The Commons Social Change Library

Welcome to The Commons Social Change Library

Do you want to change the world for the better? You’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re new to advocacy or an experienced campaigner you’ll find helpful resources here. All materials are free, digital, and directly available.

The Commons Library includes 1500+ educational resources in a range of formats. Topics include campaign strategy, community organising, working effectively in groups, justice and diversity, creative activism, and much more.

Visit the Browse page for an overview of topics, formats and collections. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about the newest tools for social change. Learn about our Projects and read what our users have to say.

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More people than ever are turning to The Commons Library for resources to resist, organise, and win change. Our small team is working hard to keep up; curating, creating, and sharing the knowledge movements need.

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Browse Library Topics

Bookshelf holding books about campaign strategy, tactics, lobbying, etc.

Browse Library Collections

Bookshelf holding books about campaign strategy, tactics, lobbying, etc.

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person holding tablet on their lap. On the screen it reads 'Building 21st Century movements'.

Watch

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Read

Recommended by the Commons Librarians

Text in a speech bubble reads "So, waht is dinformation?" Two human figures talking to each other surrounded by abstract shapes.

Disinformation in the Digital Age - Video Series

A short video series that breaks down how false and misleading content spreads online and what you can do about it.
Front cover of guide titled 'Streetwise & Steady Workbook for Action Peacekeepers or Event Marshals'. Text under image reads 'By Daniel Hunter and Eileen Flanagan Illustrated by Paul Garner'. Abstract Illustration of loudhailer on the ground next to an orange traffic safety cone.

Streetwise & Steady: A Workbook for Action Peacekeepers or Event Marshals

Practical guide to equip action peacekeepers or event marshals with essential skills such as de-escalation techniques, crowd coordination, and safety strategies.
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What's New in the Commons Library

See what's new in the Commons Social Change Library - making activism smarter and stronger.
A group of people in front of a big yellow circle holding a red flag, a poster and a loudspeaker.

New to Activism, Organising and Campaigning? Start Here!

A collection of resources by The Commons Social Change Library to help you learn all about activism, organising and campaigning.
Title reads '5 Tools to Decide on Your Campaign’s Next Steps'. Stick figure of a person thinking looking at sign with 5 arrows pointing in different directions. On the arrows are text that read from top to bottom '5 Tools, Campaign Clinic, Strategic Questioning, Spectrum of Allies, Creative Idea Generation, Learn from Experience'.

5 Tools to Decide on your Campaign’s Next Steps

Do you need to decide what to do next in your social change campaign? Here are 5 tools to decide on your campaign’s next steps.
Title reads 'Templates, Worksheets & Checklists for Changemakers'. An illustration of a pencil and a worksheet with tick boxes. Text reads 'Worksheet'.

Templates, Worksheets & Checklists for Changemakers

A collection of templates, worksheets and checklists for changemakers on campaign strategy & planning, tactics, organising, narrative, etc.
A diagram - The title reads 'lead with values through stories to get to the issues'. There are three triangles nested within one another. The smaller one has an icon of a heart, the 2nd middle one has an icon of a specch bubble and the third biggest one has a light bulb.

Narrative Change as an Advocacy Approach

Learn about the fundamentals of narrative-change advocacy and the merits of taking on a narrative change approach.
Title reads 'Protests Start Here'. The title is on a sign being held up by a hand. Background image in blue filter of a large group of people holding a protest on steps of a building in a street. There are highrises and trees in the background.

Protests: Start Here

A collection of resources to explore protests - why protest, do protests work, how to stay safe, how to organise a protest, etc.