay)
Notepad & Pencil
Earplugs
Phone

Telegram
What3Words

Power bank for your phone
Avoid large umbrellas

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Further Information

Link for General Stewards public open Telegram Chat https://t.me/+A1Ka5qFKG60xMGE0
Signup as a Steward form https://xrb.link/Y9I881

Everything you ever wanted to know about Stewarding, training, slides etc. https://rebeltoolkit.extinctionrebellion.uk/books/stewarding

To contact the Stewards team xrukstewards@protonmail.com