Week Four: Pulling it All Together

Here is the Chat. Thanks for all your good comments and questions throughout! Someone also asked for access to the lists in last night’s slides. You can download them in Keystone here. If you use any of them, please credit me.

Homework

Within this next week, do something outside of your comfort zone as a deliberate way to build your courage muscles. By the way, I love to play I Am Willing by Holly Near whenever I need a dose of courage. It’s become my anthem.

Ongoing resources

You already have what you need to get going! I really believe that and don’t want anyone to think that they have to read more before they can take action. That said, if you have the time and desire, I’ve linked to some good books to the right and added other resources you may find helpful below.

The training philosophy I’ve been most influenced by is Training for Change. They have an amazing free toolkit online that includes step by step guidance on how to run a role play and some of the other training steps I’ve mentioned, as well icebreakers and other team building activities.

Other groups with many resources include Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change, which has a Marshall Training Guide I should have read before confronting Philly Jesus, and lots of other handouts as well. The Ruckus Society also has many resources on NVDA, including one on Security Culture, which came up last night. Black Lives Matters‘s resources include a profound toolkit on Healing in Action and one on conflict. Each group has a different flavor, so adapt things to the culture and goals of your group.

I couldn’t find a one-on-one handout that I liked, but here is a piece on recruiting beyond your friends.

Finally, someone asked what to do if their parents are worried. It’s hard to make parents not worry, but you can try to make them understand your motivations. You could try giving them (or anyone else in your life) my memoir on coming to climate change work, Renewable: One Woman’s Search for Simplicity, Faithfulness, and Hope. (If you can’t afford, it drop me a note. I have some spare copies. It includes my own journey of struggling with consumption and coming to nonviolent direct action as an empowering antidote to the despair I had been feeling.