Nonviolence Trainer's Resource Manual

By Pt'chang

Nonviolence training manual to support the work of people working to increase the power and effectiveness of grassroots social movements.

Contents

Introduction

This manual was produced by Pt’chang in 2005 as part of The Nonviolence Training Project. Pt’chang was an Australian Nonviolent Community Safety Group which conducted a wide range of dynamic and creative violence-prevention, peace-building and community safety initiatives. Although no longer active Pt’chang has left a valuable legacy both through people they trained and materials such as this.

Nonviolence is a very powerful weapon. Most people don’t understand the power of nonviolence and tend to be amazed by the whole idea. Those who have been involved in bringing about change and see the difference between violence and nonviolence are firmly committed to a lifetime of nonviolence, not because it is easy or because it is cowardly, but because it is an effective and very powerful way. – Cesar Chavez

Nonviolence Trainer’s Resource Manual

Welcome to the Nonviolence Training Project’s Trainers’ Resource Manual!

In different times and places, people struggling against injustice have referred to their particular method as people power (Phillipines), satyagraha (India), positive action (Ghana) and political defiance (Burma).

Throughout history, movements such as these have challenged and deposed dictators, stopped armies, undermined corporations, established basic human rights and halted entire industries, all without the use of violence.

The overall strategy and the hundreds of practical techniques that these people’s movements have used to win against seemingly overwhelming odds are sometimes referred to as nonviolence.

In the Australia-Pacific region, nonviolence has a long association with the movements for environmental protection, nuclear disarmament and international solidarity. Nonviolent tactics including strikes, boycotts, marches, sit-ins and blockades have played a central role in movements for the rights of women, workers and indigenous people.

As the history of popular struggle against injustice shows us, there here is nothing passive about nonviolence. Its use frequently involves bravery, courage and personal strength, yet its global history and widespread application indicates that it is within the reach of even the most marginalised people as a tool for change.

In the words of Australia nonviolence scholar Robert Burrowes, nonviolence is the politics of ordinary people.

One of the advantages of nonviolence is that, because it they doesn’t depend on physical strength or weapons, it can be used by almost anyone: women and men, old people and young people. Its power doesn’t come from access to external resources, but from human qualities available to all people:

courage,
creativity,
self-discipline,
co-operation,
conviction,
compassion.

When these qualities are combined with a common understanding of the political dynamics that enable nonviolence to succeed, dramatic social change occur with surprising speed.

While it is a method for change accessible to all, to succeed, nonviolence requires organisation, discipline, persistence in the face of repression and strategic application. Whether oriented towards reform or radical change, these skills can be learned and systematically applied. Since at least the middle of last century, nonviolent movements in different parts of the world have used a variety of methods to share knowledge about nonviolence. In many countries, various forms of nonviolence training have played an increasingly critical role in equipping social movements with the skills and knowledge to wage effective nonviolent struggle.

This manual aims to contribute to the body of practical on nonviolence training, and support the work of people working to increase the power and effectiveness of grassroots social movements.

Why train for nonviolence?

Nonviolence training has a role to play in all cultures because so few human institutions teach us how to deal constructively with conflict. Most often, we are taught to avoid it or leave it to the authorities. Otherwise, we are trained to use violence to meet violence. Neither of these paths are appropriate to people who wish to actively confront injustice without the use of violence.

Training for nonviolence can be an important first step in helping people to confront fear and support each other when facing police, community and institutional opposition to their activism. Research on factors influencing participation in the Australian environment movement, for instance, suggests that nonviolent direct actions are a significant entry point for people becoming involved in environmental activism. Conversely, perceived lack of skills appears to play a role in inhibiting involvement of significant proportion of new activists.

Nonviolence training also offers practical benefits to grassroots movements and activists on a number of levels, helping them to:

Increase the commitment level of activists by developing their understanding of and confidence in nonviolent methods
Gain consensus on effective and ineffective behaviours during nonviolent actions
Ensure activists are aware of the personal risks associated with participation, and allow discussion of fears
Give activists the opportunity to experience the physical and psychological challenges of nonviolent action through games, exercises and role-plays
Teach practical skills, such as body language, voice control and nonviolent communication

Providing nonviolence training for both new and experienced activists should be seen as an important and integral aspect of any overall campaign strategy that employs protests, rallies or direct action, or that seeks to utilise the dynamics of nonviolence.

How to use this Manual

The Trainers’ Resource Manual is a collection of training tools that can be used to assemble workshops to match the needs, experience and availability of groups working for social change.

Chapter 1 begins with an historical overview of nonviolence training. We then explore some of the ideas about learning that have influenced the methodology of nonviolence trainers and provide an introduction to some of tools and procedures that can be used to deliver inspiring and empowering workshops. We have also included sample agendas for workshops of varying lengths, which can be used as is or adapted as needed.

The organisation of the rest of the manual comes from a framework for nonviolence training that was developed by members of the Nonviolence Training Project Working Group prior to the Nonviolence Skillshare for Trainers. The content areas within this framework are:

Defining nonviolence,
Power and conflict,
Learning from other movements,
Strategic Frameworks,
Nonviolence and communication,
Working in groups and
Preparing for nonviolent action.

More than 50 training tools have been collected and categorised according to the framework; these can be used to construct training agendas of varying length and focus. Each of the following chapters features a brief introduction to the relevant content area and outlines potential uses of the tools in each category. While some of these tools are old favourites that have been used in various forms for decades, others are so new that they should be considered works in progress!

In the exercises themselves, you will find objectives, an overview of the content, recommendations for time, materials and number of trainers, notes on preparation and delivery of the exercise, and occasionally some notes on suggested alternative ways of conducting the exercise. An explanation of the format for the exercises which is also the recommended format for exercises that others may wish to contribute to the manual can be found at the start of the manual. Finally, in the appendices to the manual, you will find a collection of games that can be used in training to build trust, break the ice, focus the group (or just help people get comfortable feeling a bit silly with each other!), plus a collection of campaign case studies.

The story of nonviolence training, then, is essentially the story of how ordinary people have learned for themselves and from each other; experimenting, copying and adapting. – pg 19