# Welcome
Welcome to the main documentation repository of Extinction Rebellion Belgium. This is the place to learn about the movement in Belgium.
## Directory
| Service | URL |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Website | [extinctionrebellion.be](https://extinctionrebellion.be/) |
| Facebook | [facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellionBE](https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellionBE/) |
| Twitter | [twitter.com/XR\_Belgium](https://twitter.com/XR_Belgium) |
| Community forum | [base.extinctionrebellion.be](https://base.extinctionrebellion.be/) |
| Starter Kit | join.extinctionrebellion.be
Learn how to join or create a local group or a working group
|
| Public drive | drive.extinctionrebellion.be (Google)
Documents, photos, videos, and presentations from our national circles and local groups
|
| Self-Organising System | sos.extinctionrebellion.be (Glassfrog)
A map of our national circles
|
| Finance | finance.extinctionrebellion.be (Open Collective)
A record of our expenses and donations
|
## Who is maintaining this documentation repository?
* Leen Schelfhout (XR Antwerp) ([email](mailto:leen.schelfhout@protonmail.com))
* Xavier Damman (XR UK Fundraising, XR Belgium) ([email](mailto:citizenspring@protonmail.com))
Please join us. Our goal is to hand it over as soon as possible to the community.
## Contribute
If you have any suggestion or want to add anything to this documentation, you can [edit any of those pages on Github](https://github.com/extinctionrebellion/xrbe-docs). If you need assistance, send an email to .
##
# Principles and values
All are welcome who want to adhere to our principles and values
## we have a shared vision of change
Creating a world that is fit for generations to come.
## we set our mission on what is necessary
Mobilising 3.5% of the population to achieve system change - using ideas such as "Momentum-driven organising" to achieve this.
## we need a regenerative culture
Creating a culture which is healthy, resilient and adaptable.
## we openly challenge ourselves and our toxic system
Leaving our comfort zones to take action for change.
## we value reflecting and learning
Following a cycle of action, reflection, learning, and planning for more action. Learning from other movements and contexts as well as our own experiences.
## we welcome everyone and every part of everyone
Working actively to create safer and more accessible spaces.
## we actively mitigate for power
Breaking down hierarchies of power for more equitable participation.
## we avoid blaming and shaming
We live in a toxic system, but no one individual is to blame.
## we are a non-violent network
Using non-violent strategy and tactics as the most effective way to bring about change.
## we are based on autonomy and decentralisation
We collectively create the structures we need to challenge power. Anyone who follows these core principles and values can take action in the name of Extinction Rebellion.
# Decision making process
How do we take decisions together?
Our default decision making process is ”advice seeking” as described in the book ”[Reinventing Organizations](https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/)”.
We get feedback from people who will be the most impacted and from “experts” (people who have relevant experience) and then we take an informed decision. We trust you by default. We know that we all want the best for the movement.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Gender balance**: at least one woman and one man should be involved in non trivial decisions. When we are convening meetings, we do our best to ensure gender balance and equal time to speak.
{% endhint %}
### Under time constrains
We don’t always have the time to gather feedback (typically when we get closer to an action). In that case, it’s not enough to share on basecamp or elsewhere and expect that the right people will have the time and respond within the hour. In those situations, we invite you to check with at least another rebel (with experience and/or impacted by the decision) of another gender to ensure gender balance (text them on Signal or call them if urgent).
## Resources
* Book “[Reinventing Organizations](https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/)”, Frédéric Laloux ([see also the wiki](http://www.reinventingorganizationswiki.com/Main_Page))
# Police
What are your rights in front of the police? How do we handle our relationship with them?
## First thing first
Police officers are citizens like you and me. We want them to love us. They also have lives, they also have children and they also want to provide the best for their family. Let's never forget that.
They have to do their job. And we need to respect that. But we also need to do our job as citizens. And it is our duty to break the law in a non violent way to declare the state of climate emergency and force our society to act like it is an emergency, because it is.
