Who Wants To Be In An Affinity Group?

April 30, 2009 by David Eggleton

As activists committed to nonviolence prepare for large, coordinated actions with potential for confrontation or other challenges outside of their control, they form and train in groups sometimes called affinity groups.  The purpose is to ensure that everyone is well-known by some and will have some to count on for immediate care and concern, and to encourage inclusive, collaborative thinking among acquainted people.  It's common sense for uncommon situations.

Those people get into predicaments on purpose, and, far from suicidal, they fully understand what it takes to be able to go home again after carrying out their plan.  Since we residents of the 21st Century can find ourselves in predicaments when key systems break down or prove inadequate, I propose that we do two things.  First, identify places in and around Woburn where training sessions can occur (churches?) and announce dates, so that some affinity groups can form as soon as they want to.  Second, develop a variation of the training to help the most mobile of us, who might have to help a group of strangers form ad hoc affinity groups while a predicament develops and unfolds.

I can serve as a trainer and believe others in the community can, too.

This is an open-ended invitation, prompted by the potential swine flu pandemic.  If this initiative interests you, contact me no matter how old this post has become.