SOUTHERN BEYOND SURVIVAL

SOUTHERN BEYOND SURVIVAL

SOUTHERN BEYOND SURVIVAL

Community Organizing

Organización Comunitaria

MÁS ALLÁ DE LA SOBREVIVENCIA

SUREÑX

Tech Setup

Introduce yourselves in the chat.

Name, Pronouns, Location (Occupied Territory) https://native-land.ca/

and one type of food that would guarantee good turn-out at a meeting or event in your community.

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Presentaciones en el chat: Nombre, pronombres, ubicación (territorio ocupado) https://native-land.ca/

y un tipo de comida que garantice una buena participación en una reunión o evento en su comunidad

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System—it’s only a bit larger than the Moon

Strategic Goal & Orientation

Strengthen solidarity economy efforts throughout the South made in response to COVID

Intervene in the “return to normal” being pushed by the state and capital

by building Southern people's power to resist exploitation and �build alternatives to domination economy – RESIST & BUILD & HEAL

Strengthen

“Solidarity Economy” (SE)

in the South

EJP

MOF

SES Network

post-capitalist alternatives

+

grassroots governing power

Empower Southern people to resist exploitation and extraction while building the relationships, infrastructure, alternatives to meed our needs

RESIST & BUILD

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Creating participatory governance interventions to facilitate building grassroots policy and capacity for electoral victories

Grassroots governing power in the South

Through PMA

participatory democracy + people power

We aim to abolish white supremacist capitalist patriarchy and all related forms of domination, marginalization, exploitation, and harm that prevent Southern people from meeting their needs through collective self-determination

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THREADS 2022

Weaving 90 Years of Resistance

Southern Beyond Survival:

• Power, Oppression, Collective Liberation
• Community Organizing
• From Racial Capitalism to Solidarity Economy
• Community Governance
• Thriving Groups

Methodologies Workshops

• Popular Education
• Cultural Organizing
• Intergenerational Organizing
• Land, Legacy, and Place
• Language Justice
• Participatory Action Research

Our Facilitators

David Ferris �(name only)

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Denzel Caldwell (he-him-his)

April Taylor

(she-her-hers)

Ayana Clemmons

(she/her)

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Agreements

WHOLE GROUP

• Say your name and pronouns before speaking and describe yourself the first time you speak
• One mic or speak one at a time
• Loving speech
• Pause before speaking
• Equalize power relationships
• Balance good listening with sharing openly
• Any challenges? Leave the breakout room

• We agree to share the slides, materials
• Center Southern and marginalized voices and experiences
• Participate fully (as if our liberation is at stake!)
• Everyone is a teacher and a learner
• Self care, community care
• Go with the flow, expect non-closure

SMALL GROUPS

Community Organizing is �when people directly impacted by an issue or problem get together and take collective action to make tangible changes in their community and lives

Power

“To us power is, first of all, the ability to define phenomena, and secondly, the ability to make these phenomena act in a desired manner.”

• Huey Newton

Why do we organize?

To make tangible, material changes in peoples lives

Nurture the kind of community we want to live in

Demonstrate our power to challenge the systems and institutions causing harm, hold leaders accountable, and get our needs and demands met

Change policies and practices of government and institutions to be more in line with our values and vision

Create our own solutions to the problems we face

Build alternatives to the domination economy and politics (solidarity economies and community governance)

POPULAR EDUCATION SPIRAL

Step 1: Start with the experience of participants

Step 2: Look for Patterns

Step 3: Add new information

A Shifting Context…

The political and social terrain has shifted dramatically in the last decade and especially the last 6 years.

What big changes have impacted your communities and your organizing? Let’s name some of these big shifts.

Drop one or a few in the chat.

Big Shifts

The Great Resignation

not being able to meet in person

COVID-19 / Pandemic

Climate Change (hurricanes, fires, earthquakes)

Virtual programming - expanding our reach

Anti-protest bills, criminalization of protest

Increased cost of housing�Donald Trump

Political move to make voting more difficult

Police violence getting broader attention

Militarization of policing

Backlash to raising issues of racial justice

People migrating to and buying up property in our neighborhoods

War

Rise of anti-Asian hate crimes

Need for nuclear disarmament

Technology

Isolation

Resurgence of the far right

Inflation

White privilege in community and organizing

Rise of anti Semitism and islamophobia

Religious extremism in the US

Social justice topics becoming trendy in some ways and not in others

Neoliberal economy

A Shifting Context…

15 minute Small Group Discussions

Pick a facilitator, notetaker, and someone to report back. Discuss:

• How have these larger shifts changed how you organize in your communities? What new, recurring, or exacerbated roadblocks are y’all facing?
• Amidst these changes: What do you come back to? What has remained true? What principles or values ground and center you in your organizing?

Write a few words & themes from in the section provided for your group’s number in the google slide deck.

How have these larger shifts changed how y’all organize? What new, recurring, or exacerbated roadblocks are y’all facing?

What do you come back to? What has remained true? What principles or values ground and center you in your organizing?

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¿Cómo han cambiado estos grandes cambios la forma de organizarse? ¿A qué obstáculos nuevos, recurrentes o exacerbados se enfrentan?

