Mobilizing for Social ChangeMobilizing for Social Change
How to Build Activist How to Build Activist Communities…Communities…
Building Community… to Change the World… by Rebuilding Community!
What Do I Want To Accomplish What Do I Want To Accomplish Today?Today?
Empower and activate participantsEmpower and activate participants
Make some friends!Make some friends!
Learn about community projectsLearn about community projects
Explore collaboration opportunitiesExplore collaboration opportunities
Communicate what I have learned through Communicate what I have learned through my diverse range of experience…my diverse range of experience…
START A CONVERSATION…START A CONVERSATION…
Mobilize… activate!Mobilize… activate!
Three SectionsThree Sections
Community OrganizingCommunity Organizing
Modern ContextModern Context
How Do We Win?How Do We Win?
Where Do I Start?!?... A Few Initial Questions…
A Few Initial Questions…A Few Initial Questions…-What is your passion? What really makes -What is your passion? What really makes
you tick?you tick?-Who/Whom do you want to work with? What -Who/Whom do you want to work with? What
is your tribe?is your tribe?-Who will work with you now?-Who will work with you now?-What resources do you have available to -What resources do you have available to
you?you?-What do you want to learn?-What do you want to learn?-What is your story?... What lead up to this -What is your story?... What lead up to this
moment?moment?
Suresh’s StorySuresh’s StoryB. Sc. PhysicsB. Sc. Physics
7 years at ScotiaMcLeod7 years at ScotiaMcLeod– Built $30 million private client wealth Built $30 million private client wealth
management practicemanagement practice
5 years running Catalyst Capital Partners5 years running Catalyst Capital Partners
3 years studying philosophy at SFU3 years studying philosophy at SFU
1. 5 years raising hell!1. 5 years raising hell!– Occupy, Maple Spring, DefendOurCoast, Occupy, Maple Spring, DefendOurCoast,
Enbridge Noise Demo, BC Social ForumEnbridge Noise Demo, BC Social Forum
The Change We Seek is The Change We Seek is Coincident with the Process for Coincident with the Process for
ChangeChange
Community OrganizingCommunity Organizing
Components of Overall StrategyComponents of Overall Strategy-Develop Founding Documents-Develop Founding Documents-Consensus models-Consensus models-Key Roles and Organizational -Key Roles and Organizational
Responsibilities/StructureResponsibilities/Structure-Running Effective Meetings-Running Effective Meetings-Building Your Volunteer Team-Building Your Volunteer Team-Building Campaigns-Building Campaigns-Community Engagement-Community Engagement-Online strategy-Online strategy-Media and messaging-Media and messaging-List management -List management
Challenges… Challenges… there will be many!there will be many!
Might as well be aware… anticipate…Might as well be aware… anticipate…Differing perspectives and agendas… different Differing perspectives and agendas… different ways of viewing and talking about the worldways of viewing and talking about the world
People participate for various reasonsPeople participate for various reasonsNot everyone will be constructiveNot everyone will be constructive
We will do collaboration exercise!
What Is The Most Important What Is The Most Important Realization?Realization?
Community Organizing… Community Organizing… regardless of the issue focus… regardless of the issue focus… is about building community!is about building community!
The goal is to structure and organize communities that have a strong collective
purpose!
Building A Volunteer TeamBuilding A Volunteer Team
Empower othersEmpower others
Be collaborative!... Co-create…Be collaborative!... Co-create…
Ask people what they want to doAsk people what they want to do
Remember that people participate Remember that people participate for a range of different reasonsfor a range of different reasons
Build community!Build community!
Organize different event types!Organize different event types!
Key Roles and ResponsibilitiesKey Roles and Responsibilities
‘‘Organizers’… ‘Facilitators’Organizers’… ‘Facilitators’
Social Media/Web supportSocial Media/Web support
DocumentationDocumentation
Focus on tasks and responsibilities as opposed to fixed positions… be flexible…
don’t get attached to particular roles… share
responsibility
Develop Founding DocumentsDevelop Founding Documents
Basis of UnityBasis of Unity
Decision MakingDecision Making
Operating StructureOperating Structure
Consensus Decision MakingConsensus Decision Making
Do you want to be precise?Do you want to be precise?
