Introduction
The purpose of the Democracy Resource Hub is to provide a wide range of tools and resources for anti-authoritarian and pro-democracy organizing in an easily accessible manner for trainers/facilitators, researchers, and practitioners.
The Democracy Resource Hub draws from the fields of social justice, nonviolence action, organizing, leadership, bridgebuilding, peacebuilding, and democracy strengthening. And includes…
- Democracy Resource Hub Directory An A – Z directory of organizations, networks, trainers and resource libraries from around the world that focus on social change, social movements, organizing, and peacebuilding.
- The Democracy Resource Hub Collection tools and resources from the fields of: social justice, nonviolence action, organizing, leadership, bridgebuilding, peacebuilding, and democracy strengthening.
Tools and Resources Guide
Here is a guide to help you explore resources from the Democracy Resource Hub Collection that can help you, your group, or organization find resources about….
Civil resistance, Nonviolent action, and Social Justice Organizing
Use civil resistance, nonviolent action, and social justice organizing strategy, skills, and tactics to explore and build power and mobilize people.
- Beautiful Action Trainer Modules (BATMo): Resources for Nonviolent Action Trainers
- Introduction to Campaigning and Social Movements (Online Courses) by 350.org
- Nonviolence Trainer’s Resource Manual
- How to Build Networked Coalitions
- Get in Formation: A Community Safety Toolkit
- Checklist for Non-violent Direct Action Trainings
Bridgebuilding and Peacebuilding
Employ bridgebuilding and peacebuilding approaches to develop and strengthen relationships, trust, and cohesion.
- SNAP: Synergizing Nonviolent Action and Peacebuilding An Action Guide
- Belonging: A Facilitator and Practice Guide
- Building a Resiliency Network: A Toolkit for Building Community Resilience during a Contentious Election Cycle
- Overcome Toxic Polarization: A Political Courage Challenge
- Bridge Building and Power Building: An Ecosystem Approach to Social Change
Leadership, Strategic Planning, Organizing and Organizational Development
Engage in strategic planning and reflect on where your organization sits within the larger ecosystem of social change. Build leadership and develop your organization, group, and/or network so you can be more effective and resilient in your work.
- Beautiful Action Trainer Modules (BATMo): Resources for Nonviolent Action Trainers
- Planning your First Campaign: Everyday Activism Handout Pack
- Campaign Accelerator Toolkit
- 5 tools to plan your campaign strategy
- Organizing: People, power, change
- How to Build a Team: Online Course by Marshall Ganz
Narratives and Storytelling
Integrate narratives and storytelling approaches in your work.
- Guide for Trainers about Organizing, Narrative, Campaign and Movement Building
- Public Narrative: Online Course by Marshall Ganz
- Re:Imagining Change: How to use story-based strategy to win campaigns, build movements, and change the world
- Story Based Strategy 101
- Framing Issues for Social Justice Impact: Directory of Messaging Guides
Where can I find Training?
Here is a list of some of the organizations offering training and workshops. See a full list in the Democracy Resource Hub Directory.
Social Justice & Nonviolent Action
Ayni Institute
The AYNI Institute builds trainings and community around new understandings or technologies that will bring a more balanced, reciprocal world. They provide resources for decentralized networking structures. The AYNI School runs training and online courses such as Social Movements, Movement Ecology and Leadership and Organizational Seasons.
re:power
Re:power based in the US is a team of organizers, strategists, and technologists dedicated to building a liberated multi-racial democracy. re:power exists to build a critical mass of social justice movements and their leaders who embody the ideology and practice of liberatory organizing, an organizing practice that is pro-Black and grounded in community, collective action, and abundance. They offer training and events on topics such as grassroots organizing, campaign management, storytelling, digital organizing, grassroots fundraising, data strategy and more.
On Earth Peace
On Earth Peace focuses on helping people, groups, and communities work with the discipline of “Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation” to bring about personal and societal change. They work mostly with students and young adults, online communities of peace and justice minded individuals, and churches who see justice and peace as central to their calling and ministry. They run regular training such as Tools for Organizing and Community Leadership, Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation and Facilitator Training for Standing with People of Color.
