Books to Read About Social Change in 2021
Looking for some inspiring reading for 2021 for yourself or as a gift? Here is a list of books on activism and organising to get you thinking.
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Top 10 resources of 2020
The top 10 resources of 2020 from The Commons Social Change Library featuring resources on organising, activism, campaigning and more.
The Commons Library 2021 Calendar
Details of the images, dates and quotes for each month of the Commons 2021 Calendar.
Digital Campaigning: Start Here
Digital campaigning leverages technology to create change through emails, petitions, and platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and more. Here is a list of resources to get you started.
Frame the Debate: Insights from Don’t Think of an Elephant!
An introduction to the concept of framing, drawing on George Lakoff’s book Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate.
Om gaia dudes: The North East Forest Alliance’s old-growth forest campaign
This book chapter by Aidan Ricketts is about the key moments and positive sides of the old forest growth campaign in northern NSW in the 1990s.
A Preface to Advocacy: What You Should Know as an Advocate
Practical tips from experienced advocates. Collated by Erin Gilmer to empower any person entering the advocacy space to have the knowledge they need to make the biggest impact.
The State of Digital Organising in Europe 2020
Research from surveys & interviews (over 1000 organisations) on the state of digital organising and online campaigns/activism across Europe.
The Path of Most Resistance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Nonviolent Campaigns
The Path of Most Resistance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Nonviolent Campaigns by Ivan Marovic is a practical guide for activists and organizers of all levels, who wish to grow their resistance activities into a more strategic, fixed-term campaign.
ChangeMakers Organising School – Online Course
ChangeMakers Organising School – Training (videos and slides) to connect and deepen knowledge to organise for social change.
ChangeMakers Organising School – Season Three
ChangeMakers Organising School – Training (videos and slides) to connect and deepen knowledge to organise for social change.
Stories of Unemployed Activism from Radical Melbourne: 1906-1982
Introduction Four stories about actions – demonstrations, pickets, eviction resistance and occupations – that the unemployed people of Melbourne carried out from 1906 to 1982. These stories come from the Radical Melbourne 1 & 2 books by Jeff and Jill Sparrow, published by Vulgar Press in 2001 and 2004. The books feature dozens of stories […]
US Election Resources
A working document to gather links relevant to the US election for participants in social movements. These materials are mainly gathered for an Australian audience but may be useful to people other places.
Environmental Blockading in Australia and Around the World – Timeline 1974-1997
A timeline of blockades against logging, development, mining in Australia and around the world from the seventies to the nineties.
Reset Recommended Reading – October 2020
How do we keep fighting for a better future? Part of it is reflecting, inquiring and generating new ideas. Here are a list of resources to get you thinking.
Digital Security Guide for Everyone
This comprehensive digital security guide is designed for beginners with the aim of increasing security across the activist community.
Just get on with it: Talking about climate change and economics
This guide is designed to provide practical advice about how to effectively talk about climate change during a global pandemic and recession. It’s based on the findings of an extensive research project.
Inspiring quotes from women leaders and activists
Over 40 quotes by inspiring women leaders and activists from Australia and around the world about leadership, diversity and the environment.
Organising: Start Here
Organising builds people power for change. Here is a list of resources to get you started including introductions, different approaches, manuals, tactics, videos and more.
Campaign Research 101
An introduction to the basics of campaign research for social change advocates. Campaign research helps you get the right message, in the right format, delivered by the right messengers, to the right audience through the right channels.