How Does the Campaign Work?
We must get to the root of the problem,
to the core of the human psyche, and recognize
that collective social action begins with individual action.
The individual cannot be separated from society.
Vimala Thakar
The idea of the Climate Choirs is that we citizens of civil society meet on the first Friday of every month at the central station of our respective cities to sing the gospel Amazing Grace together. The action could be described as a regular flash mob, or rather a smart mob, as the mob is linked to some kind of political content. The aim is to let the action grow so that it can become a larger movement. So talk about the idea and invite people around you to support it.
Participation as a Choir
We would be delighted if you as a choir have decided to take part in the singing campaign. The implementation of the campaign is described in detail below:
1) You agree to take part in the campaign so that we have a good overview and can coordinate the campaign. If several choirs from your city would like to participate, we will select one of the choirs as the main participant in the campaign. This is necessary because only one video from each city will be published and only one interpretation will be practiced. Of course, you can also join together as different choirs from one city to form a larger choir.
You will then rehearse your version of the song Amazing Grace as a choir selected by us. The song is probably most effective when it is sung pure and slowly. However, you can of course also accompany the singing with instruments or a whole orchestra. It is nice if you decide on a classical interpretation of the song as a choir. However, you can also rehearse a more freely chosen form. Bear in mind, however, that the interpretation should not be too unconventional, as you may not be singing alone. An important aspect of the campaign is that other initiatives, groups and individuals should support you in your singing.
2) On the first Friday of the coming month that you have chosen, you will then sing the song you have practiced at 5 p.m. in the station/station concourse of your respective city. The song stands for itself, but it always refers to the 12 invitations of the campaign. From this point on, the campaign takes place regularly, always on the first Friday of each month at 5 p.m. in the station, so that it can maintain a certain continuity and grow. That’s all. It’s actually a very simple thing that shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes and takes place 12 times a year.
3) In order to document the action of the different choirs in different cities, you should film your first Amazing Grace action. A standard smartphone is sufficient for this. Send us the documentation, which should not be much longer than 10 minutes, so that we can publish it together with the documentation from other cities on a YouTube page provided for this purpose.
(Along with the video, please also send us a short text describing the name of your choir and how people can find and contact you on the internet if they would like to support you as a choir. We would also appreciate a statement from you explaining why you are taking part in the Climate Choirs campaign. This text will then be published together with your video).
4) It would be good if someone from your ranks could be found to act as a contact person for us and coordinate your participation in the campaign. This is also useful so that we can exchange information in a well-organized way or in case you are contacted by the press. This person should also register the action/gathering with the police in their city.
Incidentally, singing together is not only legally unproblematic in a democracy, but also extremely beneficial to the health of such a democracy. This also applies if you sing in or in front of a train station. With our joint action, you are therefore not only committed to social change, but also to a constantly evolving democracy. You are not participating in an action of so-called civil disobedience and you cannot suffer any legal disadvantages if you take part in such a singing and art action. Nevertheless, for the sake of form and courtesy, you should register your smart mob with the police in your city. This is very simple. Registering the action does not mean that the action will be approved by the police, but merely serves as information about your plans. As citizens, you have the constitutional right to assemble. Train stations are generally open to the public and are considered part of the public space. They are used by everyone, not just train passengers, and are places of encounter and exchange, but also of transit traffic.
Participation as an initiative or as a private individual
If you would like to take part in the campaign as a civil society initiative, for example as a school or university, kindergarten, sports club, NGO or religious community or simply as a committed private individual, it is very easy to join in: Find yourself at the train station in your respective city on one of the upcoming first Fridays of the month at 5 pm sharp and join in the singing of the local choir. If there is not yet a climate choir in your town, simply sing without a choir and then invite one or more choirs in your town to take part in our campaign. It doesn’t matter whether you invite a professional gospel choir, an amateur choir or a school choir. The choirs in your town have probably simply not heard of the idea of a climate choir and would be delighted to hear about our initiative.