If you are joining an XR action, please know your rights and please be respectful of fellow citizens in uniforms. Did we say we were a non violent movement?
## We tell the police what we are going to do
We have nothing to hide. Our goal is to get arrested anyway. So we tell in advance the police of our actions. The goal is to create a dilemma: either they let us do those actions and everything will happen smoothly (did we say that we are a non violent movement and that we don't destroy anything?), OR they stop us from doing our action and they arrest us which will create more publicity for the movement (why are they arresting those non violent people who get out of their way to defend the living?).
## We can film the police
> “The law does not forbid taking pictures or recording videos a police action in the public space” - [RTBF](https://www.rtbf.be/info/inside/detail_extinction-rebellion-pouvait-on-filmer-les-arrestations-par-la-police) (in French)
* We can film police actions
* They can't force us to delete any image/video we took
* We can publish pictures without blurring the face of police officers
Links:
* See this [document in French written by "La Ligue des Droits Humains](http://www.liguedh.be/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/filmer_la_police_le_livret.pdf)".
* [Justice confirms the right to publish images of police officers](http://www.liguedh.be/proces-dont-shoot-la-justice-confirme-le-droit-de-diffuser-des-images-non-floutees-de-la-police/) (in French)
* [guidelines for sending in photos and videos](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DPv7SuUS_5NUEYgm4Mw4FcFCiIkilFIaZ3o6-vpM-NM) to XR Belgium.
## In case of arrest
See the legal briefing by our friends at RiseUp ([FR](https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_svv2S0hcswRkN6X3VDSnQzZFJWZlpCRGdDNVBnX1JBQ3Y0), [NL](https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_svv2S0hcswamhvcHlKSmxiWUFqak1lWGJNamE3THBONkM0)), TLDR:
* **Always have your ID card with you**. Only police officers can request it (not security guards)
* **Don't actively rebel against police officers.** Let them arrest you. You can lay on the ground and not be cooperative, but don't resist. **Remain non violent at all cost.**
* Most arrests are administrative for max 12 hours. You won't get a criminal record ("casier judiciaire") for it but you could get an administrative fine for up to €350.
* Judicial arrests are for up to 48h
* Keep track of the time of your arrest
* You will have to surrender all your belongings. You will be able to get them back when released.
* Right for information: the police has to inform you on your situation in your language
* **Don't talk.** They may try to get information out of you. You have the right to keep silence (and really you should)
* You can ask for a trusted person to be notified of your arrest (they will do it for you, you won't be able to talk directly to them)
* They have to give you water and food during your arrest and access to toilets.
* **Don't sign.** They will give you the minutes of the audition for you to sign. You don't have to, so much better not to.
# Setting up a local group
## IT Checklist
* [ ] You have a @protonmail.com email address for your local group (eg. )
* [ ] Rebels can select your local group when they join XR Belgium on extinctionrebellion.be
* [ ] You have access to the Rebels Manager app, where you can manage your rebels database
* [ ] You have access to Mailtrain, the emailing app, so that you can start sending emailings to your local rebels
* [ ] You have sufficient access rights on the XRB Base to manage a subcategory for your local group
* [ ] You can write files on a dedicated Google Drive folder
* [ ] We have created a Google Calendar for your local group and you can add events
Please get in touch with and provide:
* your local group name
* your local group email address
* your username on XRB Base
* a Google account (eg. ), for Drive/Calendar purpose
# Using the Rebels Manager
Managing rebels at the local group level.
Each local group has credentials to the Rebels Manager. This app allows them to manage their rebels and is frequently improved based on user feedback.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Looking for support?** **Want to suggest a feature?** Please get in touch on our Mattermost [#rebels-manager](https://organise.earth/xrbelgium/channels/rebels-manager) channel.
{% endhint %}
## Features
* Rebels signing up on extinctionrebellion.be are added to the database
* Rebels are synced with Mailtrain, the emailing app
## Add a signup form to your local group website
Please first get in touch with and provide your website URL. We will need to allow signups from your website beforehand.
