Commons Librarian Archives

Digital tools to support effective meetings, training and conferences

List of digital tools activists have used to support effective meetings, training and conferences that complement and/or integrate with Zoom.

Podcasts About Decolonisation, First Nations Justice and Invasion Day

People’s History of Australia-podcast and blog looking at Australian history from the perspective of ordinary people fighting together for a better life.

Ending the Activist Year Well

After a big year of effort it’s important to take time for reflection, evaluation, team-building, celebration, and planning. These resources will help.

koala sleeping on a log with a santa hat on his head

Wondering what to give the passionate changemaker in your life… including yourself?! Pay for a training session, look after their wellbeing, support the causes they are passionate about or buy them a book.

How to deal with racism at ‘that’ awkward Christmas dinner

Casual racism at family gatherings can be tricky to navigate! These resources help you prepare how you will respond.

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.

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.

icon of Malala Yousafzai with her quote - There's a moment where you have to decide whether to be silent or stand up.

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.

collage of screenshots of 3 websites featuring data and statistics

Guide to publicly available data sources

Through research you can get to know your issues in depth, find out where people stand on those issues, and make a strong evidence-based case for change. Use these Australian publicly available data sources to strengthen and inform your research.

Books about Women & Leadership

Five books recommended by participants and convenors of Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia. This list includes comprehensive discussions about women’s leadership, practical guides, and two memoirs from inspiring women leaders.

a collage of covers of films about women and social change

Films about Women & Social Change

An inspiring list of feature films and documentaries about women and social change including Women of Steel, Suffragette, Mission Blue, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry and more.

Learn About Organising from Marshall Ganz

Marshall Ganz is a key thinker and educator in the field of community organising. This article gathers two informative videos and details of other ways to learn from Marshall Ganz.

Fundraising: Start Here

Need some fundraising help? The Commons Library has collated a list of fundraising resources for not for profits and crowdfunders.

Photograph of a hand holding a wooden picture frame, with a cliff, beach and sea showing in the backgroun. 'COVID-19' is written inside the frame.

Tracking Covid-19 Laws and Human Rights

Three websites related to Covid-19 laws, policing and human rights in Australia and internationally. The coronavirus is a threat to public health; it does not need to be a threat to civic freedom.

Australian Black Lives Matter Rallies

Articles, videos and podcasts related to Black Lives Matter & Stop Aboriginal Deaths in Custody rallies in Australia, early June 2020.

Three covers of resources on disability justice including the movie covers for Crip Camp and Defiant Lives and the podcast Disability Visibility

Disability Justice Links

A crowdsourced list of disability justice resources from Virtual Progress 2020. Includes resources from the Lessons from the Disability Justice Movement plenary and Deconstructing Ableism in Progressive Movements workshop.

Protestors in a line with one protestor kneeling on knee (in honour of George Floyd) in front of line of police at protest in street in Washington, D.C, USA

Tracking Movement Moments: #BlackLivesMatter Case Study

Documenting and amplifying police brutality has been a crucial aspect of the Black Lives Matter movement, including during the May-June 2020 protests. These resources include examples of how people are documenting BLM as well as links to tips and articles to help you get started with documenting and archiving.

People at protest with signs saying 'black lives matter' and 'fire and jail terrorist cops #georgefloyd'

Resources About Police Violence and Racial Justice

The murder of George Floyd by police in the US has sparked a powerful response from the Black Lives Matter movement and communities of colour. The following resources give context to the US situation as well as related struggles in Australia.

Australian Aboriginal hand painting in cave in Sydney

Aboriginal Memoirs as Social Activism

Telling your own story is powerful! This article includes excerpts from papers related to Aboriginal memoir, links to four memoirs by Aboriginal Australians, and where to find more. Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings […]

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