XR Chicago NVDA training: January 18, 2020

Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA) is at the core of all Extinction Rebellion (XR) actions, and NVDA Introductory Trainings are a great way to get involved with an Extinction Rebellion chapter.

The NVDA Introductory Trainings for XR Chicago, which are held each month, provide a historical, conceptual, and practical overview of direct action as an evolving set of tactics for activist movements. At each training we work as a group to articulate goals and identify the possibilities of direct action for supporting long-term strategies to meet those goals.

The trainings bring together people who are new to activism, people with some experience who want to learn more, and veteran activists who want to join XR. This training allows them to learn from one another and experiment with using NVDA in innovative ways.

What you will do in the NVDA Introductory Training:

• acquire basic knowledge of and experience with the different kinds of NVDA
• discover the possibilities and limitations of NVDA
• understand the individual and collaborative skills it requires
• realize the personal commitments it entails
• learn your rights and what to expect when arrested for NVDA
• experience how exhilarating direct action can be!
• identify the many ways that you can get involved with XR Chicago or climate action in general

The training begins with an orientation to Extinction Rebellion and XR Chicago. Then a team of trainers guide participants through a series of activities that build to the enactment of a practice direct action. Then, over lunch, an attorney from the National Lawyers Guild gives a presentation on knowing your rights and what to expect when arrested for NVDA. After lunch, working in groups, trainees develop a proposal for a direct action with specified constraints and goals; then each group pitches the proposal to the group as a whole.   The session ends with 1. a discussion of affinity groups, a longstanding component of direct action events, and participants are encouraged to begin forming affinity groups; and 2. brief meetings of XR Chicago's Working Groups, so that all new trainees can begin identifying tasks on which they would like to work.

Breaks with snacks and beverages are provided.