Local Nodes

Chapters

A chapter is a small, physical, recurring local instance of the institution. Five to forty active members. Real meetings, in a real room, on a stable cadence. The institution exists in the rooms where chapters meet. Everything else is media.

The directory
San Francisco United States · California
Founding Inaugural gathering scheduled for the founding period. First Sunday afternoons. Host: the founding committee.
Write to attend
New York United States · New York
Chapter pending A founder has declared intent. First Gathering being scheduled. Charter expected within 60 days.
Write to attend
Berlin Germany
Founder sought A small group of Observers in Berlin has expressed interest. A Chapter Founder is being sought.
Volunteer
London United Kingdom
Founder sought Observers in the London area. Looking for a committed Chapter Founder to lead the First Gathering.
Volunteer
Toronto Canada · Ontario
Founder sought Initial inquiries received. A Chapter Founder is being sought.
Volunteer
Your city Anywhere
Open A chapter does not need permission to exist. It needs three other people, a venue, and the discipline to run twelve gatherings.
Read the Chapter Kit
Founding a chapter

The directory above is small because the institution is young. The work of growing it is the work of founding chapters — nodes, in the institution's vocabulary — in the places where people want to do the work.

A chapter is chartered by the institution before it is announced publicly. The charter process exists to prevent two failure modes: chapters that attract members and dissolve in three months, and chapters that drift from the institutional ethic. The full process is in the Chapter Kit; the short version is:

  1. The Founder writes a short letter of intent to the Stewards.
  2. The Stewards confirm within fourteen days and assign a Founder's mentor.
  3. The First Gathering is held within sixty days, following the standard liturgy.
  4. The charter is granted, and the chapter is publicly listed.

Before you write

The Chapter Kit asks four honest questions. We will ask the same:

  1. Do you have a venue? Quiet enough for opening silence and the recording of testimony.
  2. Do you have three other people committed by name and date to the first six gatherings?
  3. Can you sustain a monthly cadence for twelve months?
  4. Are you doing this for the work, or for the role?

If the four answers line up, proceed.

Access notes

Every public chapter listing should publish access information before asking people to attend: venue access, meeting length, recording status, sensory load, remote participation, food or allergen notes where relevant, and a contact path for access requests. The full standard is maintained in Accessibility and Inclusion.

What the institution provides

What the institution does not provide

Chapters may host nonpartisan policy education, but they do not endorse candidates, parties, or campaigns. The full boundary is maintained in Policy Posture.

Begin

Write to the founders.

Tell us who you are, where you are, and the four answers. We respond to every honest inquiry within fourteen days.

Letter of Intent Read the Chapter Kit