What is the consensus threshold?What is the consensus threshold?– Occupy Vancouver used a 90/10 modelOccupy Vancouver used a 90/10 model
DefendOurCoast… 80/20 was DefendOurCoast… 80/20 was proposedproposed
Do you use progressive stacking?Do you use progressive stacking?
Are your facilitators trained properly?Are your facilitators trained properly?
Running Effective MeetingsRunning Effective Meetings
Distribute agenda in advanceDistribute agenda in advance
Proper facilitationProper facilitation
Take minutesTake minutes
Distribute and centralize minutesDistribute and centralize minutes
Building CampaignsBuilding Campaigns
Identify theme… ‘we are the 99%!’Identify theme… ‘we are the 99%!’
Identify symbolIdentify symbol– Red squareRed square– Blue dropBlue drop
Think about events… actions...Think about events… actions...
Identify resourcesIdentify resources– PeoplePeople– Money etc…Money etc…
Community EngagementCommunity Engagement
‘‘Grassroots’ mobilizationGrassroots’ mobilization
‘‘Grasstops’ mobilizationGrasstops’ mobilization– List marketing List marketing
Speaking at related eventsSpeaking at related events
Participating in community groupsParticipating in community groups
Identify free media/publication Identify free media/publication channelschannels
Online StrategyOnline Strategy
Use Facebook and Youtube to reach Use Facebook and Youtube to reach grassroots…grassroots…
Use Twitter to reach politicians and Use Twitter to reach politicians and mediamedia
Facebook represents scaleFacebook represents scale
Ensure that you stay activeEnsure that you stay active
Ensure many people participate… Ensure many people participate… represent whole team!represent whole team!
Media and MessagingMedia and Messaging
Focus on key messages… CLASSE Focus on key messages… CLASSE lessonlesson
Identify spokes people that Identify spokes people that understand issues… Enbridge Noise understand issues… Enbridge Noise Demo lessDemo less
At events, have identified media At events, have identified media contacts and a media deskcontacts and a media desk
List ManagementList Management
Always collect contact info!Always collect contact info!
Make sure that list is used regularlyMake sure that list is used regularly
Target messaging to match how you Target messaging to match how you solicited email… no spam!solicited email… no spam!
If possible, segment lists…If possible, segment lists…
Key MessagesKey Messages
Dominant Institutional structures Dominant Institutional structures (capitalism and corporations) (capitalism and corporations) reinforce the selfishness and greedreinforce the selfishness and greed
Taking Things To The Next Taking Things To The Next LevelLevel
What’s the Problem?What’s the Problem?
Actions are smallActions are small
Impact is smallImpact is small
Actions are uncoordinatedActions are uncoordinated
WHY?WHY?
Movements versus CampaignsMovements versus Campaigns
Not something we organizeNot something we organize
A part of the collective consciousnessA part of the collective consciousness
UnstructuredUnstructured
‘‘Leaderless’Leaderless’
Non-hierarchicalNon-hierarchical
Momentum driven!... The problem is Momentum driven!... The problem is that momentum is hard to sustainthat momentum is hard to sustain
Principles To EmbracePrinciples To Embrace
TransparencyTransparency
‘‘Leaderless’… what does this mean?Leaderless’… what does this mean?