¿A qué vuelven? ¿Qué es lo que ha permanecido fiel? ¿Qué principios o valores te fundamentan y centran en tu organización?

How have these larger shifts changed how y’all organize? What new, recurring, or exacerbated roadblocks are y’all facing?

What do you come back to? What has remained true? What principles or values ground and center you in your organizing?

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¿Cómo han cambiado estos grandes cambios la forma de organizarse? ¿A qué obstáculos nuevos, recurrentes o exacerbados se enfrentan?

¿A qué vuelven? ¿Qué es lo que ha permanecido fiel? ¿Qué principios o valores te fundamentan y centran en tu organización?

How have these larger shifts changed how y’all organize? What new, recurring, or exacerbated roadblocks are y’all facing?

What do you come back to? What has remained true? What principles or values ground and center you in your organizing?

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¿Cómo han cambiado estos grandes cambios la forma de organizarse? ¿A qué obstáculos nuevos, recurrentes o exacerbados se enfrentan?

¿A qué vuelven? ¿Qué es lo que ha permanecido fiel? ¿Qué principios o valores te fundamentan y centran en tu organización?

How have these larger shifts changed how y’all organize? What new, recurring, or exacerbated roadblocks are y’all facing?

What do you come back to? What has remained true? What principles or values ground and center you in your organizing?

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¿Cómo han cambiado estos grandes cambios la forma de organizarse? ¿A qué obstáculos nuevos, recurrentes o exacerbados se enfrentan?

¿A qué vuelven? ¿Qué es lo que ha permanecido fiel? ¿Qué principios o valores te fundamentan y centran en tu organización?

Jemez Principles

of democratic organizing

1. Be inclusive in decision-making, strategy-building, resource distribution, and ownership
2. Emphasis on Bottom-Up Organizing, basebuilding and leadership development
3. Let People Speak for Themselves and be responsible to those most directly affected
4. Work Together In Solidarity and Mutuality and incorporate the goals and values of the collective into your own work
5. Build Just Relationships Among Ourselves
6. Commitment to Self-Transformation and embodying our values

THREE ASPECTS (for today)

Community Building

(the call, start with experience of participants)

Investigate, Educate

(look for patterns, add info)

Collective Action

(practice skills, prepare for action, reflection)

Everything Else!

negotiations, coalitions, healing, unlearning oppression, etc.

1

2

3

POPULAR EDUCATION SPIRAL

Step 1: Start with the experience of participants

Step 2: Look for Patterns

Step 3: Add new information

Small Group #2 Breakouts

Rename yourself to choose your group. Put these numbers IN FRONT of your name to join the appropriate topic and language.

Small Group #2 Instructions

Pick a facilitator, notetaker, someone to report back. Take turns reading the tactics aloud for your group. Then discuss:

• What have you done? What’s worked? And What are you inspired to try?
• What’s your group’s “recipe” for your area of organizing? What’s needed?

Write the ingredients, amounts, and steps on the slide provided for your group number.

Elige a un facilitador, a un anotador, a alguien que te informe. Lean por turnos las tácticas en voz alta en su grupo. A continuación, discutan:

¿Qué has hecho? ¿Qué ha funcionado? ¿Y qué te inspira a probar?

¿Cuál es “la receta” de tu grupo para tu zona? ¿Qué se necesita?

Escribe los ingredientes, las cantidades y los pasos en la diapositiva correspondiente a tu número de grupo.

Instrucciones para grupos pequeños 2

Note your Group Number!

Anote su nuevo número de grupo.

Community Building

(the call, start with experience of participants)

Groups 1-4

Fortalecimiento de la comunidad

(la invitación, comienza con la experiencia de los participantes)

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Community Building / Fortalecimiento de la comunidad

Basebuilding - We organize people into organizations to build power to make the changes we want to see. Bringing people into organizations is called basebuilding. What got you to join a group? What got you to stay a member? What were the reasons you left? Basebuilding can look like canvassing or going door to door to meet people and listen to their concerns, mapping the relationships in your community, or phone banking to call and text people to encourage them to join or take action. It can also look like potlucks and community events where people build relationships and connection with the mission of the organization.

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Cultural Organizing - celebrates and honors people’s spiritual traditions and cultural expression in the work to shift policies and practices. Cultural organizing connects cultural and creative practices and organizing techniques. It creates space for us to celebrate and share our full selves and to experience the joy and healing we envision for our futures. This can look like potlucks, food drives, participatory theater, festivals, parades, and ancestral rituals. Most powerful when grounded in spirit and wellness, artistic creation and healing is used to shift policy and practice. See Highlander Methodologies One-pagers English & Spanish - includes Cultural Organizing; Cultural Organizing Triad

Developing Group Vision & Values

Our movements and our organizations are held together by shared values and visions. Our values are what doesn’t change, what we come back to and remember despite forward movement or setbacks. Our vision is the clarity we bring to the kind of society, relationships, community we want and know is possible. When we articulate our vision and values together, we have the difficult but necessary conversations about who we are, where we are going, and how we get there. Empower a facilitator to guide your group through this conversation. Give yourselves plenty of time and grace to find what values and vision you truly have in common. Come back to these at every meeting or event.

