Commons Volunteer Librarian Archives

Image of a three hands, all with dark-brown skin. One is a small hand with fingers spread out onto a yellow, red, and black painting from hand-stencils; the others are gently holding and spraying yellow paint onto the first hand, respectively.

Prefigurative Politics in Practice

The concept of prefigurative practices can help us identify and cultivate the many forms of activism that help to open up the space of possibilities from within which we can co-create better futures.

birds eye view of desk with office paraphernalia including phones, laptops, etc.

Working in Groups: Start Here

A guide from The Commons Social Change Library with collated resources to help groups work together better.

Legal Guides for Activists about Protests

A collection of legal guides and resources for activists about protesting in Australia

Justice, Diversity & Inclusion: Start Here

Find a comprehensive list of resources from The Commons Social Change Library on diversity, inclusion and solidarity in social movements.

Painting of bell hooks with her face purposeful and compassionate, resting her chin on her hand. Her hair is an afro over which text is written in white capital letters" "“The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. That action is testimony as the practice of freedom.”

bell hooks – Ideas for Social Justice

bell hooks’ ideas have resonated widely. This resource-set focuses on her contributions to three key concepts in social justice movements: understanding intersecting structures of power; practising love, as a verb, as a pathway to justice; and the transformative power of teaching/learning as activism.

Cell Phones for Collective Action

Inspiring talk by Koketso Moeti, a South African activist & founder of the digital engagement platform and advocacy organisation amandla.mobi.

Fast and First: Shifting Narratives through Rapid Response Media Campaigning

Tips on how to run a rapid response media campaign and sustain momentum beyond the immediate media moment.

Tech Tricks and Trends for Your Pandemic Election Campaign

Sorcha Rochford on how NationBuilder supported customers in running an election campaign and a nonprofit in the midst of the pandemic, with practical takeaways you can apply in the lead up to our next federal election.

Coalition Building: Start Here

A guide to Coalition Building resources in the Commons Social Change Library including frameworks, training sessions, podcasts, and case studies.

close up of Australian Aboriginal flag being carried by protestors

First Nations Resources: Start Here

A guide to First Nations campaigning and activist resources in the Commons Social Change Library including stories and perspectives.

Three friends of varying genders taking a selfie in a park with a polaroid camera

Quotes from Beyond the Gender Binary

Quotes which draw on contemporary experiences of living beyond the gender binary to inspire collective action, resistance and solidarity.

Writing Engaging Articles

A list of tips on how to write engaging articles from The Commons Social Change Library. Engage with topic, structure, tone and formatting.

Cover of the booklet We Will Not Cancel Us. The cover is bright pink with black text.

Book Review: We Will Not Cancel Us

Review of the booklet We Will Not Cancel Us – And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice by adrienne maree brown. Discusses transformative justice approaches as an alternative accountability measure to ‘canceling’ individual harm-doers.

A large daffodil grows out of a concrete block. The block is a prison cell with metal bars. The daffodil's stem, leaves and roots are breaking through the block and causing cracks. Text reads: Imagining long-term solutions to violence, including sexual harassment, is part of a larger abolitionist project to foster community-wide changes instead of distributing individual punishments.

Transformative Approaches to Conflict Resolution

This article introduces some of the key concepts of transformative justice and provides links to a wide array of resources. Transformative justice describes a systems approach to identifying root causes of conflict and responding to these as a community.

Author