James is co-founder of the Change Agency and director of our Community Organising Fellowship.
What’s in your movement pantry?
In this blog, Deepa Iyer (senior adviser with Building Movement) draws an interesting parallel between stockpiling food during the pandemic and cultivating relationships, practices and frameworks to equip ourselves for action. Perhaps we’re more prepared than we...
Identifying leaders and leadership
Jane McAlevey has sharpened many organisers’ thinking about how to identify, cultivate and harness leadership. Here’s a links to an 11 minute video where McAlevey explains her thinking. This New Syndicalist blog summarises her three ‘takeaways’...
#BlackLivesMatter: How to Support Black-Owned Small Businesses
There are various ways that you can help black-owned businesses to survive COVID and to show your support for the current Black Lives Matter movement sweeping the USA – and the world. A primary way to help is to divert your spending towards Black-owned...
What do I say? A guide to language about disability
Excellent guide produced by People with Disability Australia. “Ableist language is language that is offensive to people with disability. It can also refer to language that is derogatory, abusive or negative about disability. Ableism is the systemic exclusion and...
Open sentences
Open Sentences is a structure for spontaneous expression. It helps people listen with rare receptivity as well as speak their thoughts and feelings frankly. People sit in pairs, face to face and close enough to attend to each other fully. They refrain from speaking...
Coalitions of the winning [blog]
Amanda Tattersall explores how community organisations and unions can work together: “Although we understand that most battles can’t be won by one organisation acting alone, we are missing a clear understanding of what makes coalitions successful and what makes...
Coalitions of the willing [blog]
Amanda Tattersall explores how community organisations and unions can work together: “Coalitions between unions and community organisations can be a powerful means for achieving social change and reinvigorating civil society. But not all coalitions are made...
Official Channels
Official channels are things like grievance procedures, ombudsmen and courts. They are supposed to resolve problems and provide justice. However, trust in official channels can be misplaced: in many cases they may give only an illusion of a solution. In Official...
19 must-see historic Australian peaceful protest documentaries
There’s never been a better time to brush up on our rich history of peaceful protest movements. Everyday people have protected land rights, our natural world and climate, workers rights, LGBTIQ+ rights and much more. While we bunker down during the COVID-19 pandemic,...
Resources to cope with climate anxiety and grief
As more climate change impacts are felt and people become increasingly aware of the challenging future we face it is understandable that many people are experiencing anxiety, grief and a myriad of other feelings. Holly Hammond and The Commons social change library...
Leading groups online
The coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges for facilitators and educators. Across the globe, people are being asked to lead groups online: teachers, trainers, professors, event managers, organizers, activists. Jeanne Rewa and Daniel Hunter swiftly wrote this...
Locked down? Try organizing
“We’re caring for our communities as best we can – but many of us also find ourselves stuck indoors, looking for new ways to build resilience so we can come out of this crisis into a more just and sustainable world. For some, organizing is a big part of getting...
Rethinking social change in the face of coronavirus [SSIR]
How should the social sector respond to the evolving crisis? How will nonprofits, foundations, philanthropic organizations, and social justice advocates emerge from the pandemic? What unique insight and capabilities can civil society bring to bear on the problems the...
How is the COVID-19 crisis changing the global movement landscape?
Amber French (ICNC) offers a big-picture framework for how the Covid-19 crisis is impacting activism, organizing, and civil resistance movements. The article defines four main phases to make sense of this moment and begin planning a transition to the post-Covid-19...
Evaluation implications of the coronavirus global health pandemic emergency
In this blog, Michael Quinn Paton shares observations and 15 practical suggestions for evaluators to respond to the current public health crisis. Success is likely to look very different to what we had in mind six months ago!
Don’t give up the fight digital activism in times of COVID 19
“Physical distancing doesn’t have to mean social distancing. Communities are more important than ever and physical distancing should mean getting socially actually closer.” This SOGI blog shares creative ideas and tactics including crowdfunding, flashmobs...
This is a big moment | ChangeMakers episode #27
COVID-19 has shaken the foundations of life as we know it. There is fear, but is there hope as well? This episode features three stories, about healthcare, mutual aid and green stimulus, that show people making something better out of this difficult time. Amanda...
Finding steady ground: strengthening our spirits to resist and thrive
To be in shape for the long haul, we have to get our minds and spirits ready, as well as jump into action. When we’re in bad shape, our power is diminished — we’re less creative, more reactive, and less able to plan strategically. If we intend to stay active and...