Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us

MCKINSEY TOP 5 RECOMMENDED READ

'An underground hit' – Best Politics Books, Financial Times

'Jon has one of the few big ideas that's easily applied' – Sam Conniff, Be More Pirate

'A wonderful guide to how to be human in the 21st Century' – Ece Temelkuran, How to Lose a Country: the Seven Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship

Citizens opens up a new way of understanding ourselves and shows us what we must do to survive and thrive as individuals, organisations, and nations.

Over the past decade, Jon Alexander's consultancy, the New Citizenship Project, has helped revitalise some of Britain's biggest organisations including the Co-op, the Guardian and the National Trust. Here, with the New York Times bestselling writer Ariane Conrad, he shows how history is about to enter age of the Citizen.

Because when our institutions treat people as creative, empowered creatures rather than consumers, everything changes.

Unleashing the power of everyone equips us to face the challenges of economic insecurity, climate crisis, public health threats, and polarisation.

Citizens is an upbeat handbook, full of insights, clear examples to follow, and inspiring case studies, from the slums of Kenya to the backstreets of Birmingham – and a foreword by the music producer and innovator Brian Eno.

It is the perfect pick-me-up for leaders, founders, elected officials – and citizens everywhere. Organise and seize the future!

Reviews

It's an inspiring idea. This is an inspiring book. But it's not a "woo" book. It's a practical toolkit for improving not just our global society but all of the challenges we face, be it climate change, famine, war. And we can use the very media which has made consumers of us all to facilitate the change. Like most brilliant ideas, it's simple. And profound. The text of this book should be taught in every second-level civics class everywhere.' – Sunday Independent

'Society is like an out of control house party – eating, drinking and consuming everything. Jon is the organiser of the campfire gathering behind the party. It's calm and welcoming and you won't want to leave. In Citizens, Jon and Ariane show how to leave the burning house of the Consumer Story and join the campfire that is the Citizen Story.' – Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps and founding Chair of National Citizen Service UK

'The belief that every single one of us has both the potential and the desire to make the world better drives me every day, in everything I do. In Citizens, Jon shows how taking that belief as a starting point really could transform our world. This is a truly powerful book, in every sense of the word.' - Josh Babarinde, Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur

'Every great transformation requires a new story. A story that reveals new possibilities and points toward an optimistic alternative to the current situation. Citizens presents just such a story and if we respond to its challenge we may just manage to navigate our way out of the mess we have created for ourselves.' – Tim Brown, Chair of IDEO and author of Change By Design

'Jon is working with a set of ideas and tools that have the potential to change politics forever. In fact, they could change everything forever.' – Ian Kearns, Founder and Trustee, European Leadership Network

'The shift from consumer to citizen is a truly big idea. If you're in a position of strategic influence, I strongly recommend you engage with this and consciously explore what it might mean for your organisation.' – Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, former chief executive National Trust

© 2022 Canbury Press Ltd (Audiobook): 9781914487040

Release date

Audiobook: 18 June 2022