The Dandelion Model
Gather to build community, cultivate hope and take action.
The Why
Democracy is grounded in strong communities and even stronger relationships. Healing and rebuilding our societies starts close to home. We believe in our power to grow solidarity, strengthen our relationships and change the dynamic in our communities and our countries.
The Basics
We started with a simple idea: by gathering regularly with a small group of friends, we can make room for what really matters. We can make space to be our full selves, share deeply, build trust and resilience and take this energy out into the world. Each meeting starts with sharing deeply from our experience, then making concrete plans to do work (big or small!) to make our communities stronger.
Get Started
We’ve compiled everything you need to launch your own dandelion group: invitation templates, meeting guides, a list of projects to take on. This is a simple project to get off the ground with just a friend or two.
Small circle organizing like this has transformed countries, cultivating hope and driving real change. We can do the same.
The Dandelion Model
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Start small, with folks you already know and trust. If your group is more than five, split into separate groups! You want to make sure everyone has a chance to participate fully. These groups work best small.
> Invite one or two people you know and care about to join you for a regular meeting. You can use this email template to get started.
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Aim to meet regularly, once a week or once a month. Start the meeting with time set aside for sharing how you’re really doing. Be vulnerable and share directly from your experience. This is a time for listening (don’t give advice!). Your group sets the time for sharing, but we recommend you aim for 45+ minutes.
> Check out our detailed meeting guide here.
Then move into the strategy and action portion of the meeting. What can you do to help make your community stronger? What is making it hard or easy to get involved? Don’t get discouraged - doing good work is hard! Share what vision you’re building toward.
Note: while in person is best, these meetings could also be done virtually.
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Everyone in your group commits to doing work - big or small! - to make the community stronger. This could be joining an existing group and reporting back on that work. It could be starting a new project.
> We’ve compiled a list of potential projects you can take on.
The last ~15 minutes of each meeting should be spent discussing what project you took on last week, how it went, what made it hard (or easy!). What will you try differently this time? This isn’t a time for judgement or accountability, but for each group member to think about what they can do to make a difference in their community.
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Roots deepen over time. Create the space for friendship and trust to grow within the meeting group and in your larger community. Invite more people to join you, but also don’t fear splitting the group - that’s the goal! Each group should be no more than five - this model works best when we split into separate pods and continue to grow and evolve.
“There is light in the darkness, you just have to find it”
bell hooks
WHO WE ARE
We’re organizers who believe that a better world is both possible and within reach.
We come from faith communities and PTAs, advocacy groups and labor unions. We know we are all we have and we are all we need.
