☂ Umbrella Chapter Handbook

The idea

Chapters bring Umbrella to life, locally.

Umbrella provides the mission. Local chapters create safe spaces in their own communities, a school, a campus, a whole city.

Every Chapter is run by real people who care about the same thing you do. At minimum, a Chapter has:

The floor

What every Chapter has to do.

This is the whole list. Meet these seven, and you're a Chapter in good standing. Everything beyond this is yours to invent.

1. Hold at least one meeting each month.Keep the group alive and connected, in person or online.
2. Run one awareness campaign each semester.Anything from the Ideas Library counts. Just reach people.
3. Stay in contact with one counselor or youth organization.A real adult or org you can point someone to when it's beyond peer support.
4. Promote Umbrella & Haven responsibly.Honest, kind, and never over-promising. We're peer support, not a crisis line.
5. Follow the moderation & safeguarding guidelines.The safety rules are non-negotiable. They're what makes this trustworthy.
6. Report concerns to the national team.If something feels off or someone's at risk, tell us. You're never handling it alone.
7. Complete an annual review.A short once-a-year check-in on how your Chapter is doing.

That's it. Seven things.

The ceiling

Your freedom: the Ideas Library.

Beyond the seven, how you run your Chapter is up to you. Here's a menu to steal from, pick what fits your community, and invent your own.

The list is a starting point, not a limit. If you dream up something that helps people feel less alone, that is an Umbrella idea. Try it, tell us how it went, and we'll add the good ones here for every other Chapter.

Getting started

How to open your Chapter.

1. Apply to lead, fill out the Chapter application (about ten minutes).
2. Complete the safety & peer-support training we send you.
3. Recruit a couple of co-leads and a handful of volunteers.
4. Hold your first meeting and pick your first campaign from the Ideas Library.
5. Connect with one local counselor or youth org, and you're official.