October 2025 by Carolina De Oliviera
Here are projects, events and other news from our sister movements in the Healthy Power space in the UK and wider, including Neighbourhood Organising, Citizen Assemblies, Community Charters, Participatory Budgeting and a new kind of Party Politics.
Neighbourhood Organising in the UK – Neighbourhoods of Care
“We need to respect the small, human-sized, places where we live, where we can connect with neighbours, make decisions together, get to grip with local problems and really make a difference. We need to establish neighbourhoods as a fundamental part of our democratic infrastructure, with real powers and the ability to involve all citizens in decision-making rather than merely representative democracy.”
On Wednesday 24th September Citizen Network and People Focused Group published Neighbourhoods of Care. This is a strategy setting out how to radically reorganise our systems of health and social care alongside an agenda for action in South Yorkshire. The aim is to advance citizenship for all and create truly inclusive flourishing neighbourhoods.
To find out more about Citizen Network’s Neighbourhood Democracy movement and how you can get involved, contact Jason Leman.
Citizen Assemblies – the Humanity Project
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.
To find out more about how you can get involved, including lots of training and peer to peer community of practice, see here https://www.humanityproject.uk/
Democ SOS – 8-point action plan for UK Democracy
“Our democracy is being weakened. It is weakened by disinformation, by obstacles to ordinary citizens taking part, and by conditions that favour those with wealth and connections. There are many problems that should be tackled… But it is becoming more difficult for people wishing to serve the public interest to gain positions of power. We need a democracy that is thoughtful and respectful, and includes voices from across the spectrum, especially those often not heard.”
Henry Tam shares an 8-point action plan bringing together the key actions that those in government can take to help save democracy from disengagement, misunderstanding, subversion and other notable flaws.
Read or download the Democracy SOS PDF here
Fate of Britain Event
On Thursday 11th September, self-professed disruptive comms lab, Absurd Intelligence, held the ‘Fate of Britain’ convention at the historic Conway Hall in London. The all day event was a space for cultural doers and grassroots champions, to not only imagine but begin living the new story we so desperately need to shape a better future.
Drawing nearly 200 participants, the day convened a diverse coalition of grassroots organisers, artists, community leaders, and political changemakers, where skills were put into practice with soapbox sessions, speech writing, narrative design workshops, and coalition building. Participants gathered with openness and collaboration in mind, united by a shared urgency to reshape Britain’s collective narrative and align on a shared story of care, collaboration and collective action.
Read more about what happened at the Fate of Britain Event here
Carolina De Oliveira
Carolina De Oliveira is an organisational development practitioner, Sociocracy facilitator-in-training, and lifelong community builder. She works with A Fairer Society to support purpose-led teams in sharing power, making wiser decisions, and creating cultures of belonging.
Carolina coordinates CTRL Shift, a UK-wide collective impact network shifting power to communities, and is co-director of SONEC, which is introducing Neighbourhood Parliaments and grassroots organising models to towns and cities across the UK.
Carolina’s mission is simple: help people connect, organise, and grow communities that work for everyone.