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Community Building / Fortalecimiento de la comunidad

People’s Movement Assemblies (PMAs)

Social Movements throughout history and around the world have used assemblies to practice people power, self-determination, and community governance. Assemblies are different depending on the group, the purpose, and the function. Generally, PMAs are used to to gather people affected by injustice, analyze what is happening in communities, and create collective plans of actions to address those conditions. The assembly collectively answers: What are the problems we face? What are the solutions? What are we going to do about it? It is inclusive, not exclusive; a convergence of forces. PMAs bring all the voices together in a circular fashion to engage the thinking, experiences, and visions of all the participants in order to synthesize and collectively agree on action steps. Assemblies can be used to foster community governance, frontline convergence, and/or movement governance. See the People’s Movement Assembly Handbook, Planning Worksheet, and Agenda Template.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict happens in all our communities and can tear apart our organizations and movements. Conflict resolution is about building skills to handle and resolve conflict in healthy ways that restore relationships and connections, meet our needs, “grow each of us, and create more possibilities for what we can do together.”* Alternative forms of accountability, like restorative and transformative justice, also help us avoid further harm from state violence. Principled Struggle, as N’Tanya Lee of Left Roots says, is where we struggle for the sake of building deeper unity, we are honest and direct while holding compassion, we each take responsibility for our own feelings and actions, we seek deeper understanding first, and we acknowledge that a meeting or group may or may not be the container to hold what we bring.

Community Building / Fortalecimiento de la comunidad

Construir la base - Organizamos la gente hacia adentro de las organizaciones para construir el poder para realizar los cambios que queremos ver. Reunir a la gente en organizaciones se llama construcción de bases. ¿Qué te impulsó unirte a un grupo? ¿Qué te hizo seguir siendo miembrx? ¿Cuáles fueron las razones por las que te fuiste? La construcción de bases puede consistir en tocar puerta en puerta para conocer a la gente y escuchar sus inquietudes, en trazar un mapa de las relaciones en tu comunidad, o en llamar y enviar mensajes de texto a la gente para animarla a unirse o a actuar. También puede consistir en reuniones con comida de traje y eventos comunitarios en los que la gente se relaciona y conecta con la misión de la organización.

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Organización Cultural - celebra y honra las tradiciones espirituales y la expresión cultural de la gente en el trabajo para cambiar las políticas y las prácticas. La organización cultural conecta las prácticas culturales y creativas con las técnicas de organización comunitaria. Crea un espacio para que celebremos y compartamos nuestro yo pleno y experimentemos la alegría y la sanación que imaginamos para nuestro futuro. Esto puede ser con comidas de traje, despensas de alimentos, teatro participativo, festivales, desfiles y rituales ancestrales. La creación artística y la sanación se utilizan para cambiar la política y la práctica y son más poderosas cuando se basan en el espíritu y el bienestar.

Desarrollar la visión y los valores del grupo - Nuestros movimientos y nuestras organizaciones se mantienen unidos por valores y visiones compartidas. Nuestros valores son lo que no cambia, a lo que volvemos y recordamos a pesar de los avances o los dificultades. Nuestra visión es la claridad que aportamos al tipo de sociedad, relaciones y comunidad que queremos y sabemos que es posible. Cuando articulamos juntxs nuestra visión y nuestros valores, mantenemos las difíciles pero necesarias conversaciones sobre quiénes somos, a dónde vamos y cómo llegamos. Encarga a unx facilitadorx que guíe a tu grupo en esta conversación. Dense mucho tiempo y paciencia para encontrar los valores y la visión que realmente tienen en común. Vuelvan a ellos en cada reunión o evento.

Community Building / Fortalecimiento de la comunidad

Asambleas del Movimiento Popular (PMAs)

A lo largo de la historia y en todo el mundo, los movimientos sociales han utilizado las asambleas para poner en práctica el poder popular, la autodeterminación y la gobernanza comunitaria. Las asambleas son diferentes según el grupo, el propósito y la función. Por lo general, las APM se utilizan para reunir a las personas afectadas por la injusticia, analizar lo que ocurre en las comunidades y crear planes de acción colectivos para hacer frente a esas condiciones. La asamblea responde colectivamente: ¿Cuáles son los problemas a los que nos enfrentamos? ¿Cuáles son las soluciones? ¿Qué vamos a hacer al respecto? Es inclusiva, no excluyente; una convergencia de fuerzas. Las asambleas reúnen todas las voces de forma circular para involucrar el pensamiento, las experiencias y las visiones de todxs lxs participantes con el fin de sintetizar y acordarse colectivamente sobre los pasos de acción. Las asambleas pueden utilizarse para promover la gobernanza comunitaria, la convergencia de la primera línea y/o la gobernanza del movimiento. Consulte el "Manual de la Asamblea del Movimiento Popular", la hoja de trabajo de planificación y la plantilla de agenda.

