By Chris Connelley

QMUL MA Community Organising student

Last winter, East London’s Annual Assembly was set against the backlit 30s splendour of the Walthamstow Town Hall, which effectively caught the mood of authority and tradition for the founding community organising chapter here in london.

For North London’s launch assembly last night, the venue was the Friends Meeting House on Euston Road, the home from home for dissenting voices everywhere. If I am honest, it was not not my immediate first thought - my mind immediately free associated with the Freud Museum, Arsenal stadium, the Guardian newspaper offices even - but as the rush hour droned on, and delegates arrived by bus, by train, on foot in convoy and on bicycle- hell, this is North London donchyaknow! - to take their places in the dark wooden pews in this most simple and unostentatious of public space, there was a feeling of rightness, of moral seriousness and of necessary work to be done.

Assemblies are interesting at a number of levels. As a snapshot of the demography of the host location, of the range and type of member institutions involved at roll call, and of the type of cultural representations used. I thought the Community Organisers called it pretty well, with some powerful stories from a necessarily diverse set of schools, universities and faith organisations, best delivered on the night by students from the large number of schools in the house, who bought such life, spirit, passion and vividity to the evening. The gospel choir that kicked it all off was also especially inspiring, if sadly missed by late arrivals, so next time, put them on last and send us all home elevated, energised and giddy with goodwill. 

The other theme that came through strongly, and will stay with me, is the focus on education and learning, something that once again captures the spirit of north london, as spiritual home to the metropolitan intelligentsia. There’s something deeply compelling about decent people coming together to tell stories, share traditions and craft innovative solutions to some of the social ills that bedevil our city; even in lush Hampstead, whose wonderfully understated parish priest, whilst confessing to being unused to applauding himself in the affirmative style of the meeting, acknowledged neediness in the immediate shadow of huge privilege.

So, if you live in North London, watch this space. North London Citizens are up and running, broad in base and ambitious in intent, and they are almost certainly going to involve an organisation near you. And as someone who was there at the start, I feel totally certain the potential exists here for some pretty amazing things to happen.