Who is involved?

Common House is run by its members. This involves attending monthly assemblies and contributing to practices of maintenance and care as well as contributing financially to the running of the space.

Membership has changed over the years (some groups need to remain anonymous due to safety and security). If you are a group or project that is looking for a permanent home find out how to join on the ‘get involved’ page.

Current members:


Association of Black Humanists

The Association of Black Humanists (ABH), formally London Black Atheists (LBA), welcomes you all. Our mission is to support and encourage all people, particularly those from the African Diaspora, who are Freethinkers, Non-believers, Atheists and of course, Humanists. If you are questioning religion and want to meet like-minded people, then ABH is the group for you.

Find out more:
meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Association-of-Black-Humanists/
email: abhumanists[at]gmail.com


Concrete Action

Concrete Action is a collective comprised of architects, journalists and researchers working towards ethical and transparent practices of architecture and planning.

Find out more: https://concreteaction.github.io//
facebook: http://facebook.com/ConcreteAction-399998453539841


English for Action London

We provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses for adult migrants in communities across London. Our aim is to reach people who may miss out on mainstream ESOL courses. We believe that ESOL classes, with the correct focus, can enable people to access the social, economic and political benefits that would be out of reach without language training and support.

Find out more: https://efalondon.org/who-we-are/our-story-and-values
email: info@efalondon.org


Feminist Fightback

We’re inspired by the politics of a range of anti-capitalist feminist struggles, and believe that no single oppression can be challenged in isolation from all other forms of exploitation that intersect with it. We are committed to fighting for a feminist perspective and awareness of gender issues everywhere in our movement – not marginalising ‘women’s rights’ as a separate issue. We are a trans-friendly group. Planning meetings are open to all-self defining women and we involve people of all genders in our wider activities. We work on a non-hierarchical and consensus basis.

Find out more: www.feministfightback.org.uk/
email: feminist.fightback@googlemail.com
twitter: @femfight


 

London Gender Support

LGS is a non-professional, not-for-profit organisation whose sole purpose is to support people in their journeys of self-discovery and gender exploration. Anyone is welcome to attend an LGS group meeting, no matter how early or how late into their gender journey and where they see themselves in the grand gender spectrum.

Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/LondonGenderSupport/


 

Mental Health Under Capitalism

Mental Health Under Capitalism (MHUC) is a solidarity and support group with a focus on capitalism, oppression and its affect on mental health

Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/MentalHealthUnderCapitalism/


 

Plan C London

Plan C is an organisation of people who are politically active in their workplaces and communities. We work together to support each other, amplify our struggles and think strategically. We want to go beyond network-based organisation, without falling back on the model of a party. We are committed to ongoing experimentation to find the forms of collective activity needed to build a world beyond capitalism. Plan C is also concerned with making plans – plans to survive and resist capitalism’s attack on our lives, and plans for collective self-organisation.

Find out more: www.weareplanc.org
email: london@weareplanc.org
twitter: @weareplanc


 

Phoenix Education

“It’s your head. You should decide what goes in it.” Since the turn of the millenium, Phoenix Education has promoted and practiced ‘democratic education’.

We are inspired to reimagine an education system in which children and adults share responsibility, co-creating schools of freedom and equality. 
We have two strands of activity:1) Programmes: we collaborate with secondary schools to activate student voice.2) Network: we convene a network of pioneers advocating for ‘freedom to learn.

Get in touch and get involved with education transformation. 
Web: www.phoenixeducation.co.uk; www.freedomtolearn.uk
Email: info@phoenixeducation.co.uk


 

Radical Education Forum

The RadEd Forum is a group of people working in a wide range of educational settings who meet monthly to discuss radical pedagogical theories and techniques, and contemporary issues of interest to those involved in education. We are interested in how these theories and questions can inform our practice. RadEd has published the Radical Education Workbook, available for free from the website.

Find out more:http://radicaleducationforum.tumblr.com/
email: radicaleducationforum@riseup.net


 

The x:talk project

The x:talk project is a sex worker-led workers co-operative which approaches language teaching as knowledge sharing between equals and regards the ability to communicate as a fundamental tool for sex workers to work in safer conditions, to organise and to socialise with each other.

  • x:talk is organised by and for workers in the sex industry.
  • x:talk is independent from government authorities.
  • x:talk is funded by donations and fundraiser events.
  • x:talk teachers have experience working in the sex industry.
  • x:talk works with people of all genders who, by choice, circumstance, or coercion, engage in sexual activities for money, food, shelter, clothing, drugs, or other survival needs.

Find out more: http://www.xtalkproject.net/
email: xtalk.classes@googlemail.com
twitter: @xtalkproject


 

Regular supporters

Groups or projects that regularly use the space and choose to support with more financial contribution instead of coordination:


 

Babel’s Blessing

Radical London-based language school running fun, affordable classes in Yiddish, Arabic, Hebrew, Sign Language & other languages, and also free English classes for migrants and refugees.

Find out more: https://babelsblessing.org


 


 

Jewdas

Radical Jewish voices. Whatever your background if you prefer stirring things up to keeping the peace, prefer dreaming of the utopian rather than settling for the prosaic, and think that culture and ethnicity should be springboards for overthrowing the state, then you’re a Jewdaser at heart. Lets storm the barricades together.

Find out more: https://www.jewdas.org/

Queerspace East

We are a group of queers organising to create radical queer community spaces in east london. We organiser regular film nights at the Common House and ‘queer kickabout’ in Victoria Park over the summer months.

Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/queerspaceeast/

Radio Ava

Radio AvA a DIY community project for and by sex workers and allies. A cultural community space broadcasting our voices. A framework through which we can express explore and expand our talents, share our spectrum of experiences, improve our safety, vent, reflect, critique and celebrate.

Find out more:http://www.radioava.org/

Women’s strike


 

Friends of the Common House

You can also get involved in the Common House as an individual and contribute to the running of the space. Come along to our monthly assemblies or to one of the many public events held at the Common House to find out more!


 

ARCHIVE

Past groups involved in coordinating the space are listed below (please note not all groups or projects are still active but they might inspire future actions!).

Action East End

Action East End is a local group based in East London that wants to contribute to resistance, both defending ourselves in our communities and workplaces, and ultimately helping co-ordinate activities to improve our quality of life. We publish, The Howler, a community newspaper.

Anarchist Federation (London)

Angry Workers World

Autonomous Tech Fetish

Autonomous Tech Fetish (ATF) is an open space for gathering, sharing and making. ATF runs a monthly Make & Do club and hosts artists and technologist workshops that look at topics such as encryption, biometrics and health policy through making, embodied learning and open discussion.

Community Massage Project

The Community Massage Project provides high quality massage therapy on a sliding-scale fee basis to the local community, enabling more people to access regular massage. We hold clinics twice each month and offer various types of bodywork, more details can be found on our website.

Find out more: communitymassageproject.wordpress.com
email: communitymassageproject[at]riseup.net
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/352139881658960/

East London Radical Assembly

Radical Assembly meets to plan action to link and strengthen community-led, working class, liberation and social justice campaigns. The assembly aims to actively contribute to building a truly democratic, bottom-up movement that supports the diversity of existing struggles while respecting their independence. Out of the assemblies have come a network of local groups all now taking action and linking up existing campaigns across London, on issues such as housing, college closures, immigration detention, abortion rights and homelessness.

Femmes of Colour

Green & Black Cross

In Sight Theatre

We are a mixed learning disabled and non learning disabled acting troupe consisting of 8 adults. Our goal at In Sight Theatre is to provide talented disabled artists with the chance to launch their careers through performing at mainstream venues and festivals and break down barriers between disabled and non disabled performers on stage

London Birth Gathering

London Roots

NELMA

No Fly on the Wall

No Fly on the WALL is a platform for Women of Colour and other marginalized groups, aiming to offer a fresh intersectional perspective on Feminism today. With an Intersectional Feminist focus and praxis, we provide thoughtful, woke, engaging, and thought-provoking content on our website and run workshops and masterclasses and hold events throughout the year via our No Fly on the WALL Academy.

Find out more:

http://noflyonthewall.com/
email: teamnoflyonthewall@gmail.com
twitter: @noflyonthewall

Psychotherapy and Counselling Union

The Psychotherapy and Counselling Union was founded in 2016 and is committed to our mission of standing up for therapists and the future of therapy.

Find out more:https://www.psychotherapyandcounsellingunion.co.uk/
email: pcu.union@gmail.com

Politics in Love, Sex and Relationships

A monthly discussion, peer support, and solidarity group (usually last Sunday of each month) concentrating on thinking and practicing relationships “differently” (that usually means we talk a lot about relationship anarchy, ethical non-monogamy, relationships that don’t conform to the “relationship escalator” idea or other ideas promoted by the capitalist heteropatriarchy.)

Find out more:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1592877634269091/

pilsargroup@gmail.com

Riso Print Club

Riso Print Club is an affiliation of printmakers who are asking the question, “What constitutes a radical print resource?” We aim to counter the norm of ‘contracting out’ print and design, and see it as a playful way for activist groups to explore their politics further through the visual language used to communicate. Introduction sessions for those new to risograph printers will happen in the first hour. The Riso Print Club is not a place to just come print your own work, and for anyone looking for a print service, we can recommend Hato Press, Ditto Press or Footprints Workers Co-op.

Sex Worker Open University [http://www.swou.org/]                   

SWOU is a project created by and for sex workers. You might be working as an escort, rent boy, porn actress/actor, professional dominatrix or submissive, cam model, erotic masseuse, sexual healer or street worker; this is a place to socialise, learn new skills, and create events together. Our aim is to empower our community through workshops, debates, actions and art projects as well as fighting against our criminalisation.

Find out more:

http://www.swou.org/

email: contact@swou.org

twitter: @SexWorkerOU

Other groups and projects that have used the Common House since May 2013 include:

Fuel Poverty Action, London Renters Union, Novara, Liberate Tate, Occupy London, Right to Remain, Ain’t I a Woman Collective, Critisticuffs, BP or not BP, Food not Bombs London, No One is Illegal, Radical London, Tower Hamlets Jenin Friendship Association, AltGen, Empty Cages Collective, Fossil Free London, Gaza fundraiser, London Birth Gathering, Jewdas, AntiUniversity, Caketastic, Dost Center for Young Refugees and Migrants, Queerspace East, Friends of Joiners Arms campaign, Radical Housing Network, gng Black Queer Women in London, ACT UP London, Kids Yoga, State of Education, Political Action Reflection Group, Capital reading group, Commons Course, People and Planet, Wendy Brown School, Radical Retreat, Coalition of Grassroots Educators, um’s Ganze!, Green and Black Cross, Breaking the Frame, Fuel Poverty Action, DIY Space for London, National Coalition of Anti-Deportations Campaigns, AFed Day School, Radical Anthropology, Unite the Youth, Trauma and Wellbeing Group, SolFed, Black Rose, Self Defense Class, Nanopolitics Group, Icarus Project, Frack Off London, Coffee in Common, various talks, book launches and fundraising parties.