DC Peace Team
The DC Peace Team based in the US is focused on cultivating the habits of nonviolence to unleash the power of ordinary civilians and communities to resist injustice. They offer training sessions on Nonviolent Communication, Restorative Justice, Trauma Awareness, Equity and Anti Racism, Active Bystander Intervention, De-Escalation, Nonviolent Self-Defence, and Unarmed Civilian Protection. See their upcoming training sessions.
Organizing & Leadership
United Vision Project
The United Vision Project based in the United States is a nonpartisan outreach project where multiple organizations are collaborating to contact hundreds of thousands of Americans by having authentic relational conversations conducted with deep listening, empathy and dignity. The focus is on saving democracy and finding common ground. They have a National Training Hub running trainings such as How to Have Authentic Relational Conversations.
350.org
350.org is a movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all. It is building a future that’s just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis. They offer online courses using interactive activities and multimedia to teach skills you can use for organizing, movement-building, and climate change.
Momentum
Momentum is a training institute and community of movement organizers. They bring people together to learn from each other and the history of global struggles. They cover everything from our hybrid organizing model that combines structure-based organizing and mass protest, to campaigning, power-mapping, culture-building, and more. Momentum offer in person and virtual training on social movement organizing and movement strategy. They also have free training videos online.
Leading Change Network
LCN is a global community of organizers, practitioners, educators and researchers catalyzing change through the power of narratives, rooted in the pedagogy and practice of community organizing and the work of Marshall Ganz and his associates. They hold regular online events based on a collective learning experience to develop one’s capacity for community organizing, public narrative, and leadership.
Training for Change
Training for Change is a training and capacity building organization for activists and organizers. They train thousands of people each year in the United States and around the world, across issues and sectors – from campaign strategy retreats for anti-gentrification community groups, facilitation training for union leaders, to de-escalation skills for immigrant rights groups resisting deportation. They run many workshops regularly throughout the year including workshops on one on one organizing conversations, navigating uncertainty, facilitating online meetings, designing better meetings for base building and more. They also have a training tool library.
Bridgebuilding & Peacebuilding
Living Room Conversations
Living Room Conversations based in the US works to heal society by connecting people across divides – politics, age, gender, race, nationality, and more – through guided conversations proven to build understanding and transform communities. See their upcoming events.
Braver Angels
Braver Angels is a US based nonprofit dedicated to political depolarization. The organization runs workshops, debates, and other events where “red” and “blue” participants attempt to better understand one another’s positions and discover their shared values. Here are their upcoming workshops.
The Visionary Organizing Lab
The Visionary Organizing Lab is an educational laboratory that teaches an approach to change that supports individuals, students, and groups & organizations to Exist Differently. Visionary Organizing Lab’s Curriculums are for Individuals, Groups and Organizations, and Students. Their workshops, trainings, and classes teach people systems thinking, emergence thinking, transformative thinking, growth skills, and familiarize people with the components of Visionary Organizing.
Bridging Divides Initiative BDI
BDI is a non-partisan research initiative that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. They have guides and a state-by-state directory of local and national trainings. The tools and strategies that the trainings provide can help communities, local leaders, election officials, poll workers, and individuals take concrete steps to prepare for elections, public meetings, and demonstrations, especially when there is a heightened risk of political violence.
You can find more training resources in the Commons Library.
Explore Further
Democracy Resource Hub Directory
Democracy Resource Hub Collection
Explore more resources in the ever growing collection.
About the Democracy Resource Hub
The Democracy Resource Hub is supported by the 22nd Century Initiative, United Vision Idaho, the SHIFT Action Lab, and the Horizons Project. The hub sits within the Commons Social Change Library which has over 1000+ resources.
If you would like to suggest a resource for inclusion in the Democracy Resource Hub contact [email protected] or fill in this form.
Credit: The Artwork on the Democracy Resource Hub logo is by Veronika Belcheva (CC-BY-NC-SA).
Topics: Collection: Tags:
- Authoritarianism
- Bridge-building
- Civil resistance
- Democracy
- Direct action - Non violent NVDA
- Peacebuilding
- Social change
- Story_Narrative
- Tactics
- Training
- Violence - Prevention and De-escalation