Three years ago, I followed my heart to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the first U.S. Social Forum. I had attended several World Social Forums and was convinced that this new way of organizing was building social movements in a more democratic and inclusive way.
I was also part of a failed attempt to organize a social forum in Canada that hit against the shoals of national conflicts. So when I heard there was to be a U.S. Social Forum, I knew I had to go.
Field canvassing is the practice of going to every home in a particular geographic region seeking support for a particular cause, often a political one. Going door to door to gain support for a cause can be one of the most intimidating tasks that activists take on during an advocacy campaign. This PDF guide produced by the Progressive Action Network offers guidelines on how to canvas effectively.
Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution is an endlessly fascinating and unique guide to actually fighting to win. While you might ask why else would you fight if not to win then you haven't observed much of the political and social action over the past few decades.
As attention turns toward the mass student strike on the streets of Montreal, ongoing for three months, the Quebec student movement clearly exemplifies the power that activism holds to shape our collective imagination.
The student protests distant from the halls of political power in Quebec City, are largely setting the terms of political debate on moves by the Quebec government to significantly hike post-secondary tuition fees.
Activism is pretty sweet but cupcakes can only help according to baketivists. Baketivism is the simple idea that baking can be a valuable form of activism. Not only can a bake sale advocate tasty vegan food but it can also raise money to help political causes, from keeping animal shelters open to supporting campaigns.
A direct action is any activity that strives for social, political or economic change outside of accepted political channels. It can be anything from a sit-in to a march, to graffiti. Non-violent direct action is one of the most effective forms of protests activists can use within an ongoing campaign. Actions with predetermined political contexts are often much more effective than unorganized gatherings. This guide includes:
Uses of direct action
Nonviolent vs violent
Resources
Uses
Direct actions are used as:
A form of alarm (a situation has changed or an injustice has been committed and the action alerts the general public)
This massive 94 page guide produced by WPRIG is an excellent primer for an activist group who has thought about using theatre as a form of popular education but wasn't sure how. The guide is based on the experiences of WPRIG's Enviromaniacs troupe who performed skits about topics like deforestation and food politics. Though it was produced in the early nineties the practical tips and workshops remain just as useful today.
Big banks are everywhere. The banking industry has designed ways to expand their services at a huge cost to local communities, taking money out of these communities to be used by large central banks located elsewhere. The bank's local branch may be community based but the shareholders and owners all are outside of local communities. Branches extract money and send it to the central headquarters where local money is invested in big international deals that don't affect the community.
Occupying small towns isn't easy. The scale of the occupation and the issues activists want to highlight are often different from camps in larger cities. A successful occupation in rural Canada requires a few tweaks to standard organizing. Getting the message out might be the easy part - maintaining commitment and momentum with community support can be harder. But with the right approach, small towns can support all kinds of radical movements. This guide details how to
Get started
Adapt
Find resources
Get started
