Commons Conversations Podcast: Insights into Activism

By , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Introduction

Commons Conversations is a summer series of radio programs in which campaigners shared their experiences and insights into activism, learning in movements, radical history and more. The program is broadcast by Community Radio 3CR and produced by the Commons Social Change Library. 

Thank you to all the interviewers and interviewees! We’d also liked to thank Australian Progress for their input in the early days of this project and 3CR for putting the show on the radio. Series 1 was made possible by support from the John T Reid Charitable Trusts as part of their funding for the Commons volunteer program in 2022. Series 2 was partially supported by the Alf & Meg Steel Fund of the Australian Communities Foundation and donations from the Commons Community.

Start Listening

Episodes can be listened to on:

Series 1

Episodes

Episode 1: Insights from Disability Campaigning with Elly Desmarchelier and El Gibbs

El Gibbs is a campaigner and award winning writer whose work focuses on disability and social justice issues. In this interview she and writer, speaker and disability rights advocate Elly Desmarchelier discuss their experiences of campaigning around a range of causes. They also chat about ways in which campaigns can become more effective, strategic and accessible, about learning from mistakes, and the importance of rest and fun in creating sustainable, deep and lasting change.

For more see:

Episode 2: Insights into First Nations Activism with Millie Telford and Grace Vegesana

In this episode Millie Telford is interviewed by Grace Vegesana, the Climate & Racial Justice Director for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC). Millie was active in AYCC prior to co-founding and leading Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network. She worked with Seed for ten years and has recently moved on, focusing on First Nations justice through a new role at Australian Progress. During the interview Millie discusses a range of recent shifts that have come about in Australian society through the activism of First Nations communities. She also outlines the challenges for those communities in finding and working with allies, and the way in which centering the voices of those most affected by issues works to benefit all.

For more see:

Episode 3: Insights into Learning in Movements with Laurence Cox

Commons Librarian Iain McIntyre interviews Irish activist and researcher Laurence Cox about the nature and role of learning in creating social change. Laurence has been involved in a range of movements for more than 35 years. In his day job he researches social movements and co-edits the activist/academic movement journal Interface. Alongside using reflection, learning and sharing to improve a range of practical skills Laurence discusses how various projects and organisations, including Movement Learning Catalyst, are working to help activists address broader dilemmas to do with strategy and movement building. 

For more see:

Episode 4: Lessons from AIDS Activism with Sarah Schulman 

This episode features an interview by Commons Librarian Holly Hammond with novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and historian Sarah Schulman. They discuss the nature of effective coalitions, the challenges of accurately documenting social movements, and lessons from campaigns led by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) during the 1980s and 1990s. A participant in the campaigns, Schulman’s book, Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993, is based on over 200 interviews with those involved in the fight for healthcare and justice for people living with AIDS and HIV.

For more see:

Episode 5: Insights into Communities and Climate Change with Maddy Rose Braddon

Commons Librarian Holly Hammond chats with Maddy Rose Braddon, who works as a connector and collaborator with people and networks to help them thrive in communities impacted by climate change. They reflect on the impact of climate change on Northern New South Wales, the lessons to be drawn from community led responses to disaster, and the role of local, grassroots institutions in leading recovery efforts. 

For more see:

Episode 6: Insights into the Stolen Wages Campaign with Geraldine Fela 

How did a rank and file led campaign force the University of Melbourne to hand over $31.5 million in stolen wages? To find out Commons Librarian Iain McIntyre chats with Geraldine Fela, a member of the National Tertiary Education Union and a former delegate with the University of Melbourne’s Casual Network. She discusses how a strong group, built around concerted campaigning and a culture of grassroots democracy, forced the university into conceding better conditions and paying back stolen wages.

For more see:

Episode 7: Insights into Values, Difference and Campaigning with Laura O’Connell Rapira and Holly Hammond

This episode features an interview with Laura O’Connell Rapira, the former director of Aotearoa digital campaign organization ActionStation and former executive director of movement building at the Foundation for Young Australians. In conversation with Commons Librarian Holly Hammond they discuss the importance of putting shared values at the heart of campaigning and other work, as well as the significance of contributions by youth and First Nations to social change. Laura also reflects on assisting people to work together across difference in terms of background, life experiences and approaches to social change through the creation of meeting and organizing spaces where people can show up as their full selves.

Note: There is no audio from 22:05 – 25:05 where due to copyright reasons a song has been removed.

For more see:

Series 2

Episodes

Episode 1: Insights into Indigenous Solidarity, Creativity and Social Justice with Laniyuk and Te Raukura O’Connell Rapira

A conversation between Te Raukura O’Connell Rapira and Laniyuk. They discuss a range of topics including the power of Indigenous solidarity, love of land, resistance to rainbow capitalism, and the role of creativity and emotion in achieving story sovereignty and social justice.

