For those of you who missed it, here are some of my tweets from the night, on some of the key issues that jumped out at me.

The CSG-Free Northern Rivers campaign is obviously one to watch and learn from. The inspiring introductory video is a good start!

Plan to Win is always pleased to see new resources made available to activists, and we’ll be exploring The Activists’ Handbook over coming months. To kick us off, Naomi Blackburn offers the following review of the early chapters of the book. These are particularly relevant to Theories of Change – a topic Naomi will be leading discussion of at this week’s Melbourne Campaigners’ Network event.

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Thinking again about the role of theories of change in activism this week I thought I’d look at the opening chapters of Aidan Ricketts recent publication The Activists’ Handbook: A step-by-step guide to participatory democracy. Aidan Ricketts is an Australian environmental activist, activist educator and academic at the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University in Lismore. Ricketts says in the introduction that his hope for the book is that it “saves newly emergent activists from the ordeal of having to reinvent the wheel”.

Perhaps reflecting his academic bent, the book starts with two fairly theoretical chapters that focus on big ideas about activism. These are then followed by the more immediately useable advice suggested by the ‘step-by-step’ subtitle. Campaigners are typically a practical bunch and I suspect many will do as I did and flick to the middle looking for the practical advice to start off with. There they will be rewarded with a range of strategies to pursue change though the political system, by corporate lobbying, through direct action and via the courts. However, in starting with theory Ricketts obviously thought these ideas were important for new activists to engage with and I agree.

The first chapter ‘Advocacy, activism and the practice of democracy’ starts the book at quite a high conceptual level, with the definition of democracy itself. Ricketts devotes this chapter to defining between public and private interests. He shows how the law privileges private interests and makes it difficult to protect public interests though the courts. He also provides a checklist for determining when a problem is a public interest problem. In the introduction Ricketts talks about his work with resident groups fighting local battles. I can see this public versus private distinction being particularly valuable for those who are acting to protect their local area because it is so important to be able to articulate the public interest at stake in those campaigns.

The second chapter ‘Building successful social movements’ introduces some of the key movement debates such as what is meant by non-violence and how to structure movement decision-making. These are only covered briefly here and serve to introduce the later chapters on ‘Direct action, protest and your rights’ and ‘Social change and conflict resolution’. On non-violence Ricketts acts as a helpful intermediary, directing readers to the work of American author and academic Gene Sharp and a recent issue of New Internationalist that focused on the topic. This thoughtful referencing was an aspect of the book I really appreciated.

In this second chapter Ricketts also provides a great introduction to Bill Moyer’s Movement Action Plan and illustrates the stages using the North East Forest Alliance as an example. Ricketts serves new activists well here by introducing a classic text with just enough to get a feel for its value and then referring them on to Moyer’s book for more. He takes the same strategy in introducing readers to the work of Joanna Macy on despair and hope and to Katrina Shields’ work on self-care. [For more information on the Movement Action Plan see the recent post on Frameworks for Winning Change.]

Overall these initial chapters do a good job at introducing the reader to some core concepts, which create a platform for both later chapters and future reading. I feel like Ricketts is letting the emerging activist know these topics are the subject of discussions and has introduced them to some people with whom they can continue the conversation. After a pause and a think he’s happy for them to dive on in to the advice on strategy, media and more.

The Activists’ Handbook is available for sale online – you can nominate a referring organisation to receive a portion of the cost. Plan to Win will be included as an option in the near future, or choose one of the other worthy organisations or campaigns.

About the reviewer

Naomi Blackburn is a facilitator and activist educator who supports campaign groups in decision making and strategy development. She enjoys working with large groups to find common ground across a diversity of political viewpoints.

For more exploration of the big issues in activism come along to the Melbourne Campaigners’ Network workshop on Theories of Change this Thursday 10 May 6pm – 8pm at the Wheeler Centre.

But before we get to those frameworks, what is it that’s helpful about a framework for social change? Bill Moyer, in his introduction to the Movement Action Plan, wrote:

“The lack of a practical analytic model which describes the long process normally taken by successful social movements disempowers activists and limits the effectiveness of their movements. Without the guiding framework that explains the step-by-step process that social movements go through, many activists are unable to identify successes already achieved, set long and short term goals, confidently develop strategies, tactics, and programs, and avoid common pitfalls.”

Training for Change writes: ‘Frameworks can assist us in thinking about “what’s next” for us and contextualizing our day-to-day work.’ A framework can help us analyse changing situations, and match the right tactics to those situations. It can also help us understand the role and strategic importance of different players at different points in time.

When training people in the Movement Action Plan (MAP) I have wondered what people then do with that information – does it change the way they organise, campaign and think about their work? I know for myself that to a certain extent I’ve internalised the MAP. For example, when the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal recently ruled in favour of the dirty polluting HRL power station I viewed that as ‘proving the failure of official institutions’, a necessary step on the path to eventual success. In this way having a framework for long term change can bolster us against the inevitable setbacks along the way, and guard against demoralisation and burn-out… although Moyer even included the likelihood of burn-out in his model.

