On the 1st of July, a group of eight London4Europe volunteers were on the streets at London Pride, leafleting from noon to 6pm around Trafalgar square.  

We were there to leaflet, hand-out Pride stickers, engage in conversations, and encourage pro-Europeans to join the Movement. 

During these six hours we handed out more than 2,500 leaflets and had so many important conversations with people across the political spectrum. 

The atmosphere was amazing. Our volunteers received so much love and we are grateful to the people that attended Pride and engaged with us. We enjoyed speaking with everyone there so much, regardless of whether they offered us hugs, took selfies with us or discussed Brexit with us. Nothing, however, filled us with more joy and excitement than the individuals that took out their phones, went to the EMUK page and became members on the spot. In every respect, this was a very successful event and we enjoyed so much being there and volunteering for the European Movement. 

It is very important for our volunteers to attend and leaflet at events like London Pride. Events like this attract a wide range of attendees, providing an excellent opportunity to engage with a large and diverse audience and spread our pro-European message. We were able to raise awareness about our objectives and values, increase the visibility of our movement and amplify our message. 

Events like this are a fantastic opportunity to engage the public and understand different perspectives. We had some brilliant, frank and honest exchanges that we can use to refine how we communicate our message to reverse Brexit. 

Finally, we encouraged pro-European individuals we met to become members, therefore expanding EMUK's membership base, and strengthening the movement. Overall, leafleting at London Pride allowed us to reach a diverse audience, promote our values, understand public perspectives, recruit new members, and shape a positive narrative surrounding European unity. 

From a Volunteer Coordinator's perspective, our presence at the London Pride was an extremely successful action, and here is why: 

• Leafleting at events, such as London Pride, provides an excellent opportunity to connect with individuals who are passionate about the cause and interested in getting involved.  
• We were able to identify dedicated individuals who showed enthusiasm, commitment, and potential for future campaign involvement. 
• By participating in leafleting events like this, the European Movement builds and expands its network of volunteers. 
• Leafleting events like this offer a platform for volunteers to develop essential campaign skills, such as public speaking, engaging with the public, and effectively delivering our Movement’s key messages. 
• Through our involvement in leafleting and other campaigning events, we have the opportunity to build strong and cohesive campaign teams. Observing volunteers during leafleting events allows us to assess individual strengths, such as organizational skills, leadership potential, or persuasive abilities, which can guide future team assignments. 
• By involving volunteers in leafleting events and subsequent campaign activities, the European Movement can foster a sense of ownership and investment in the cause, and therefore, increase volunteer retention rates. 

In conclusion, attending leafleting events serves as an ideal first step towards building a campaign team by attracting dedicated individuals, expanding the network of supporters, developing skills, fostering team cohesion, assessing strengths, and ultimately retaining committed volunteers for future campaign endeavours. 

We are always actively looking for more volunteers and we would be extremely happy to have more EM members join our dedicated team of brilliant L4E volunteers. 

If you too would like to join our volunteers’ team, please email us at [email protected]. 

By George Kilaiditis, European Movement volunteer.