About the Assembly
“UCL students are taking bold, innovative climate action in our UCL community and their local areas. The Community Resilience Assembly provided a powerful platform for them to connect with their peers and exchange lessons from across the climate movement.”
Anam Eijaz Choudhary, Students’ Union UCL President
The Community Resilience Assembly 2025 was a two-day gathering of community changemakers and UCL students, delivered in collaboration between UCL SU and Islington Climate Centre and funded with the generous support of the Greater London Authority and the Network for Social Change.
The aim was “show, not tell” — a peer-to-peer intergenerational learning space showcasing what already works in communities, strengthening networks, and preparing for escalating climate, social, and geopolitical shocks. The event culminated in a People’s Assembly, giving attendees hands-on experience of deliberative democracy and a model they can run locally.
Significant challenges lie ahead—extreme weather, space weather, geopolitical tensions, and domestic unrest. While we cannot know exactly what is coming, we do know that strong, connected communities are more resilient. This is the purpose of the Community Resilience Assembly.
Student testimonials
The event showed that community knowledge, lived experience, and practical tools are just as valuable as formal academic research. This reinforced my commitment to designing climate initiatives that centre community voices.
Safiatou Nana, MSc Economics and Policy of Energy & Environment
Connecting with community organisers at the event has demonstrate to me that climate resilience and community action are deeply intertwined: building strong community networks is a prerequisite to climate resilience. This relationship will inform my approach to my future work in city planning: I will remember that community action is the first step.
Victoria Lee, MPlan City Planning
Community impact
The Community Resilience Assembly was co-created and co-delivered with Islington Climate Centre, a vibrant hub building community resilience and adaptation for a sustainable future in Islington and beyond.
"The team have an exceptional talent for bringing together real-world charities and students in ways that are mutually enriching. Their ability to understand opportunities quickly and act decisively is inspiring, and their leadership ensured that every aspect of the logistics of the Assembly was flawlessly executed leaving the Climate Centre team to concentrate in getting the right mix of people and content there. The result was a transformative event that will create significant ripples — we made something truly special, and I am proud of what we achieved."
Anna Hyde, Islington Climate Centre