```markup
```
## Contributing
* **As a user,** we strongly suggest you to provide feedback and suggest changes/new features on the [#rebels-manager](https://organise.earth/xrbelgium/channels/rebels-manager) Mattermost channel
* **As a developer,** feel free to browse the [Github repository](https://github.com/extinctionrebellion/RebelsManager) and get involved into the development
# Sending emails
Delivering newsletters to groups of rebels like a pro.
If you are a group coordinator, we strongly advise you not to use Protonmail to email a bunch of people, except if you need end-to-end encryption (eg. for discussing a planned action).
All local groups and XR Belgium working groups have credentials to Mailtrain. This is a self-hosted newsletter application, similar to Mailchimp in the way that it allows to email lists of subscribers.
## Lists
The *Rebels* list is synchronized with the Rebels Manager.
* A subscription is created when a rebel signs up to your local group, either from the website or manually added by a coordinator
* A subscription is updated when the rebel email address is updated on the Rebels Manager
* A subscription is deleted when a rebel is deleted on the Rebels Manager
{% hint style="info" %}
Please **don't** edit the list config for now.
{% endhint %}
You may create other lists. In the future, we may have synchronized lists for all working groups.
### Specifying test emails
This is useful to send test emails to yourself. Find your subscription is the Subscribers list, click the *Edit* icon and check the *Test user?* box.
Then click the *Save and leave* button.
## Campaigns
This is where you go to send an email to your list.
Then click the *Save and go to status* button. Your email has not been sent yet.
You can yet get a preview of your email, send a new test email and finally *Send* it.
Congrats! 🎉
{% hint style="info" %}
Mailtrain 2 is brand new and **your feedback is valuable**. Please get in touch with the Support team on our [#mailtrain](https://organise.earth/xrbelgium/channels/mailtrain) Mattermost channel, and let us know about your experience on Mailtrain.
{% endhint %}
# Online Services Status
Are we online or not?
{% hint style="info" %}
Please contact the [Digital Infrastructure Circle on Mattermost](https://organise.earth/xrbelgium/channels/support) for technical support.
{% endhint %}
| Service | Status |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
| extinctionrebellion.be
Website
|  |
| base.extinctionrebellion.be
Discourse (community forum)
|  |
| cloud.extinctionrebellion.be
Nextcloud
|  |
| rebels.extinctionrebellion.be
Rebels Manager
|  |
| lists.extinctionrebellion.be
Mailtrain
| 
|
# Welcome
Welcome to the documentation for XR Brussels.
| Service | URL |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Facebook page | [https://facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellionBrussels](https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellionBrussels/) |
| Drive | [https://drive.extinctionrebellion.be](https://drive.extinctionrebellion.be/) > Local Groups > [XR Brussels](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-s-vvJN9wkC52lJlxJ-y6thTqTlPCZ9F) |
# Expense Policy
How to get your expenses reimbursed? What expenses are eligibles? What's the decision making process?
This is a living document. As the movement grows, we need to regularly adapt our policies to make sure that we use the money that we have where it is most needed, while staying true to our values of transparency, inclusiveness and actively mitigating for power.
## TLDR
If you have an expense for less than 50 euros for art supplies, printing (stickers, posters, flyers, …) or public transport from/to an XR meeting, you can simply submit it on [https://finance.extinctionrebellion.be](https://finance.extinctionrebellion.be/) and you will be reimbursed. Make sure you add as a comment for which XR working group or action this expense is relating to. Make sure you also follow the guidelines (favor sustainable products, local economy, second hand, …).
* For expenses between 50 and 250 euros, please check with one of the finance monitors (see below)
* For expenses between 250 and 500 euros, please check with at least two of the finance monitors
* For expenses above 500 euros, please check with at least 3 of the finance monitors
## Board of Finance Monitors
From January 2020 till June 2020.\
Their role is to approve expenses. Feel free to reach out to them if you have questions about an expense that you'd like to make for the movement. They are elected for 6 months. Please [vote for next board here](https://forms.gle/tJySx2kPNamTMGgb7).