Resolución de Conflictos

Los conflictos ocurren en todas nuestras comunidades y pueden desgarrar nuestras organizaciones y movimientos. La resolución de conflictos consiste en desarrollar habilidades para manejar y resolver los conflictos de forma saludable que restablezcan las relaciones y las conexiones, satisfagan nuestras necesidades, "hagan crecer a cada uno de nosotrxs y creen más posibilidades para lo que podemos hacer juntxs "* Las formas alternativas de rendición de cuentas, como la justicia restaurativa y transformadora, también nos ayudan a evitar más daños de la violencia estatal. La lucha con principios, como dice N'Tanya Lee, de Left Roots, es aquella en la que luchamos por construir una unidad más profunda, somos honestxs y directxs a la vez que mantenemos la compasión, cada unx asume la responsabilidad de sus propios sentimientos y acciones, buscamos primero una comprensión más profunda y reconocemos que una reunión o un grupo puede o no ser el contenedor para lo que traemos.

Community Building / Fortalecimiento de la comunidad - Room 2

Community Building / Fortalecimiento de la comunidad

Investigate, Educate

(look for patterns, add info)

Groups 5-8

Investigar, educar

(buscar patrones, añadir información)

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Investigate, Educate / Investigar, Educar

Needs, Assets, Issue Assessments

Starting with a needs and assets assessment can help us better understand what needs we can meet with existing resources, as well as what needs we want to organize around. Issue assessments (like the problem tree) help us understand the underlying root causes of the issues that matter.

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Community Mapping

Community mapping is a process that helps people collect their knowledge of their community and create a visual map or graphic. We use the community mapping process to bring together what we collectively already know, and then to deepen our understanding of our communities by learning about areas we have been kept in the dark about. We use a community mapping process in our Economics and Governance curriculum. Beginning Questions: Where and with what institutions do you see issues playing out in your community? Who are the directly impacted people who should be leading the work of transformation? Where do they live, work, and gather? Where are the places that make our community unwell? Where do people work, go to school, and gather in your community? Where do people go to celebrate culture and heal? See this Community Mapping Worksheet.

Participatory Action Research

Participatory Action Research recognizes information as power. It is a collective process where people investigate a specific issue or question to inform organizing, strategy and solutions. Research is a part of popular education and organizing - people want to change something and need to research to find the best strategies and solutions. A PAR process engages communities in identifying the problems they face and what information is needed, determining a process to find that information, and deciding how that information will be used toward action. Some common participatory research methods include: conversations, surveys, interviews, meetings, art, oral histories, storytelling, community timeline activities, accessing government agencies and records, working with research librarians at public libraries, meeting with public officials, and using online resources. Research findings should be broadly accessible and understandable to communities, so they can use it to plan appropriate strategies, actions, and solutions.

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Investigate, Educate / Investigar, Educar

Power analysis

A process used to evaluate the power of your target and other important players (allies and opponents) in comparison to your group’s power. This includes conducting an analysis of where you and your target are vulnerable, the position and power of key supporters and opponents, and opportunities for changing the balance of force. “Power never takes a step back, except in the face of more power,” Malcolm X. SCOPE Power Analysis Grid

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Collective Goal Setting

Collectively clarifying our goals is an important part of building organizations for the long haul that is rooted in the experience and leadership of folks most affected. What are our goals? Goals are always concrete improvements in people’s lives. (Goals can sometimes be framed as demands, but remember demands have a specific target and an ask.) This goes beyond clarifying our vision and values to name specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound things we want to see. It helps to name long-term goals (5+ years), then the medium-term goals that would make those long -term goals possible (1-5 years), and finally short term goals that can get you to the medium term goals (less than 1 year).

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Campaign Planning

This step brings together a bunch of the other tactics to make a practical plan to demonstrate people power, attract support, and ultimately change policies and practices. A successful campaign has three phases. Phase one happens before going public. Campaign planning is part of phase one. Phase two is going public and putting increasing, escalating pressure on decision-makers to move them to support your agenda. Phase three is reflecting and preparing for the next campaign or action. Campaign planning involves: Clarifying your vision and goals (see above and left); assessing your community and organizational assets and needs (see above); power analysis (see left). It also involves building a strategy based on these assessments. How will you show power to the target(s) so s/he/they will concede to your demands/goals? As Frederick Douglass said, “power concedes nothing without a demand.”

Investigate, Educate / Investigar, Educar

Evaluación de los temas, las necesidades, y los recursos

Empezar con una evaluación de necesidades y recursos puede ayudarnos a comprender mejor qué necesidades podemos satisfacer con los recursos existentes, así como cuales necesidades tenemos organizarnos para enfrentar. Las evaluaciones de temas (como el árbol de problemas) nos ayudan a entender las causas subyacentes de los problemas que importan.

