Topic

Tactics

Tactics are the exciting part of any campaign – the actions that involve people, put pressure on powerholders, and make a splash in the media. This topic includes activities to choose your tactics from a wealth of options, case studies that showcase different tactics, and the nitty gritty of organising particular actions.

low-angle photography of metal structure

Civil Resistance 2.0: 198 Nonviolent Methods Upgraded

A crowdsourced spreadsheet listing a number of digital variations of Gene Sharp’s classic 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action. Valuable inspiration for campaigns seeking new tactics!

ten dvd covers of movies about social movements struggles and leaders

Films about social movement struggles, victories and leaders

Be inspired with this list of movies and documentaries about social movement struggles, victories and leaders – Selma, Milk, Silkwood, Norma Rae, Gandhi and more.

Photo of the front cover of the Beautiful Trouble book.

Beautiful Trouble’s Guide to Activism During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Beautiful Trouble principles and creative tactics for activism while the world goes through the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes tactics for building a sense of community and continuing to pressure people in power.

Acting Up! Podcasts on 45 Years of Friends of the Earth

A 4 part podcast series from community radion station 3CR celebrating 45 years of direct action by environmental group, Friends of the Earth FOE.

How to get more petition signatures

A guide developed by ActionStation to support community members to run successful petitions, including notes on strategy, tips for getting more signatures, and example campaigns.

Ducks For Detainees Interview about artivism

An interview with Maggie Cowling from Ducks for Detainees which is a group that holds art events to maintain awareness of the plight of offshore detainees.

An image of Jesus Christ with 'Refugee' text across the image.

Items of Mass Instruction Posters, Stickers, Memes and More

Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way… memes, posters, postcards, stencils, etc.

Letterbox with YES written on it and rainbow colours in support of gay marriage rights

Changing the world via shock and beauty Visual Artworks

Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way, including placards, plaques, projections and craftivism.

30 years of Creative Resistance

’30 years of Creative Resistance’ is a compilation of writing and art celebrating the work of Friends of the Earth Australia over the last thirty years.

parents / carers and babies sitting in meeting

Family friendly organising

Here is a list of crowdsourced ideas on how to make meetings and activism more welcoming and inclusive for parents/carers and their families.

TED talk: Activism needs introverts

Sarah Corbett introduces us to “craftivism,” a quieter form of activism that uses handicrafts as a way to get people to slow down and think deeply.

TED talk: How to recover from activism burnout

When you’re feeling burned out as an activist, what’s the best way to bounce back? TED talk about creative actions – “playtivism”.

Tools for canvassing and door knocking

How-to guide on networked coalitions/campaigns. Harness the power of networks to develop more agile, dynamic and distributed campaigning coalitions.

Volunteer-led phone banking guide

Volunteer-led phone banking How to Guide from Blueprints for Change. Learn all the ins and outs of phone banking – theoretical and practical.

Texting campaigns guide

How to guide from Blueprints for Change about how use peer to peer texting (P2P) to deliver calls of action – includes best practice and case studies.

Climate Resistance Handbook Or, I was part of a climate action. Now what?

If you’re wondering how to build a powerful movement that can make big wins for climate action, then this is your guide – the Climate Resistance Handbook by Daniel Hunter from 350.org

Cover of Gene Sharp's 'The Politics of Nonviolent Action: Part Two The Methods of Nonviolent Action'

198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

Stuck in a rut when it comes to campaign tactics? Explore Gene Sharp’s 198 methods of nonviolent action which are classified into three categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, and political), and nonviolent intervention.

A group of people stand on a bridge holding large letters spelling 'Global Goals'.

Tactics analysis

A process guide to be used in training workshops and planning sessions to develop campaign strategy. Activists often love our tactics! We can even be wedded to our favourite tactics. Here’s a tool to help move from tactics to a larger strategy conversation by analysing tactics.

Photograph of a billboard advertising Winfield cigarettes. The billboard advertising reads 'Anyhow... Winfield 25s'. Graffiti has been inserted so it reads 'Anyhow buga up a Winfield 25'.

BUGA-UP

Formed in 1979, Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions (BUGA-UP) made its mark on hoardings around the nation. By revising advertising slogans and disrupting tobacco-sponsored events, the group revealed the true cost of tobacco and alcohol company deception.

Uncle Kevin Buzzacott stands in front of a large banner depicting a black hand against a red and yellow nuclear symbol.

Interview with Kevin Buzzacott

Kevin Buzzacott is a key figure in the opposition to the South Australian Olympic Dam mine and the nuclear industry in general. In this interview he outlines a number of the creative actions he has taken part in as part of a series of campaigns addressing the issues of dispossession and Aboriginal sovereignty.