How to organise workers in a call centre
Young workers in a call centre in Sydney join a union and become confident to advocate for their rights and create better conditions as a result.
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Looking for articles, books, case studies, tips about social change and activism? You’ve found the right place – The Commons Social Change Library.
Staying Safe: Protective Strategies for Activists
It’s important to know how to stay safe as an activist and human rights defender (HRDs). These tips are from Melbourne Activist Legal Support.
Personal sustainability for activists
Being an activist can be one of the most rewarding journeys in life, but it is important to be aware of the significant personal skills and awareness needed to avoid the pitfalls.
Know your allies, your opponents and everyone in between: The Spectrum of Allies
The Spectrum of Allies – a campaign strategy tool developed by George Lakey & Martin Oppenheimer designed to determine allies, opponents and all those in between in a campaign.
Why campaigns, not protests, get the goods
George Lakey says it’s time to retire one-off protests in favour of direct action campaigns to maximize the chance of winning victories.
Spectrum of Allies
Use a spectrum-of-allies analysis to identify the social groups (students, workers) that are affected by your issue, and locate those groups along a spectrum, from active opposition to active allies, so you can focus your efforts on shifting those groups closer to your position.
What is this thing called Activist Legal Support?
What is Activist Legal Support? Melbourne Activist Legal Support outlines the elements of legal support and why it’s crucial for activists.
How to start a direct action group to make Martin Luther King proud
George Lakey shares a ‘recipe’ on what it takes to create a thriving direct action group – wisdom built up over many years from trial and error.
What the US can learn from Scandinavia in the struggle against inequality
In this interview, George Lakey explains what lessons can be learned from how movements in Scandinavia won and secured their egalitarian economic model.
How to un-do a ‘done deal’ with Strategy and Soul
Campaign insights from Daniel Hunter’s book Strategy and Soul about how to fight a battle people think is a ‘done deal’.
4 lessons for climate organizers from the anti-nuclear movement
The anti-nuclear movement succeeded because local and national organizers understood how individual campaigns generate momentum for the movement.
Get Real about Privilege: Become an Ally
Making change means that our allies need the confidence to play different roles at different times depending on our respective needs and on the common goal.
Become the Media: IndyMedia and S11
A description of the role of alternative media in the S11 anti-globalisation protests, September 2000.
Carnival at Crown Casino S11 as Party and Protest
An exploration of the fun and pleasurable dimensions of the S11 anti-globalisation protests in Melbourne in 2000.
3 tools for advocacy evaluation
Links to useful resources in the area of advocacy, policy change, and social movement evaluation.
Top Tips for Advanced Artistic Activism
A clear concise checklist from the Creative Center for Activism of important things to remember when planning an artistic action.
The Copenhagen Experiment: Measuring the relative effectiveness of creative vs. conventional forms of activism
The Copenhagen experiment took place in Denmark in 2018 and discovered that creative activism was more effective than conventional forms of activism.
Creative activism 101: An antidote for despair
Creative troublemaking! What is creative activism? Why do we use creative tactics? What are the advantages of using cheek, shock and surprise?
Changing the World via Shock and Beauty: Visual Artworks
Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way, including placards, plaques, projections and craftivism.
Items of Mass Instruction Posters, Stickers, Memes and More
Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way… memes, posters, postcards, stencils, etc.