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Mapeo Comunitario

El mapeo comunitario es un proceso que ayuda a las personas a recopilar sus conocimientos sobre su comunidad y crear un mapa o gráfico visual. Utilizamos el proceso de elaboración de mapas comunitarios para reunir todo lo que ya sabemos colectivamente y, a continuación, para profundizar en el conocimiento de nuestras comunidades aprendiendo sobre las áreas que nos han sido ocultadas. Utilizamos el proceso de elaboración de mapas comunitarios en nuestro currículo de Economía y Gobernanza. Preguntas iniciales: ¿Dónde y con qué instituciones ves que se desarrollan los problemas en tu comunidad? ¿Quiénes son las personas directamente afectadas que deberían liderar el trabajo de transformación? ¿Dónde viven, trabajan y se reúnen? ¿Dónde están los lugares que provocan malestar en nuestra comunidad? ¿Dónde trabajan, van a la escuela y se reúnen las personas en tu comunidad? ¿Dónde va la gente a celebrar la cultura y a sanarse? Consulta esta hoja de trabajo para mapear la comunidad.

Investigación de Acción Participativa

La investigación de acción participativa reconoce que la información es el poder. Es un proceso colectivo en el que las personas investigan un tema o una cuestión específica para informar como se organizan, su estrategia y las soluciones. La investigación forma parte de la educación popular y la organización: la gente quiere cambiar algo y necesita investigar para encontrar las mejores estrategias y soluciones. Un proceso de IAP involucra a las comunidades en la identificación de los problemas a los que se enfrentan y la información que necesitan, determinando un proceso para encontrar esa información y decidiendo cómo se utilizará esa información para tomar acción. Algunos métodos comunes de investigación participativa son: conversaciones, encuestas, entrevistas, reuniones, arte, historias orales, narración de cuentos, actividades de cronología comunitaria, acceder a agencias y registros gubernamentales, trabajar con bibliotecarios de investigación en bibliotecas públicas, reuniones con funcionarios públicos y usar recursos en línea. Los resultados de la investigación deben ser ampliamente accesibles y comprensibles para las comunidades, de modo que puedan utilizarlos para planificar estrategias, acciones y soluciones adecuadas.

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Investigate, Educate / Investigar, Educar

Análisis del poder

Proceso utilizado para evaluar el poder de tu objetivo y de otros actores importantes (aliadxs y oponentes) en comparación con el poder de tu grupo. Esto incluye la realización de un análisis de los puntos en los que tú y tu objetivo son vulnerables, la posición y el poder de lxs principales apoyadores y oponentes, y las oportunidades para cambiar el balance de fuerzas. "El poder nunca da un paso atrás, excepto ante más poder", Malcolm X.

Gráfica de análisis de poder "SCOPE“

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Acuerdos de metas colectivas

Aclarar colectivamente nuestros objetivos es una parte importante de la construcción de organizaciones a largo plazo que se basa en la experiencia y el liderazgo de las personas más afectadas. ¿Cuáles son nuestros objetivos? Los objetivos siempre son mejoras concretas en la vida de las personas. (Los objetivos a veces pueden enmarcarse como demandas, pero recuerda que las demandas tienen un objetivo específico y una petición). Esto va más allá de aclarar nuestra visión y nuestros valores para nombrar cosas específicas, medibles, alcanzables, realistas y con un plazo determinado que queremos ver. Ayuda a nombrar los objetivos a largo plazo (más de 5 años), luego los objetivos a medio plazo que harían posibles esos objetivos a largo plazo (1-5 años) y, por último, los objetivos a corto plazo que pueden llevarte a los objetivos a medio plazo (menos de 1 año).

Planificación de la campaña

Este paso reúne muchas tácticas para elaborar un plan práctico que demuestre el poder de la gente, atraiga apoyo y, en fin, cambie las políticas y las prácticas. Una campaña exitosa tiene tres fases. La primera fase tiene lugar antes de hacerla pública. La planificación de la campaña forma parte de la primera fase. La segunda fase consiste en hacerla pública y ejercer una presión cada vez mayor sobre los responsables de la toma de decisiones para que apoyen tu programa. La tercera fase consiste en reflexionar y preparar la siguiente campaña o acción. La planificación de la campaña implica: Aclarar tu visión y tus objetivos (ver arriba y a la izquierda); evaluar los recursos y las necesidades de tu comunidad y organización (ver arriba); analizar el poder (ver a la izquierda). También implica construir una estrategia basada en estas evaluaciones. ¿Cómo mostrarás el poder al objetivo o a los objetivos para que cedan a tus demandas u objetivos? Como dijo Frederick Douglass, "el poder no concede nada sin una demanda".

Investigate, Educate / Investigar, educar

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Collective Action

(practice skills, prepare for action, reflection)

Groups 9-12

Acción colectiva

(practicar las habilidades, preparar la acción, reflexionar)

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Collective Action / Acción colectiva

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Creative Cultural actions, artivism

Creative Cultural Actions/Artivism is a tactic based on the power of people to take collective action through art, cultural references, and other creative mediums. Not one approach is better than the others. Cultural actions and/or artivism could look like banner drops, flash mobs, street art/murals, singing and dancing interruptions, and hosting caravans/marches. Often, you can be more effective if you step out of the “combative speech box” and consider alternate modalities, like visuals, song, theatre, and humour.

