How to Form a Survival Group
by Bob Rodgers 
We live in an uncertain world and with each passing day, more and more people decide to become survivalists and preppers. Unfortunately the path that most of these people chose is the path of the lone wolf. Although many aspects of preparedness tend to focus on the individual, history showed us that a united force is stronger and it has more chances of survival than a single individual. Forming a survival group should be taken into consideration by all preppers and the following suggestions will help you to get started.
Humans made it so far because we are social beings and we often depend on networks of people to get things done. It doesn’t matter if you are at work or if you are at home, a good network of people can make your life easier, it will provide you with emotional support and it gives you a sense of security. In an emergency situation a survival group would make a whole lot of sense because you are building an alliance that will help you survive and thrive when things go south.
Some may say that forming a survival group is hard and it takes a lot of work, but that is just a matter of perspective. I admit that may be true for some, especially for those from large communities where people will look at you “funny” just for saying you are a prepper. The larger the community, the harder it will be to form a trustworthy group. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to try and do your best to raise awareness about emergency preparedness. In today’s modern world social isolation is your worst enemy when it comes to forming a survival group. We are hooked to the digital network and we have thousands of friends, and yet…we spend most of our days alone. You can’t count on your digital friends when disaster strikes and you have to put your faith in real people.
However, if you are part of a smaller community, one that is not fond of “city folks” you have better chances of getting your survival group. Smaller communities have a bond that was perpetuated for centuries and the members of such communities care for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should move out of the city (although it might be a good idea), I just want to let you know what your chances of forming a survival group are, based on your social environment.
How to get your own survival group:
Reaching out to people
You can’t form a survival group without letting people know about your intentions. Reaching out to people can be difficult for some, while for other is just like making another sale at the office. If you live in a big city, it may be harder to form a survival group and the first thing you have to do is try to reach out to friends and people you know best. Once you have a few friends that are interested in your group you can establish meetings to discuss more about the subject. You can also join social media groups from your area that are interested in preparedness and survival. Go to the meetings, know people and let them know about your survival group if you find them trustworthy. However, if you are part of a smaller community, even a barbeque can be a good occasion to start discussing about forming a survival group. Invite some friends and neighbors over to enjoy a good steak and a cold beer and bring up the subject when you get the occasion. Don’t make it a big announcement and don’t be ecstatic, but rather bring up the subject with nonchalance. You can see how things go on from there and by the end of the day you will form an opinion on whom to contact in the coming weeks.
Related reading: How to find preppers in your community 
A Survival Group means Safety First
Safety in numbers is a tactic mankind has used since the Stone Age and it works! A group of people offers more protection than an individual ever could and it provides a sense of security to each member that is part of your survival group. In any survival situation there are many dangers that simply cannot be handled by a single person. During civil unrest, the unprepared will go after your supplies and being part of a survival group will make sure your supplies are protected. People can take turns sleeping and keeping watch. If you are injured or sick you cannot provide food or security and having backup is important. The same goes for defending your community, the more firepower you have the better your chances of survival. This is the main argument that you should bring up when discussing with people about forming a survival group. If they understand what safety in numbers means for their future, they will join your alliance.
Spreading the work is easier if you have a survival group
Having a group of people working together during a crisis will greatly enhance what gets done and it will increase your chances of survival. You can’t know it all and most certainly you can’t do it all. It is much easier to get things done when you have the proper help and it is crucial to have the right skill set for certain survival chores. A survival group will allow each individual to focus on what he or she does best. Just look at primitive skills alone, how many of you wouldn’t love to have in your survival group the guy building tools and shelters from scratch using wood and mud, the one with those amazing YouTube videos. A group of people working together will be more efficient because there will be those who “specialize” on certain skills and you can get a whole lot more done in less time with a group. In a survival situation time is of the essence and a lone wolf can’t do everything right under pressure. Let people know about the strengths of your group and how it can help them in an uncertain future.
A survival group will maximize resources
A survival group can bring more resources to the table than an individual. This means that water, food, fuel and tools can be used for the survival of the entire group. Some may stockpile extra fuel, others may hoard tools due to their “antique value” and there are those who stockpile food to feed an entire neighborhood. If you put all the resources together and you assure a correct distribution for each member of the survival group, you will have to worry less about the future. Not to mention that a survival group provides a resource that increases significantly with each member: knowledge. My grandfather used to say that it’s easy to teach someone how to fire a weapon or build a chicken coop, but you can never copy the skill sets underlined by a lifetime of training. Since humans are the most important resources for every survival group, having people in your group like a doctor, a mechanic, a welder and so on, will increase the value of life for the entire alliance. Remember that when you talk with people about resources, you have to be as vague as possible and your main point of focus should not be the items (don’t brag about your resources). You should put emphasis on the human resources you have and how they can keep the group safe.
A survival group is an important emotional support
During a crisis scenario people will break down faster than machines and they will need someone to pick them up. A survival group can provide an important amount of emotional support and it can help people withstand stress for long periods of time. If you have a strong emotional network, you can cope with whatever the future throws at you during a crisis. Every survival group should be able to deal with issues that work to empower each individual in it. The members from your survival group should feel that their concerns and suggestions are taken into consideration and the need of involvement varies based on the individual. Being able to read people is important when creating a survival group and you have to give credit where credit is due for. When you discuss with people about forming a survival group, learn to listen and don’t try to hijack the conversation or the suggestions being debated. Don’t be the know-it-all type and let people participate and express themselves. If you can make people feel comfortable inside the group and if you give them the attention they need, your survival group will last in time.
Every survival group needs a leader
This is a general rule and every group needs a leader, regardless if it’s a football team, a marketing team or a form of government. In a survival situation, having a leader will make sure things run effectively and nobody will be left on the outside. Most survival groups perish because the leadership issue is handled poorly. Before you solidify any survival group you have to think about leadership, something that must be agreed upon. The military doesn’t use a democratic model because voting is not the quickest way to respond to a crisis. Not to mention that qualifications have to be taken into account when you take a decision that can cost the lives of your team. From my point of view, the best way to deal with it would be a leadership rotation. Each person should take a turn during a non-life-threatening situation and everyone should agree to this plan. For life-threatening events the survival group must have one individual as the recognized leader and the leader can be established based on vote and qualifications. This way, anything he or she decides is to be acted on without deliberations to expedite a quicker and more effective response. Make sure you let people know about how your survival group is governed and how they can take part in the decision making process. People will join easier if they know these details from the start.
A survival group is also about thriving
Forming a survival group will keep you alive, but that’s not the main goal. Apart from prepping for worst-case scenarios, your survival group will keep you alive after the downfall. People need to understand that it’s all about what comes after the crisis and we might not be able to return to what the world once was. Lone wolves can and probably will survive a disaster, but what will they do after? No matter how much you will struggle, you will never be able to accomplish what a group can and sooner or later you will need some help. If you plan on providing food for your loved ones, agriculture is the long term way to go, and most of the times you need a number of people to make this work. What if you get sick, who will take care of your chores, who will take care of you? You need to survive, but afterwards you need to thrive. When you discuss with people about forming a survival group, don’t go for the lone wolves, they will never join your group and they will make you feel like you are fighting a losing battle.
Forming a survival group is a challenge for anyone and it requires a lot of determination. Just because you’re a prepper or survivalists doesn’t mean you have to be a lone wolf. Try and form an alliance with like-minded people and build long lasting relationships if you want to survive to whatever the future might bring. United we stand and we thrive!