Don't Be A Consumer, Be A Citizen? Democracy's Biggest THREAT... | Ruth Rogers, Community Expert
How Do We Transform from Consumers into Citizens?
Ruth walked into The Canvas Café one morning and watched something extraordinary happen. A stranger sat down at a shared table, struck up a conversation with another customer, and by the end of the day, they were planning a community event together. This wasn't unusual—it happened constantly. People would arrive as isolated individuals and leave as active community members. But why? And more importantly, how do we scale this transformation from passive consumers to engaged citizens?
We're living through what experts call a "polycrisis"—climate change, inequality, migration, and polarisation aren't separate problems but interconnected challenges that feed into each other. The solutions we've been trying—top-down policies, technological fixes, waiting for someone else to sort it out—aren't working. Perhaps because we've been approaching this all wrong.
The Evolution from Subjects to Consumers (But Not Citizens)
Ruth's journey from running The Canvas Café to working with the Humanity Project revealed something profound: we've successfully evolved from subjects of a monarch to consumers in a marketplace, but we've somehow skipped becoming citizens. We know how to buy things, how to complain about services, how to choose between options someone else has created. But do we know how to participate in creating the world we want to live in?
The Canvas Café proved that people desperately want to contribute when given the right environment. This wasn't a café that occasionally did some community work—it was a space designed to transform how people saw themselves and their role in the world. Up to 60 free community events per month, free meals for disadvantaged locals, and most importantly, an atmosphere where everyone was invited to participate, not just consume.
Why We're So Disconnected
Research consistently shows that social isolation is as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. But this isn't just about loneliness—it's about what happens when we lose our sense of collective efficacy. When we don't believe we can work together to solve problems, we retreat into passive consumption and complaint.
Ruth witnessed this transformation daily. People would arrive at The Canvas feeling disconnected, anxious, and powerless. The space itself—deliberately designed as a "third place" separate from home and work—created opportunities for genuine connection. But more than that, it created opportunities for people to discover their own agency.
Creating Spaces That Transform People
The magic wasn't in the physical space alone but in the emotional and conceptual framework Ruth created. The Canvas operated on the principle that everyone has something to contribute. Whether someone came in for a free meal or a paid coffee, they were welcomed as a potential community member, not just a customer.
This approach aligns with research on deliberative democracy, which shows that when people are given proper space to discuss complex issues, they consistently make thoughtful, nuanced decisions. Ireland's citizens' assemblies, which successfully tackled contentious issues like marriage equality, demonstrate this principle at scale.
The Assembly Culture Solution
Through her work with the Humanity Project, Ruth now facilitates popular assemblies where ordinary citizens come together to discuss the challenges facing their communities. These aren't talking shops or complaint sessions—they're structured spaces where people practice the muscle of citizenship.
The process is simple but powerful: bring together a diverse group of people, give them accurate information about an issue, create space for genuine dialogue, and watch as they develop solutions that politicians and experts might never have considered. It's democracy as it was meant to be—not just voting every few years, but active participation in shaping our shared future.
Start Where You Are
You don't need to create a café or organise an assembly to begin this transformation. Ruth's approach suggests that citizenship is a muscle that needs regular exercise. Start small: have a conversation with a neighbour, attend a local meeting, join a community group. Each act of connection builds the capacity for larger civic engagement.
The polycrisis we face requires citizens, not consumers. It needs people who see themselves as capable of creating change, not just choosing between options others provide. Ruth's work shows us that this transformation is possible—and that it starts with creating spaces, both physical and emotional, where people remember they're amazing when given the opportunity to connect and collaborate.
The question isn't whether we can solve these complex challenges. The question is whether we're ready to stop waiting for someone else to solve them and start acting as the citizens our democracy needs us to be.
Sources:
● The Canvas Café: https://thecanvascafe.org
● Community Organisers: https://communityorganisers.org.uk
● Humanity Project: https://humanityproject.uk
● Holt-Lunstad, J. (2010). Social Relationships and Mortality Risk. PLoS Medicine
● Farrell, D. M. (2019). Effects of Mixed Membership in Deliberative Forums. Political Studies
● Oldenburg, R. (1999). The Great Good Place: Third Places and Community
● Sampson, R. J. (1997). Neighborhoods and Collective Efficacy. Science