All of these frameworks are informed by social movement history – another demonstration of the value of evaluating and documenting campaigns, to inform future practice. Check out these four frameworks and share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Six stage campaign planning framework – Martin Luther King, Jr.

This framework assists groups to think ahead and plan as the campaign builds. The starting point is framing the group’s issue, then the following stages:

• 1.    Gather information;
• 2.    Do education and leadership development;
• 3.    Negotiate with target;
• 4.    Increase motivation and commitment for the struggle ahead;
• 5.    Direct action;
• 6.    Create new relationship with opponent. which reflects the new power reality.

Based on Martin Luther King-related campaigns in the Deep South of the U.S. Read more from the American Peace Test Nonviolence Trainer’s Manual.

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Five stage revolutionary movement framework – George Lakey

The five stages are presented in sequence which shows how each preceding stage builds capacity for the next stage – but in reality the stages overlap and are cyclical.  The five stages are:

• 1.    Cultural preparation;
• 2.    Organization-building;
• 3.    Confrontation;
• 4.    Mass noncooperation;
• 5.    Parallel institutions which can carry out the legitimate functions formerly carried out by the Old Order (economic, maintaining infrastructure, decision-making, etc.)

For more see George Lakey’s chapter in Globalize Liberation, edited by David Solnit; and the article on the Training for Change website.

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Eight stage reform social movement framework – Movement Action Plan, by Bill Moyer

Moyer’s framework relates to change in liberal democratic societies, and is based on experience and research of many social movements. A number of case studies are included in Doing Democracy and online. Moyer’s ‘four roles of activists’ is also a valuable contribution, and the MAP shows how different roles are key at different stages. The stages are:

• 1.    Normal times
• 2.    Prove the failure of institutions
• 3.    Ripening conditions
• 4.    Social movement take-off
• 5.    Identity crisis of powerlessness
• 6.    Majority public support
• 7.    Success
• 8.    Continuing the struggle

Read Bill Moyer’s excellent book, Doing Democracy; see the Training for Change article for more information; and the introduction to MAP and case studies on the History is a Weapon site.

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Four stage model for making change happen: Counterpower by Tim Gee

Gee states :

“The power of any regime rests three main things –ideas (the ability to persuade us of their right to rule), economics (the ability to extract land, labour and capital from us) and physical coercion (the ability to punish us if we do not obey). If a movement can seriously challenge those facets of power, then elites will give away whatever concessions that they have to in order to maintain their rule – and so campaigns are won. If the movement is strong enough it can topple regimes altogether – hence the argument that a successful campaign is an unfinished revolution. The ability to remove the power of elites is our Counterpower.”

The four stages:

• 1.   Consciousness is the stage of realizing that there is a problem and creating the conditions for Counterpower.
• 2.   Coordination is the stage of building Counterpower through a movement to challenge the problem.
• 3.   Confrontation is the stage when Counterpower is used most intensely, as the movement challenges the target’s power outright.
• 4.   Consolidation is about maintaining Counterpower, adjusting to the new balance of power following the Confrontation Stage, and ensuring that it turns into real-life change.

Find out more – buy the book; read an interview with Tim Gee on the Rhizome blog; and see the series of posts on Counterpower on the Citizen Action Monitor blog.

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What do you notice about these frameworks? How have you used frameworks? What do you find useful – or not – about frameworks? Please share your thoughts, and feedback on the four frameworks included here, in the comments below.

Obviously these frameworks reflect particular theories of change, and some fit different political contexts better than others. We will be exploring Theories of Change at the next Melbourne Campaigners’ Network gathering, Thursday 10 May, 6pm – 8pm at the Wheeler Centre – hope to see you there.

The Art and Campaigning forum went off!

The forum was presented by the Melbourne Campaigners’ Network, in collaboration with Arena Project Space, on the evening of Thursday 15 March. The topic sparked interest near and far, so hopefully there will be similar forums popping up in other towns, as well as some interesting spin-offs here in Melbourne. There was a great crowd in attendance, with around fifty people braving a rainy night for a far-ranging discussion on the relationship between art, social change and campaigning.

It was excellent to see Arena Project Space filled with people engaged in discussion of the issues the space has been formed to support, and with examples of the artists’ work up on the wall. An audio recording of the forum will be available down the track.

The forum included a panel of artists producing diverse visual art:

• Tom Sevil (aka Civil) – community graphic designer and artist. Tom along with Lou Smith runs Breakdown Press, an activist publishing initiative which has produced poster series, zines, miscellaneous publications and the book ‘How to Make Trouble and Influence People’. Tom has worked as a graphic designer for many political and community organisations including 3CR 855AM and the 2006-9 Seeds of Dissent Calendars; Stolenwealth Games, Stop G20 and Tassie Forests campaigns. Tom has exhibited in a variety of art spaces and run mural and stencil-making workshops with young people.