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Narrative strategy and media relations

Our ability to tell our own stories and make sure that other people understand our issues from our perspective, rather than from the perspective of the people who would exploit us. Narrative strategy aims to reframe the terms of the debate, by highlighting voices, values, and solutions left out of the dominant story. Sometimes the best response to a powerful enemy is a powerful story. Visit NDWA (National Domestic Workers Alliance)

Nonviolent direct action

Direct action means that we take collective action to change our circumstances, without handing our power to a middle person. Smart direct action assesses power dynamics and finds a way to shift them. Rather than deferring to others to make changes for us through votes or lobbying, we seek to change the dynamics of power directly. This could look like sit-ins, strikes, street blockades, public feedings.

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Civil disobedience

Civil disobedience is a specific form of direct action that involves intentionally violating a law because that law is unjust, such as war tax resistance.

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Digital Organizing

Using email, listservs, social media, and online petitions can be effective ways of spreading information, raising an outcry, or putting pressure on a target. In the 21st century, building your list and your base means getting savvy with digital as well as in person organizing.

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Collective Action / Acción colectiva

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Leadership Development

Building strong movements and organizations requires a bottom-up organizing strategy. Movements led by directly impacted people starts with centering their ideas for collective actions, campaigns, and programs. When people lead, they are able to learn and build consciousness, share ownership of organizations and campaigns, and they gain a sense of their own power, skills and abilities. If people do not emerge to lead, then the issues they care about are at risk of not changing.

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“We need to build a culture where we’re all invited to step up. This means stepping up in ways that make space for others to step up,” from “We Are All Leaders,” BeautifulTrouble.org

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Leadership development should be inclusive and accessible, and should promote responsibility, accountability, and effectiveness. This can look like having organizers of all ages in your leadership team where the wisdom of the past is being co-shared with the wisdom of today and can facilitate co-creations for the future. It looks like mentorship models that are based on mutual support, agency, and empowerment across age groups for wisdom to be shared and absorbed, It can also look like attending trainings, workshops, conferences, and other gatherings to meet similar regular-people-leaders, reflect on their experiences and get new ideas for future organizing.

Action planning and design

Like campaign planning, this step brings together a bunch of the other organizing tools to involve people in deciding on and designing the specific actions they will take as part of a campaign to shift power or in building an alternative. Actions could include: forums or panel discussions,, public hearings, research actions, accountability sessions, creative actions, civil disobedience, digital actions, and more. How will you show power to the target(s) so they will concede to your demands? What tactics make sense at different times during the campaign? Working backwards, identify all the things that need to be done to accomplish the goal. Then break these down into simple, specific action steps.

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See Building Powerful Community Organizations chapter 11 for a deep dive. See the Midwest Academy Strategy Chart for broader strategy planning. See this Tactic Star for planning and evaluating campaign tactics. See the Action Plan Template to divvy up responsibilities.

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Collective Action / Acción colectiva

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Desarrollo del liderazgo

La construcción de movimientos y organizaciones fuertes requiere una estrategia de organizarnos desde abajo hacia arriba. Los movimientos liderados por personas directamente afectadas empiezan por centrar sus ideas en acciones, campañas y programas colectivos. Cuando la gente lidera, es capaz de aprender y crear conciencia, de compartir el adueñamiento de las organizaciones y las campañas, y adquiere un sentido de su propio poder, habilidades y capacidades. Si las personas no surgen para liderar, los temas que les preocupan corren el riesgo de no cambiar. "Tenemos que construir una cultura en la que todos estemos invitados a dar un paso adelante. Esto significa dar un paso delante de una forma que deje espacio para que otrxs lo den", de "We Are All Leaders", BeautifulTrouble.org

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El desarrollo del liderazgo debe ser inclusivo y accesible, y debe promover la responsabilidad, la rendición de cuentas y la eficacia. Esto puede significar tener organizadores de todas las edades en su equipo de liderazgo, donde la sabiduría del pasado se comparte con la sabiduría de hoy y puede facilitar la cocreación para el futuro. También puede consistir en asistir a cursos de formación, talleres, conferencias y otras reuniones para conocer a personas líderes similares, reflexionar sobre sus experiencias y obtener nuevas ideas para la organización futura.

Planificación y diseño de acciones

Al igual que la planificación de campañas, este paso reúne muchas herramientas de organización para involucrar a la gente en la decisión y el diseño de las acciones específicas que tomarán como parte de una campaña para cambiar el poder o en la construcción de una alternativa. Las acciones pueden incluir: foros o paneles de debate, audiencias públicas, acciones de investigación, sesiones de rendición de cuentas, acciones creativas, desobediencia civil, acciones digitales, etc. ¿Cómo mostrarás el poder a los objetivos para que cedan a tus demandas? ¿Qué tácticas tienen sentido en diferentes momentos de la campaña? Trabajando hacia atrás, identifica todas las cosas que hay que hacer para lograr el objetivo. A continuación, divídelas en pasos de acción sencillos y específicos. Consulte el capítulo 11, "Creación de organizaciones comunitarias poderosas" para profundizar en el tema. Consulte la Diagrama Estratégico de Midwest Academy para una planificación estratégica más amplia. Consulte la Estrella de Tácticas para planificar y evaluar las tácticas de la campaña. Consulte la Plantilla del Plan de Acción para repartir las responsabilidades.

