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About the Assembly

“We can’t predict exactly what’s coming — whether it’s extreme weather, global tensions, or rising social pressures. But one thing’s certain: stronger, more connected communities are our best defence. The future depends on collaboration and cooperation, and we’re deeply grateful to our partners at UCL Students’ Union, the Network for Social Change, and London Resilience for sharing that vision. This event is about learning together, pooling our knowledge, and building resilience — fast.”

Anna Hyde, Co-Founder and Director, Islington Climate Centre

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 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.

Partner testimonial

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.

  • How it emerged: Islington Climate Centre came to us with a pitch for co-delivery.
  • How we worked together: Full delivery partnership with delivery leads in each organisation.
  • Funding: £5000 from the Network for Social Change match funded by the Greater London Authority and UCL.
  • What we achieved: Over 100 attendees across 2 days of community-building and connection- with the ripple effects still spreading.

"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, Co-Founder and Director, Islington Climate Centre

Community impact

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.

Through our partnership model, we were able to provide free attendance of the event to over 60 community organisations. Hear from our attendees here:

Event video
Attendee testimonials

Student engagement

A core goal of the event was building intergenerational connections. Our 20 hand selected student attendees were plunged straight into the action, learning how to link practical and community based approaches to their studies in climate and sustainability.

 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

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

Full list of organisations in attendence

  • British Red Cross
  • C-Change West London
  • Castlehaven Community Association
  • Climate Care Films
  • Climate Emergency Camden
  • Climate Emergency Centres
  • Climate Majority Project
  • Climate Reality Project
  • Communities Prepared (Groundwork South)
  • Cre8 Coffee
  • Ealing Council
  • Ecopunk Network
  • Edible Landscapes London and SOAS University
  • Forth Together CIC
  • GLA
  • Gaea Collaboration
  • Global Learning London
  • Green Economy Coalition
  • Groundwork London
  • Grow Lewisham
  • Islamic Relief UK
  • Islington Council
  • Iswe Foundation
  • Joint Civil Aid Corps
  • Kingston Hive and L-CPC
  • LSE Faith Centre
  • LSHTM
  • Latin Elephant
  • Let’s Go Southall
  • Lifehouse – Collapse Preparing Communities (Stroud)
  • London Borough of Camden
  • London Borough of Enfield
  • London Borough of Havering
  • London Borough of Islington
  • London Jewish Forum
  • London Communities Emergency planning
  • Muslim Charities Forum
  • Northeastern University London
  • Octopus Communities
  • Peabody Community Foundation
  • Power Up North London
  • Resilience Web
  • Seeds for Growth
  • Slater
  • Solarpunk
  • Somers Town Community Association
  • Street Trees for Living
  • Sutton PCN
  • Talking Tree CEC / Incredible Edible Spelthorne
  • Telegraph Hill Festival
  • The Hornbeam Centre
  • The Plot and Bridgehouse Gardens
  • The Restart Project
  • The Ubele Initiative
  • Thinking Box
  • Thrive LDN
  • Transition Newham
  • Ubele
  • Wandsworth and Richmond Councils
  • Westminster City Council
  • XR Community Building
  • Zero Carbon Guildford

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Last updated 3 hours ago