* *Majo (She/Her, Ghent,* [*majo4future@protonmail.com*](mailto:majo4future@protonmail.com)*)*
* *Lino (He/His, Brussels,* [*sysyfo@protonmail.com*](mailto:sysyfo@protonmail.com)*)*
* Nancy (She/Her, Tournai, [*alelitmelwhis@protonmail.com*](mailto:alelitmelwhis@protonmail.com)*)*
* *Mees (They/Them, Leuven,* [*meesbibberkoud@protonmail.com*](mailto:meesbibberkoud@protonmail.com)*)*
*(2 more waiting for confirmation)*
## Special expenses
### Training support
The movement will be stronger if dedicated rebels have the opportunity to follow various types of training related to NVDA (Non Violent Direct Action), Social Change, People Assemblies, Facilitation, etc.
We will be supporting every request from any rebels to cover 50% (or 75% for low income) of the cost up to 250 euros per year.
Conditions:
* Max 250 euros per year per rebel
* Rebel must have followed the XR onboarding training and been active in a working group for the past 3 months
* Rebel must report on their training by doing one of the following:
* Do a meetup / presentation to share experience
* Do a short video or blog post on social media that we can reshare
* One finance monitor to approve + one other person of the same working group (if different)
### Legal support
We have created a dedicated collective for Legal Support:
Please submit your legal costs related expenses to that collective. We have seeded this collective with 500 euros. One of the first decisions of the elected finance monitors would be to agree on increasing our contribution to that circle.
## FAQ
(please feel free to add questions here)
### What is a finance monitor?
A finance monitor is a rebel that we collectively trust to approve expenses on behalf of the movement. They are elected through an election without candidates so that we can surface in a fair way the different rebels across the country that other rebels trust.
We are electing 10 of them and we will keep a good gender, age and regional balance so that you all have multiple ones you can reach out to. They can stay for a maximum of 6 months in that position to enforce a rotation (and actively mitigate for power). If you haven’t elected a trusted rebel yet, you can do so here — any time we need to elect a new rebel, we will look at all the votes of the past 6 months.
### Can we rent a room?
As always, try first to get a room for free but if really needed, you can rent a place to meet for your XR local or working group if you are at least 20 people (share the link to the facebook event when you submit the expense).
### Can we get compensation as a volunteer?
If you need to spend a full day for XR (e.g. as a trainer, facilitator or organizer), you can claim a volunteer compensation for maximum 34.71 euros per day and max 1.388,40 euros per year (across all the volunteer work that you do for any organization). Please use the template on to claim such compensation.
Make sure that the coordinator of your circle/working group and at least one finance monitor are signing off.
## Philosophy
We need to regularly adapt our policies as more money come in and more rebels join the movement. But a few principles will remain.
### We need to spend the money asap
We are not a bank. Money is like blood. It needs to circulate in the organism otherwise it creates blood clots and that can be fatal. We need to develop the muscle of raising money and spending it where needed as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
### We need to decentralize as much as possible
Much easier to manage smaller amounts of money and to take decisions locally, closer to where the money is needed. That’s why we invite all local groups to create their own collective to start managing their own fundraising and expenses. We are here to offer support to help them get their own Finance Working Group up and running. In the meantime, they are free to use the national collective ([https://finance.extinctionrebellion.be](https://finance.extinctionrebellion.be/))
### Trust by default
Unless proven otherwise, we trust you. Don’t break our trust.
### Transparency
If everything we do is transparent, the movement will be able to self regulate itself. People won’t abuse the system and many eyes will help keep us accountable. That’s why all transactions in and out are publicly recorded on [https://finance.extinctionrebellion.be](https://finance.extinctionrebellion.be/)
### We are inclusive
We do our best to ensure that all rebels can participate and contribute to the movement and to the different activities that we organize. Money should never be a reason for someone not to join the rebellion.
