We are writing this because we have a request for our community.

On 19 November, Right to Remain will host our Radical Solidarity Hub meeting on the ‘earned’ settlement. Soon after we started promoting the meeting, it was fully booked, with 125 people signing up. We decided to hold a second meeting on the same day in the afternoon, seeing that there was such high demand – and that one was fully booked almost immediately too.

It is a very difficult time for our community right now. There is a high level of anxiety and anger. We are all feeling sick to our stomachs, surrounded by the lives that have been turned upside down by the ‘earned’ settlement plans. Every day we receive multiple emails from people sharing their concern and desire to connect with others. We need each other more than ever. People want to come together and understand what this new system might look like.

Right now, many of us are in a state of shock. We will need to fight against the ‘earned’ settlement plans, because we cannot let this happen. Because we all belong. 

As we begin to fight, we think it might be helpful to spend some time taking in what is happening. We need to hold space for each other. We need to feel what we’re feeling. In the face of so much dehumanisation, we need space to simply be human.

We have a request for our community. Could you hold similar meetings to our Radical Solidarity Hub meetings with people you know, care about and trust? Judging by the number of people trying to attend our Radical Solidarity Hub meetings, people are desperate for opportunities to come together.

Here at Right to Remain, we often say that ‘solidarity is a verb’. Solidarity is nurtured through collective action and being present for each other. We are big on activities and actions because they increase our practical capacity and ability to survive and care for each other. While the system might try to disempower us, these acts of solidarity give us an opportunity to reaffirm our agency and collective power. 

With that in mind, here is a very simple plan you can follow for your community meeting to read our legal update on the ‘earned’ settlement plans together. This is only a suggestion. You know your community best, so feel free to adapt the plan or take a different approach altogether.* 

*Seeds for Change has resources on how to facilitate meetings, which you might find useful. You can also use this approach to read and discuss any section of our Toolkit together!

1. Be clear about  the purpose of the meeting. The purpose is to read the legal update together and develop a shared understanding of the ‘earned’ settlement plans. The purpose of the meeting is not to give legal advice to individuals about what they should do in their own cases.
2. Decide on a time and place to meet. Think about what would make the space comfortable and accessible for everyone. Small groups work well. You don’t need a formal venue. 
3. Choose someone to facilitate the meeting. You don’t need to be an expert! Having someone guide the discussion can help keep things on track, make space for everyone to contribute and ensure no one person dominates the conversation. It’s also a chance to practise and build facilitation skills together. Seeds for Change has some useful resources to help you get started.
4. Agree on ground rules. Remind people to be cautious about sharing personal information they don’t want others to know. Confidentiality is very important. Remind people to share what they learn, not what others share about themselves.
5. When the meeting starts, take time to introduce yourselves. You don’t need a formal icebreaker. Plan time so you can give people space to chat, make connections and feel comfortable. If it’s an in-person meeting, try sitting next to someone you don’t know. Get to know them. Building relationships is part of building solidarity, too.
6. Share with each other how you are feeling. This should not be compulsory. It’s OK if some people prefer to remain silent. When people speak, give them space and time. Listen carefully and intentionally, and without judgement.
7. Now, turn to our legal update. If you are holding an in-person meeting and have access to a printer, perhaps you could print out the blog for everyone? It is easier to print if you display the blog in ‘reader view’ (instructions of how to do this here) This is a very long blog, so it may require lots of paper! . Alternatively, of course, you can read it together on a laptop or mobile screen. Remember, you can also use the Google Translate box in the top left hand corner to the page if people aren’t confident reading in English. 
8. Take turns reading the legal update aloud. This might feel a bit like a school lesson, but invite people to take turns reading each section aloud, if they feel comfortable doing so. Reading aloud can help us slow down, absorb and remember information, rather than rushing through it. You can pause at certain points to ask each other questions. Perhaps there is a section that you don’t understand and would like to clarify? The Right to Remain staff team did something similar during a recent team away day, when each of us read a paragraph from the document as part of our discussion. This slowed us down and gave us more time to grapple with what we were reading.
9. Make time for questions and clarifications. As you read, keep a list of anything you don’t understand or would like to know more about. Discuss these together at the end. Remember, we are still waiting for the Statement of Changes to be published in January, which will provide more detail. However, we believe it is helpful for people to understand the basic outline of the proposed changes now. Return to these questions when more information becomes available. 
10. Close the meeting. It might be helpful for people to briefly share how they are feeling at this point. Some people might feel a little calmer because they now know more about the plans than they did before. Others might feel distressed or anxious. Make sure people can support each other after the meeting. Also, make sure everyone knows where to find reliable information in the future – for example, Right to Remain’s updates, which you can subscribe to here.
11. Stay in touch. If you have any questions after your meetings, please get in touch with us at contact(at)righttoremain.org.uk. We do not give legal advice and cannot advise on people’s individual situations. However, your feedback helps us improve the way we provide future legal updates.

Right to Remain will be issuing more updates on the ‘earned’ settlement plans. The legal system might try to state otherwise, but remember: we all belong.

In solidarity,

Right to Remain team