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Understand the context
Review the movement’s background, recurring issues, and lessons from earlier campaigns.
Read the backgroundA practical civic organizing resource
Change grows when people act together.
Occupy Together helps people understand peaceful grassroots organizing, build inclusive assemblies, and turn shared concerns into careful, community-led action.
Listen first. Organize openly. Make room for different ways to participate.
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This independent resource preserves organizing knowledge while emphasizing nonviolent participation, accessibility, consent, and local responsibility.
Choose a pathway
Begin with what your community needs.
There is no single role for civic participation. Learn the history, convene a small group, share verified information, or strengthen coordination behind the scenes.
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Identify the issues
Frame concerns clearly, distinguish evidence from opinion, and keep affected communities central.
Explore the issues
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Study what worked
Consider lasting networks, mutual support, public education, and other forms of civic impact.
Review the successes
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Mobilize responsibly
Set a defined purpose, assess risks, communicate expectations, and invite realistic participation.
Plan to mobilize
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Assemble inclusively
Prepare an agenda and an accessible process so attendees know how decisions will be made.
Learn to assemble
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Work together
Assign clear roles, document decisions, resolve disagreements, and protect participants’ privacy.
Build collaboration
What’s included
Tools for thoughtful participation
Occupy Together is an educational starting point rather than a central authority. The resources encourage groups to adapt decisions to their own context.
- Plain-language orientation to decentralized organizing
- Guidance for meetings, working groups, and shared decisions
- Prompts for accessibility, wellbeing, and conflict planning
- Communication practices focused on accuracy and consent
- Historical notes presented as context, not instructions
How we work
A transparent organizing cycle
Healthy civic work is iterative. Groups learn, act, document results, and revise their approach without treating any one tactic as universal.
Listen
Map needs, stakeholders, existing efforts, and barriers before proposing a campaign.
Agree
Define the aim, decision process, responsibilities, boundaries, and a safe way to raise concerns.
Act
Use lawful, nonviolent methods suited to the local setting and participants’ capacities.
Reflect
Record outcomes, acknowledge limitations, care for participants, and decide what comes next.
From the journal
Notes for durable civic work
Recent editorial updates revisit long-running organizing questions through a contemporary lens. Dates indicate the latest resource review.
A resource is useful when it helps people ask better questions
How historical material can support reflection without becoming a fixed playbook.
Remote participation that respects people’s time
Clear tasks, accessible documentation, and sustainable expectations for distributed volunteers.
Sharing information without adding noise
A short guide to verification, context, permission, and corrections.
Common questions
Before you begin
Local rules and conditions differ. Seek qualified local guidance when an activity creates legal, safety, or accessibility questions.
What is Occupy Together?
Occupy Together is an independent educational resource about grassroots civic organizing and the history and practices associated with the broader Occupy movement.
Does the site direct local groups?
No. Decentralized groups make their own decisions. This site offers context and planning prompts, not commands, representation, or legal advice.
Do I need organizing experience?
No. Begin with a manageable role, ask what support is needed, and be candid about your capacity and skills.
How should a first meeting be structured?
Share the purpose and agenda in advance, explain the decision method, assign facilitation and notes, provide breaks, and end with named next steps.
How can groups include more people?
Ask about access needs early, offer more than one participation method, use clear language, avoid unnecessary data collection, and budget time for interpretation or other support where available.
How should disagreements be handled?
Use an agreed process, focus on the issue rather than personal attacks, document decisions, and pause when wellbeing or safety requires it.