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Collective Action / Acción colectiva

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Acciones culturales creativas, artivismo

Las Acciones Culturales Creativas/ "Artivismo" son tácticas basadas en el poder del pueblo para inspirar acciones colectivas a través del arte, las referencias culturales y otros medios creativos. Ningún enfoque es mejor que los demás. Las acciones culturales y/o el artivismo pueden consistir en protestas con pancartas, los "flash-mobs", arte callejero/murales, interrupciones cantando y bailando, y la organización de caravanas/marchas. A menudo, se puede ser más eficaz si se sale de la "caja de discursos combativos" y se consideran otras modalidades, como el arte visual, las canciones, el teatro y el humor.

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Estrategia narrativa y relaciones con los medios de comunicación

Nuestra capacidad para contar nuestras propias historias y asegurarnos de que lxs demás entienden nuestros problemas desde nuestra perspectiva, en lugar de desde la perspectiva de las personas que nos explotan. La estrategia narrativa pretende replantear los términos del debate, resaltando las voces, los valores y las soluciones que quedan fuera de la historia dominante. A veces, la mejor respuesta a un enemigo poderoso es una historia poderosa. Visite la NDWA (National Domestic Workers Alliance)

Acción directa no violenta

La acción directa significa que tomamos medidas colectivas para cambiar nuestras circunstancias, sin entregar nuestro poder a un intermediario. La acción directa inteligente evalúa la dinámica del poder y encuentra la manera de cambiarla. En lugar de dejar que otrxs hagan los cambios por nosotrxs mediante votaciones o grupos de presión, tratamos de cambiar la dinámica del poder directamente. Esto puede ser una sentada, una huelga, un bloqueo de las calles o una alimentación pública.

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Desobediencia civil

La desobediencia civil es una forma específica de acción directa que consiste en violar intencionadamente una ley porque es injusta, como la resistencia a los impuestos de guerra.

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Organización digital

El uso del correo electrónico, las listas de correo, las redes sociales y las peticiones en línea pueden ser formas eficaces de difundir información, levantar una protesta o presionar a un objetivo. En el siglo XXI, construir tu lista y tu base significa ser hábil con la organización tanto digital como presencial.

Collective Action / Acción colectiva

Next Steps

Are there things you heard in this workshop that may help you navigate those roadblocks differently?

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How are you leaning in to embodying these principles so that you and your group continue to expand what’s possible and move toward collective liberation?

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Elige a un facilitador, a un anotador, a alguien que te informe. Lean por turnos las tácticas en voz alta en su grupo. A continuación, discutan:

¿Qué has hecho? ¿Qué ha funcionado? ¿Y qué te inspira a probar?

¿Cuál es “la receta” de tu grupo para tu zona? ¿Qué se necesita?

Escribe los ingredientes, las cantidades y los pasos en la diapositiva correspondiente a tu número de grupo.

Instrucciones para grupos pequeños 2

Overcoming roadblocks and embodying our values

Anote su nuevo número de grupo.

Next steps, thing you can try

Next steps, thing you can try

Finish this sentence: “I am a commitment to…”

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What are the conditions of satisfaction?

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What is my timeline?

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What are the faithful next steps I can take?

12:01:44 From 4 Martha Kirpes : Provision of quiet room +

12:01:49 From 2E Lisa McCusker they/them : Meeting people in the small groups!

12:01:52 From Ashley : loved the food theme!

12:01:58 From Michael Tierney he him they : The visualizations were wonderfully grounding and connecting—I’ll use this in my work and community building in the future.

12:01:58 From 3E Sam : + connecting with others in small groups

12:02:01 From 4 Martha Kirpes : Great to hear organizing recipes from the groups

12:02:05 From 2e curt perkins : loved the breakout groups

12:02:06 From 2E Chiquita (She/Her) : Your frameworks were very helpful and being with others in small groups

12:02:11 From 1E - Hemi Kim (she/her) : I loved the visualization exercises to help ground us. I enjoyed that we were allowed to choose what topics to explore in small groups.

12:02:12 From 2E - ren (any pronouns) : +information and slides

12:02:13 From 2E: Biz Ghormley (she/they) : + powerful to be in community and share connections in our work across geographies

12:02:14 From 2E Chiquita (She/Her) : This needs to be a retreat!

12:02:17 From 1E Izzi (she/he/they) Figueiredo : enjoyed group conversations and the slides shared with us :) thank you

12:02:20 From 3e Lisa Jackson, Ph.D she/she : ^^ The food theme was 💯

12:02:20 From 2E: Biz Ghormley (she/they) : + slides are gorgeous and helpful

12:02:23 From Oshara Hayes : I really appreciated the time you took to build the community guidelines.

12:02:26 From 2E - ren (any pronouns) : +really well organized, timed, and the ways the slides were incorporated

12:02:28 From 2E: Biz Ghormley (she/they) : +1 on food theme

12:02:28 From Michael Tierney he him they : Wonderful to have such a commitment to inclusion and multi-lingual and cultural affirmation

12:02:41 From 2e curt perkins : recipes. good idea.