DecentralizedDecentralized
The Modern ContextThe Modern Context
The Story of CapitalismThe Story of Capitalism
Capitalism
Structural Imbalance
Social Alienation… the destruction of community
Economic Inequality Systemic OppressionSilos, territorialism
and the inability to collaborate
Dominant Institutional structures Dominant Institutional structures (capitalism and corporations) reinforce the (capitalism and corporations) reinforce the
selfishness and greedselfishness and greed
The Way Forward… The Way Forward… rebuild rebuild communities…communities…
Eco-villagesEco-villages
Co-operative/communal living Co-operative/communal living
Co-location spacesCo-location spaces
Focus on Localization and rebuilding Focus on Localization and rebuilding community solidaritycommunity solidarity
What do we need to do?... What do we need to do?... CollaborateCollaborate
Challenges…Challenges…
Differing ‘Lens’… way of viewing the Differing ‘Lens’… way of viewing the worldworld
Differing ‘Language’… way of talking Differing ‘Language’… way of talking about the worldabout the world
Differing goals and agendasDiffering goals and agendas
Prioritizing self interest over Prioritizing self interest over collective interest… collective interest…
The Importance of Physical Space!The Importance of Physical Space!
The Occupy Lesson…The Occupy Lesson…
Trust takes time to buildTrust takes time to build
The challenges of differing The challenges of differing perspectives, goals and agendas can perspectives, goals and agendas can only be resolved by spending time only be resolved by spending time together!together!
Problems We Need To SolveProblems We Need To Solve
Financing the transitionFinancing the transition
How we work togetherHow we work together
What Does the World We Want To What Does the World We Want To Build Look Like?Build Look Like?
Leaders are directly accountable to Leaders are directly accountable to peoplepeople– Participatory democracyParticipatory democracy
Sustainable: respect for Mother EarthSustainable: respect for Mother Earth
Egalitarian: respect all individuals Egalitarian: respect all individuals equallyequally– Need to recognize structure imbalancesNeed to recognize structure imbalances
Technological TransformationThe Forces at Play
Broadband Proliferation
Increase in Processing Power
Decrease in Cost of Memory
Real Time Infrastructure
Power at Edge of Network
High VISIBILITY and
ConnectednessWhat Does this lead to?
Values TransformationThe Forces at Play
Climate Change
Financial Market Collapse
Alienation and Fragmentation in Western Culture
Discontent!Shifts in Global Balance of Power
Absence of Holistic/Spiritu
al Context
The Tipping PointThe Forces at Play
Values Transformation
Technological Transformation
The Tipping Point!!
So What Now?
Old Paradigm New Paradigm
Privacy Transparency
Closed Open
Isolated Collaborative
Hierarchical Flat
Centralized Decentralized
Globalization Localization
Self interested Part of Ecosystem
Solely focused on financial profit (corporations)
Focused on triple bottom line
Employees are ‘workers’ Employees are human
Progress quantified by ROI Progress quantified by SROI
Use technology to increase productivity
Use technology to build community
Insular view of world Holistic view
Collaboration ExerciseCollaboration Exercise
Identify one thing that you are Identify one thing that you are willing to work on together… willing to work on together…
and the next step…and the next step…
How Do We Win?How Do We Win?
Mass Mobilization… convergence!Mass Mobilization… convergence!
Impact policy makersImpact policy makers
Build solidarityBuild solidarity
Build communityBuild community
Convergence in the Streets… Convergence in the Streets… convergence of Ideologyconvergence of Ideology
… … embracing… collectively… a new embracing… collectively… a new way of being in the worldway of being in the world
Decentralization and Federation…Decentralization and Federation…
Connect decentralized networks Connect decentralized networks using technologyusing technology
Share information, resources, best Share information, resources, best practicespractices
We need to create the spaces We need to create the spaces where…where…
We can share ideas and perspectives We can share ideas and perspectives so that we can ‘converge’ on so that we can ‘converge’ on something we all agree on…something we all agree on…
We can develop trust in each otherWe can develop trust in each other
These spaces need to be both in the These spaces need to be both in the real world… and virtual…real world… and virtual…
In doing so…In doing so…
Central ConceptsCentral Concepts
Solidarity… Solidarity… unity in difference…unity in difference…
ConvergenceConvergence
DialogueDialogue
Shared SpaceShared Space
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