Introduction
The Commons Social Change Library gathers the collective wisdom of people engaged in social change and makes it available on one easy to use website. All of our educational resources are free of charge and available to everyone with internet access.
The Commons was a Community Partner for FWD+Organise 2024.
FWD+Organise 2024 was a conference that gathered community organisers and digital campaigners for two days of intensive learning at the Abbotsford Convent (Naarm/Melbourne, Australia) in December 2024. It was hosted by Australian Progress.
The Commons librarians gathered the following resources for participants at FWD+Organise 2024. Follow the links below to access each resource. Explore the Commons to find many more articles, manuals, training materials, videos, podcasts, and tips on a wide range of approaches to social change.
Resources
Start Here Guides
These guides help you navigate Commons resources so you can find what you need to power up your social change work. Topics include:
- Campaign Strategy
- Organising
- Nonviolent Direct Action
- Creative Activism
- Working in Groups
- Coalition Building
- Communications & Media
- Narrative Change
- Lobbying & Advocacy
- Activism & Campaign History
- First Nations Resistance
- Justice, Diversity & Inclusion
You can find many of these via New to Activism, Campaigning and Organising? Start Here, plus even more topic overviews and link collections.
Organising
- Organising One on One Meetings
- Scaling Organising: The Incubating and Cascading Approach
- Volunteer Movement Support Teams
- Organising Case Study: How Workers at Melbourne Uni Won Back $45 million in Stolen Wages
- Learn from Jane McAlevey: Organiser Extraordinaire
- Organising Models Mapping Project
Browse the Organising topic on the Commons.
Digital
- Digital Organising Frameworks and Models
- Toolkits for Organic Social Media
- Letter Campaigns to Australian MPs via Action Network
- AI Technologies, Campaigning and Social Change (Podcasts)
- Online Tactics: Digital Storms
- TikTok for Organising
- Digital First Aid Kit
Browse the Digital topic on the Commons.
Countering Disinformation
- How Civil Society can Counter Disinformation
- Disinformation Risk Management
- Erica Chenoweth on 5 Paths Social Movements Can Take in a Disinformation Era
- A Guide to Prebunking: A Promising Way to Inoculate Against Misinformation
- Disinformation vs Misinformation: Definitions & Types
- The Anti-Trans Disinformation Handbook
Browse the Countering Disinformation collection.
Fight the Far Right
- Organising Against the Far Right
- Statement Guide to Counter the Far-Right
- Dealing with Far-Right Interventions in Left-Wing & Progressive Movements
- Speaking Out Against Bigoted, Dehumanizing Rhetoric
- Defending Democracy with Humor & Dilemma Actions
- A Community Guide for Opposing Hate
Browse the Democracy Resource Hub collection.
Wellbeing & Collective Care
- Mental Health in the Palestine Solidarity Movement
- Climate Activism Coping Strategies: 5 Tips for Mental and Physical Health
- Body Scanning and Cultivating Somatic Awareness
- Campaign Wellbeing Bingo
- How Do We Keep Going? Activist Burnout and Personal Sustainability in Social Movements
Browse the Wellbeing topic on the Commons.
Impact Evaluation
- Campaign Monitoring and Evaluation: Measuring what matters
- Measuring Impact with Three Social Movement Strategists
- Pathways to Power
- Three Tools for Advocacy Evaluation
- Three Guides for Campaign Evaluation
- How do you measure the impact of activism and advocacy work?
Commons researcher Sophie Hartley is running a workshop on impact evaluation on the first afternoon of FWD+Organise.
FWD+Organise Resources
Explore resources from the 2019 & 2021 FWD+Organise conferences and stay tuned for 2024 content. If you would like to submit an article or share your notes let us know.
Browse Collections
The Commons Library includes collections from 40 civil society and capacity building partners. Check out:
- Australian Progress
- Global Grassroots Support Network
- Democracy Resource Hub
- Making Advocacy Accessible
- Leaderful Organizing
… and much more. Interested in building your own collection on the Commons? Schedule a 2025 meeting.
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Access Resource
Recommended Resources for FWD+Organise 2024 (PDF)
Collaborate with the Commons
We welcome partnerships and collaborative projects. Some ways we can work together:
- The Commons will be producing educational materials for young people on disinformation. We’re on the lookout for youth organisations, networks and events we can share the resources through.
- If you’re holding a conference or event the Commons librarians can support you by putting together a recommended reading list like this one and/or gathering resources at the event to share in your network and beyond.
- Become an organisational supporter to sustain the Commons and you can access resource kits, advice, and short training sessions for your team.
- Book us for a project or develop a shared funding pitch for future work together.
- Support the Commons to undertake rapid response curation in 2025 by contributing to our end of year appeal.
Contact the Commons librarians to express interest or go ahead and book a meeting with Holly Hammond, Commons Director. For more information about the Commons see the About page and latest Annual Report.