Guidelines and Strategies for Execution
Empowering Social Change Activists: A Comprehensive Guide to Training and Planning Resources
In the midst of social and environmental challenges, activists worldwide are seeking tools to effectively strategize, build power, navigate conflicts, and tell compelling narratives for movement building. Here's a roundup of recommended resources to support activists in their quest for change.
The Commons has curated an extensive collection of training materials, categorised under various areas such as campaign strategy, power, narrative and storytelling, conflict, and more. One such resource is PeoplesHub, offering experiential online trainings focused on transformative social change with an emphasis on community care, power frameworks, facilitation skills, and justice-oriented design.
For communication and narrative development, the Activist Handbook is a valuable resource, providing extensive guides on communication strategy, messaging, and outreach tools like social media, crisis communication, press relations, and content creation (videos, photos, livestream).
Drawing inspiration from historical organizing approaches, the SNCC Organizing Tradition Toolkit helps activists develop long-term campaign strategies through primary source documentation and exercises that focus on grassroots leadership, power analysis, and community engagement.
Leadership Institute Trainings offer a variety of on-demand workshops relevant to campaigns, including social media strategy, fundraising, video editing, get-out-the-vote planning, and political persuasion. These practical resources include technology use and message discipline.
Activists seeking guidance for leadership development may find Empowering Leaderful Organizing: Competencies & Tools and The Empowerment Manual particularly useful. Additionally, re:power and The Organizing Center provide resources for grassroots organizing, while 350 Trainings and The Powershift Resource Bank focus on climate change activism.
For political organizing, Momentum and the Ella Baker School offer resources, and the Sunrise Movement Master Training Website caters to climate justice activism. The Bridging & Breaking Curriculum from the Othering and Belonging Institute, Berkley, addresses issues of othering and belonging in organizing efforts.
Online facilitation resources include Session Lab, which provides a library of facilitation techniques, and Leading Groups Online, a book offering insights on leading groups in an online context.
Training for Change Tools and Global Organizing and Leadership Development GOLD offer interactive, self-paced mini courses on organizing, while PowerLabs focuses on movement building. The Art and Craft of Training Workshop Design serves as a resource for workshop design, and The Learning Zone Model is a valuable resource for learning and development.
It's essential to acknowledge the source and respect any licenses when using materials from The Commons, and additional training tools and resources can be found from other organizations like Social Movement Technologies.
Remember, learning, reflecting on action, and preparing for the future are key elements in any social change project. As you embark on your journey, let these resources serve as a compass, guiding you towards effective and transformative social change.
- Activists can utilize checklists, templates, and worksheets from The Commons, which includes resources on campaign strategy, power, narrative, conflict, and more, to facilitate effective social change.
- PeoplesHub, a resource from The Commons, offers online trainings centered on transformative social change, emphasizing community care, power frameworks, facilitation skills, and justice-oriented design.
- The Activist Handbook is a valuable resource for communication and narrative development, providing extensive guides on communication strategy, messaging, and tools like social media, crisis communication, press relations, and content creation.
- The SNCC Organizing Tradition Toolkit, drawing inspiration from historical organizing approaches, helps activate grassroots leadership, power analysis, and community engagement for long-term campaign strategies.
- Leadership Institute Trainings offer practical resources for campaigns, including social media strategy, fundraising, video editing, get-out-the-vote planning, and political persuasion, while Empowering Leaderful Organizing, The Empowerment Manual, re:power, The Organizing Center, 350 Trainings, and The Powershift Resource Bank focus on leadership development and climate change activism.