Te Raukura O’Connell Rapira is the Director of The Pod: Centre for Healing Justice and is from Te Ātiawa, Ngāruahine, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whakaue and Country Kerry in Ireland. Laniyuk is a Larrakia, Kungarakan, Gurindji, and French writer, visual artist and performer of poetry, speculative fiction and short memoir.

For more related to this conversation see:

Episode 2: Movement Success, Durability and Research with Professor Winnifred Louis

Hear a conversation between Sophie Hartley, climate activism researcher with the Commons Library, and Professor Winnifred Louis, director of the Social Change Lab at the University of Queensland.
Winnifred is a social psychologist whose research interests focus on the influence of identity and norms on social decision-making in contexts ranging from political activism to peace psychology to health and the environment. In this conversation she discusses findings regarding the impact of movement actions and activities along different timescales and with differing audiences as well as principles that can help campaigns to be more effective and durable.

The transcript is available to read in the following formats:

For more see:

Episode 3: Insights from Disability Campaigning with Rochelle Porteous

A conversation between Holly Hammond, Director of the Commons Library, and Rochelle Porteous, the Advocacy Manager at the Council for Intellectual Disability. Rochelle discusses some key wins and the insights she has drawn from a rich history of campaigning.

For more see:

Episode 4: Women and Leadership in the Environment Movement with Judy Lambert and Victoria McKenzie-McHarg

A conversation between Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, the strategic director of Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA), and Judy Lambert, a co-founder of WELA and an environmental activist since the early 1970s.

For more see:

Episode 5: Building Coalitions and Campaigns to Protect Forests with Jess Beckerling

In this conversation community radio broadcaster Mike Tucak interviews Jess Beckerling, campaign director of the WA Forest Alliance about her decades of experience in supporting coalition work and mobilising communities. They discuss lessons drawn from the successful campaign to end the logging of Western Australian forests, many of which can be applied to other issues.

The transcript is available to read in the following formats:

For more see:

Episode 6: Emerging AI Technologies and Campaigning with Hannah O’Rourke

Aoife Carli-Hannan, engagement officer with the Commons Library, chats with Hannah O’Rourke, co-founder of the UK based Campaign Lab and a trainer with Social Movement Technologies. They discuss the role AI technologies can play in supporting campaigners with messaging, outreach and other opportunities. They also canvas issues in regards to ethics and regulation, and ways in which activists can shape the use of technology as well as overcome its barriers and limitations.

Read the transcript (HTML). For more see:

Episode 7: Citizen Science and Big Tree Hunting with Alice Hardinge

This episode features a conversation between Emily Wood Trounce and Alice Hardinge, the acting Tasmanian campaign manager for the Wilderness Society. In it they explore the practice and value of citizen science and big tree hunting in locating and identifying threatened species. They discuss how this results in a number of valuable outcomes, including allowing conservationists to enforce existing rules regarding clearfelling while also supporting campaigns to fully end the logging of old growth forests. 

The transcript is available to read in the following formats:

Episode 8: AI, Technology and Social Transformation with Ned Howey

Aoife Carli-Hannan, engagement officer with the Commons Library, chats with Ned Howey, the co-founder of Tectonica, a movement building agency whose stated mission is “to create a seismic shift in the way politics are done, through innovations that empower social, economic, and environmental justice movements.” Alongside directly helping organizations, political parties, and unions with an array of strategic, creative and technological services the agency also created and facilitates the Tectonica Organising Network (TON). In this conversation Aoife and Ned focus on the democratic dilemmas, opportunities and challenges associated with new generative AI technologies. They discuss the potential of these tools to deepen existing biases and power imbalances but also the possibilities they create for fostering practices that can connect people to social change movements and transform our societies for the better.

Read the transcript (HTML). For more see:

Episode 9: Insights into Environmental Justice Movements in India with Radhika Jhaveri

In this episode, Radhika Jhaveri (she/her) is interviewed by Kenzie (Mackenzie) Harris (she/they), the principal coordinator for the Global Grassroots Support Network (GGSN).

In this episode environmental justice activist Radhika Jhaveri (she/her) is interviewed by Kenzie (Mackenzie) Harris (she/they, the principal coordinator for the Global Grassroots Support Network (GGSN). Radhika is the the GGSN coordinator for India, a member of the youth based collective  “Let India Breathe”, and the founder of Pantrynook- a zerowaste (plastic free) food packaging company. In the interview she discusses how the campaign to protect Aarey, a forest within the suburbs of Mumbai, brought together a coalition of urban and Indigenous communities from the mid to late 2010s. In doing so she describes how this gave rise to new ways of campaigning in India, as well as how it revealed the advantages and pitfalls involved with broad coalitions. Amongst other topics the interview also explores the importance of long term visions within social change work and ways in which current campaigns supporting Palestine are providing a lead for global solidarity more generally.

The transcript is available to read in the following formats:

For more see:

Explore Further

Share Resource

Share on LinkedIn

Topics:

Tags:

Format:


© All Rights Reserved

Contact a Commons librarian if you would like to connect with the author

Topics