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The Activist Handbook: Campaigning Guides for Activists

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Introduction

Learn how to become an activist, plan a political campaign strategy, and start a grassroots movement – all while not burning out.

The Activist Handbook is a ‘wikipedia’ style website that provides guides and resources for people to become effective activists, plan political campaign strategies, and initiate grassroots movements. It focuses on giving practical advice and tools with 450+ guides and 4000+ external resources. The guides are written by progressive, green and social activists from all over the world.

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Resources for Activists

A collection of valuable resources for protestors, campaigners and all other social change-makers:

Different Types of Activism

  • Social activism: Learn how you can take action to put social challanges on the agenda and make a change. No matter whether you want to fight poverty or stand up for queer rights, we provide you with the tools and training to organise succesful campaigns.
  • Climate activism: Stand up for climate justice by learning from environmental grassroots movements such as Fridays for Future, Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion. Learn how why protesting is effective and find a climate group to join. Or start your own initiative!
  • Political activism: Learn everything about political activism. We have guides about door-to-door canvassing, preparing election campaign strategies, crowdfunding, running as a candidate, and many other forms of civic engagement.
  • Human rights activism: Find out how to defend human rights. Read our guides on how to stand up for justice by starting a campaign to fight for democracy, equality and freedom.
  • Youth activism: We help students around the world make their voices heard. Read our guides to become more effective as a young change-maker and learn from examples of other succesful youth movements.
  • Community activism: Make a difference in your community by organising locally. We explain what a community activist is and how to become involved.

Campaigns

Example from The Activist Handbook

Campaign strategy

In this chapter, we explain what a campaign strategy is. We show various examples of different types of campaign strategies that activists use, and we provide you with workshops to help you write your own!

With a good campaign strategy, your movement or campaign makes more impact. In the articles below, we help you define what exactly the change is that you want to achieve, and what steps you need to take to get there.

Before you can start to define your strategy, you need to get a group of likeminded people together and organise yourselves. After you have defined your strategy, we recommend you to browse through our list of tactics to get inspiration.

Write your strategy

Other strategy guides

Local context

The local context across countries can impact activists trying to develop their strategy in various ways. For example, the political system, the legal framework, the media landscape, the cultural norms, and the public opinion can all affect the opportunities and challenges that activists face. Depending on the context, activists may need to adapt their goals, tactics, messages, allies, and risks. Some general examples are:

  • In a democratic country with a strong civil society and a free press, activists may have more space to voice their demands and mobilize support through peaceful protests, petitions, campaigns, and lobbying.
  • In an authoritarian country with a repressive regime and a controlled media, activists may have less space to express their dissent and may face more threats and violence. They may need to use more covert and creative ways to communicate and organize, such as encryption, art, humor, or symbolism.
  • In a country with a diverse and divided society, activists may have to deal with different and sometimes conflicting interests and identities among their potential supporters and opponents. They may need to build bridges and coalitions across different groups and sectors, and avoid alienating or polarizing others.
  • In a country with a dominant and oppressive culture, activists may have to challenge deeply ingrained norms and values that justify or normalize injustice and discrimination. They may need to raise awareness and educate people about the issues they are fighting for, and use cultural expressions and narratives that resonate with their audience.

External Resources

Creative Commons Resources

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