Humanity Project exists to create assembly culture: a new kind of people-led politics that gives us control of what matters to us where we live.
Assembly culture is the freedom to speak and be listened to, an opportunity to hear what each other thinks and wants. By taking back power from politicians who’ve stopped working for us, and a media that doesn’t want us to talk to each other, assembly culture is us finding a way forward together. It’s a way of governing our own freedom, where everyone’s voice is equal.
Assembly culture is built upon the powerful act of listening. Clare, Lee and Nick built trust by listening. They then asked: What would happen if the whole nation listened to itself, away from the media? If across the country we came together in our streets and neighbourhoods to hear what others had to say? If the right we exercised for ourselves and others was not ‘free speech’ but instead ‘the right to be listened to’? And not just to hear what others say, but to listen to why they think it. That’s assembly culture.
When we listen to each other properly, that’s when we find a way forward that can make our lives better where we live. It’s okay to respectfully disagree. This is what the nation speaking to itself sounds like.
That’s why our vision is for a bottom-up, people-led assembly culture where everyone is listened to, making politics fit to deal with the problems we face in the UK today.
That’s why over two years we’re working with neighbourhoods to create a wave of joyful, bottom-up Popular Assemblies (Pop) that can change how decisions are made at any level, from our estates to our towns and cities. These Popular Assemblies are places where we exercise our rights to be listened to, even if we disagree.
Humanity Project connects neighbourhood to neighbourhood and to a national conversation where everyone gets to be heard and feel part of something bigger. Something so big it can deal with problems like the cost of living crisis, racism and division, and climate change, that often feel too hard for us to deal with on our own.
We’ve got four years to stop the divides between us becoming too wide, before a next General Election that could tear the country apart. If we don’t prove we can have a better democracy, then we won’t have one. Our lives could get worse. We believe they will get better. We believe in us to do the work together. That’s why the day after the 2029 General Election, our ambition is that assembly culture will be the new dominant political culture in the UK.
First Phase
• Our First Phase ran between December 2023 and June 2024.
• 46 neighbourhood assemblies took place in 34 neighbourhoods and locations.
• Around 1,720 people have attended an HP assembly.
• Around 210 people have received HP foundational facilitation training.
• Popular Assemblies took place in Nottingham, Kettering, Bishop Auckland, Southbank Centre, Falmouth, North Birkenhead, St Agnes, Queens University Belfast, Bristol, Hexham, Lambeth, Derby, Exeter, Walthamstow, Swansea, Newport, Port Talbot, Oxford, Plymouth, South Norwood, Saltash, Exeter University, Calstock, Portland, Leamington Spa, Kendal, Lancaster, Truro, Falmouth University, Abingdon, Basildon, High Wycombe, Shrewsbury.
Learnings
• We All Care – People felt a strong connection to their local areas and wanted to make them better.
• Learning Across Generations – People enjoyed learning from both younger and older people and sharing ideas.
• Building Agency – Many said the process helped them feel a sense of possibility of change and their role in it
• Stronger Communities – The experience made people feel like their community was closer and more united.
• Bridging Divides – Participants said they understood and cared more about people with different views because they practiced listening to others.
• Hard Work – Organising an assembly took a lot of effort, especially reaching out to people by knocking on doors and having one-on-one conversations.
• Small Details Matter – Organisers found that small things, like where biscuits were placed, could make a big difference in how involved people felt.
• A Big Challenge – It’s been very hard to make assemblies last long, grow bigger, and create real change.
Second Phase
• Our Second Phase will run between September 2024 and September 2026.
• Work will take place in 20 neighbourhoods around the UK.
• We will start work with trusted partners in Luton, Port Talbot, Long Sight, Moss Side, Woodley. Others will follow later in the programme.
A New Approach
• Go Deeper – Let’s take our time and focus on just 10 areas to make a bigger impact.
• Build Relationships First – To build trust and strengthen local communities, we’ll focus on relationships through community organising.
• Local Leadership – Local partners know their communities best. They’ll lead their own programmes with support from our team and groups like Community Organisers and Operation Black Vote.
• Joyful Gatherings – Community events should be fun and uplifting. This time, we’ll use arts and culture to bring people together.
• More Than Assemblies – Assemblies are just one tool. We’ll help partners use others too, like listening campaigns, civic tech, and participatory
budgeting.
• Clear Strategies – Change needs a strong plan and the resources to back it up. We’ll work with partners to create winning strategies.
• Measure What Works – To see if these ideas work, we’ll check if they last, grow, and make a real difference using a new evaluation framework.
You can see a link to the Humanity Project team HERE