12:03:04 From 2E Kimberly Adams : ++Chiquita “We often teach competence not confidence”

12:03:06 From 2E - Melinda McMillen (She/Her/Hers) : Opportunity- Small groups for those new to the terms and knowledgeable. I learned a lot, but we might have kept more knowledgeable person from get what they wanted.

12:03:07 From 2E - ren (any pronouns) : delta - overwhelming to come up with recipe and unclear what to create in small group

12:03:10 From Jeff Rogers : Amazing to see popular education methodologies applied in cyber context. So well done and so encouraging!

12:03:10 From Michael Tierney he him they : I think we could have done this for 2.5 hours just to have a little more time in the breakouts but also get that people are zoomed out

12:03:24 From 2E - Melinda McMillen (She/Her/Hers) : Loved the image exercise

12:03:27 From 4 Martha Kirpes : The slides and resources shared are very helpful. The rhythm during the break was energizing The altar for centering was beautiful to bring us together

12:03:53 From 3E Beckett Mufson (he/him) : 2 hours passed so quickly! This was a great way to meet and collaborate with others who are dedicated to justice in a way that is both creative and leaves us with lots to use and reflect on. I just wish I had more time to connect with the amazing people I met!

12:03:58 From 2E - Melinda McMillen (She/Her/Hers) : Pre-reading/video would be nice for those of us getting up to speed

12:04:00 From 3E Colin Blodorn : Thank you! Slides and resources are a great thing to have and share.

12:04:19 From 1E - Lisa Draine (she/her) : Would have like more time on Community Building

12:04:21 From 4 Martha Kirpes : Much thanks to the interpreters and for showing how to make gatherings inclusive with interpretation.

12:05:01 From Oshara Hayes : The grounding before and after. YYYYEEESSSS

12:05:11 From 4 Martha Kirpes : Thanks to the tech team for smoothness and for our wonderful workshop facilitators

12:05:12 From 2E - ren (any pronouns) : thank you! so supportive and expansive!

12:05:15 From 1E - Lisa Draine (she/her) : So appreciative of your team!

12:05:16 From 2E - Elizabeth (she, her) : +loved all the content, imagery and skillful facilitation; -morning time? Someone joining from west coast said it was 7 am.. so maybe a tad later? Thank you so much!

12:06:06 From Jane George she/her : Thank you ALL FOR SHOWING UP AND SHARING,

12:06:07 From Aleia Brown 1E : Thank you for knowledge and grounding you’ve shared. I also appreciate how you all come back to gratitude for each other and movement work .

12:06:07 From richard feldman boggs center : I was honored to learn from the organizers your comprehensive vision and reflection. I missed the time required to Really really learn from others because there is no time for “second or third questions which gives Substantive reflection which is necessary for practice and theory

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Less specific but still lovely THANK YOUs:

12:02:13 From 1E/1S or 1E Nicolás Estévez : +Thank you for today.

12:02:52 From 3S/3E- Bruno Hinojosa Ruiz (El/He/Him) : Gracias // Thank you

12:03:23 From 2E - Elizabeth (she, her) : Thank you so much for this presentation and series! Muchisimas gracias, especialmente a las interpretes !

12:03:39 From lisa she,her,1E : thanks everyone

12:04:36 From Carolyn Sweterlitsch 1E (she/her) : Thank you so much!

12:04:59 From 2E Chiquita (She/Her) : I love Highlander so much!

12:05:20 From 2E addisalem she/her : Appreciate y’all! 💕

12:05:24 From 3E Sam : Thank y’all! Ayana and David are flippin awesome. Thank you interpreters and tech!

12:05:27 From 2E Alayna (she/her) : Thank you all!

12:05:32 From 3e Lisa Jackson, Ph.D she/she : Thank YOU ALL - facilitators, tech, participants - so much! ❣️

12:05:46 From 2E: Biz Ghormley (she/they) : Thank you!!

12:05:50 From 2E - Gabrielle P. : Thank you!!

12:05:51 From 1E Quinn Mulholland (he/him) : Thanks everyone!

12:05:52 From 3E Sarah : thank you all so much! everyone here is incredible!

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Evaluation - Please share pluses (+) and deltas (-): things you liked and things you would change

UPCOMING

• March 14 - Popular Education Methodology Skillup
• March 31 - From Racial Capitalism to Solidarity Economy
• April-May Hot D.A.M. study group on Mutual Aid
• April - Community Governance
• May - Thriving Groups

THREADS 2022

Weaving 90 Years of Resistance

Southern Beyond Survival:

• Power, Oppression, Collective Liberation
• Community Organizing
• From Racial Capitalism to Solidarity Economy
• Community Governance
• Thriving Groups

Methodologies Workshops

• Popular Education
• Cultural Organizing
• Intergenerational Organizing
• Land, Legacy, and Place
• Language Justice
• Participatory Action Research

THANK YOU

RESOURCES

• Highlander Methodologies One-pagers English & Spanish
• Jemez Principles of Democratic Organizing https://climatejusticealliance.org/jemez-principles/
• People of Color Environmental Justice Principles from 1991 Summit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nPz1N7UjCyDrQ93rFj2ST4VnXNgITQme/view?usp=sharing

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STOP HERE TRANSLATORS