# Donor Due Diligence
Due Diligence principles for XR Belgium when fundraising
{% hint style="info" %}
**En français:** \
[Principes de diligence raisonnable s'appliquant aux collectes de fonds de Extinction Rebellion (XR) Belgique](https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/hrwQoaqTwvuRKpXfGUhZa8Ku)\
**In het nederlands:** \
[Due Diligence-principes voor XR Belgium bij fondsenwerving](https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/A9UDDbzRkhsmP6Be13KJSSj9)
{% endhint %}
### Why do we need this?
As a movement we are decentralised and autonomous in our actions, bound together by guiding principles. Our fundraising should, wherever possible, aim to strengthen these principles and enshrine them in our actions and future activities of our funders.
#### We have a shared vision of change
We will actively speak to all potential funders about why they are interested in giving support to XR. We want to build relationships with funders who share our vision for change. This means we won’t accept money from funders which contradict our theory of change, including fossil fuel companies, pharmaceutical companies, mainstream banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, agri-bussiness companies, registered lobbyists, and political parties. See below for the due diligence process within Extinction Rebelion Belgium when fundraising.
#### We set our mission on what is necessary
XR works to get 3.5% of the population mobilised to achieve system change. We want to seek funding from individuals, companies, and institutions which support active participation of citizens in grassroots democracy for climate action, in particular through non-violent direct action (NVDA) and/or citizens’ assemblies.
#### We need a regenerative culture
While we want funding that can support our direct actions, we will actively look for funding to support our efforts in building resilient communities and a regenerative culture within our movement and society as a whole.
#### We openly challenge ourselves and our toxic system
We want funders who reflect our values, are willing to recognise their role in the system and are willing to change if required. We will have discussions with funders whose money has come from destructive practices, but we won’t take contributions from funders who aren’t ready to change exploitative practices that reinforce environmental and social destruction or inequality.
#### We value reflecting and learning
As a horizontal movement engaged in furthering self-organising systems and alternative structures to the paradigms of our current society we are interested to engage funders who share our vision of new societal structures. We will actively seek out funders who are interested in mutual learning and exchange of knowledge and experience.
#### We welcome everyone and every part of everyone
We are an entirely inclusive movement and community and recognise our responsibility to build our movement’s inclusivity every step of our collective journey. We will actively pursue funders who want to support increased diversity and access to XR and the work we do. We won’t take money from funders who do not support these principles or who want to work with only a particular segment of our movement.
#### We actively mitigate power
XR works to break down hierarchies of power for more equitable participation. We won’t take money from funders whose current activities work against the active participation of all peoples in society and decision-making for our future.
#### We avoid blaming and shaming
As individuals we need to recognise that some of our own activities contribute to the ecological rift between ourselves and the alternative vision we are working towards. Singling out people for blame is not aligned with our understanding of the systemic problems that we face and must tackle together. We won’t take money from funders who want XR to target individuals above a systemic view of change.
#### We are a non-violent network
Our DNA as a movement is based on non-violent direct action. We won’t accept money from funders who promote violent activities or who wish to push XR towards compromising its core principles of NVDA for alternative approaches to change.
#### We are based on autonomy and decentralisation
Our movement is founded on the subsidiarity of power of decision-making. We won’t take money from funders who want to instil hierarchies in our movement or exert direct influence and control over our activities.
**Due diligence process to monitor our income and ensure its consistent with the principles outlined above:**
* Donations as of 1000 euros (whether as a lump sum or in the form of several payments) from the same donor (person or legal entity) shall be reviewed and approved or rejected by the board of trustees.
* Potential funders which are not mentioned in paragraph 1, yet could be construed as contradicting any of the principles mentioned above, shall be reviewed and approved or rejected by the board of trustees.