• Arlene TextaQueen – Australia’s felt-tip super heroine. TextaQueen explores politics of sex, gender and identity in tangent with ideas of self-image and inter-personal relationships. Her work has appeared as commissioned tapestries, animations, surfboards, album cover art, murals, tattoos, billboards, postcards, posters, colouring-in books, calendar tea-towels, zines and pin-up playing cards. She has exhibited widely and wildly, hosts drawing workshops for kids, teens and grown-ups, performs narrative ‘slide-shows’ and creates live drawing-performance spectacles.

• 

  Jessie Boylan – photomedia artist and freelance documentary photographer. Jessie aims to highlight the ongoing legacy of the nuclear age, as well as the ongoing impacts of mineral exploitation, displacement, conflict, trauma and violence. Jessie is a member of the Atomic Photographers Guild, made up of 26 members world-wide, who aim to render visible all aspects of the nuclear age.  Jessie also produces a weekly half hour radio segment for 3CR 855am  called ‘The Radioactive Show‘ which covers nuclear issues in Australia and internationally.

• Van Thanh Rudd – artist and activist. Van’s art is influenced, inspired and directed towards movements of social justice around the globe. His major aim is to expose his often controversial art to as many people as possible in order to inspire discussion and debate about art’s role in today’s environmental, political and economic crises. His artworks include the mediums of installation, drawing, collage, painting and performance. Van is involved in setting up the Under the Hammer Activist Art Hub.

Each artist spoke for around ten minutes, sharing their perspectives on the topic and showing examples of their work. Here are some of the ‘take home messages’ I gleaned from their presentations, which are my interpretations rather than what they said verbatim:

• Build strong culture. Tom Civil emphasised that art doesn’t just play a role in communicating a cause or trying to influence people; art can be part of building a strong alternative culture around social movements, which can be sustaining, inspiring, and attractive to new people. This made me think about the way growth in social movements is coupled with cultural vitality, such as the blossoming of many kinds of artistic expression around the social movements of the 1960s, and the recent dynamic art production associated with the Occupy movement. Involving ‘culture-makers’ in social change projects can enrich them in many ways.

• Representation can be powerful; representation should be ethical. How people are portrayed can be either oppressive or empowering, as can the ways these images are viewed and consumed. Arlene TextaQueen spoke about creating her work, We Don’t Need Another Hero, featuring people of colour activists posing as outlaws of their own post-apocalypse scenario in fictional movie poster portraits. She spoke about the process of involving the subjects of each poster in picking their costumes, directing how they would be represented, and developing accompanying text. This empowering process shows through in the final artwork, which has been exhibited but also printed as posters for sale as well as distributed free of charge through events for communities of colour. Jessie Boylan’s photomedia project Inhabited involved photographing people most directly impacted by nuclear developments in Australia. Jessie spoke about the importance of building relationships with affected communities, a human connection with the people she photographs, gaining their consent and respecting their agency in how and where they want to be photographed. Questions of white privilege, racialised imagery, and the ethical use of privilege were discussed.

• Consider your audience. Arlene TextaQueen spoke about how some art may be appropriate to display for a particular audience or in a particular context, but not others. It’s important to be clear about who you seek to communicate with and what you want to say – and be mindful about how this might impact on others.

• Art can attract attention and controversy. This controversy can potentially be politically beneficial, beyond the actual artwork. Van Thanh Rudd has produced a number of explicitly political artworks which have sparked significant reaction, including censorship. One example is ‘Economy of Movement – A Piece of Palestine’ which highlighted the activities of Connex in occupied Palestinian territory. In response to the artwork Connex put pressure on the body exhibiting the work so that it was no longer displayed. Media about the censorship potentially raised awareness of Israel/Palestine issues wider than the display of the artwork could have done alone. This brought to my mind Brian Martin’s backfire model, ‘a framework for understanding tactics used by perpetrators of injustice and how to oppose them’. Activists can make attacks by power-holders ‘back-fire’ by exposing and publicising the injustice and mobilising support.

• Always remember the visuals. Tom Civil emphasised the importance of visual communication as part of activism. He encouraged us to always have a camera at events and actions and to use this to capture and communicate what is happening. Think about how things will look – our actions can be composed with an artistic eye. Allow enough time for the best use of graphics, for example in fliers and publications, and value graphic design. Tom also emphasised the value of street art including paint, posters, and stickers as a way to communicate directly with people and show the presence of resistance in everyday life.

• Value the labour of artists. Art takes time, resources and skill to produce, but many artists are low paid and rely on other work for their income. Activists, always keen to maximise impact with minimum expenditure, can look to artists for free work, or use artwork without acknowledgement or consent. While artists may be prepared to produce artwork to be used in campaigns, and make that art available at low or no cost as a political contribution, the panel emphasised the importance of asking artists before using their work. If your campaign has the means, factor the cost of art and design into your budgets. The Creative Commons licensing system is a useful for way for artists to license their work and make it available under different conditions – you can search for Creative Commons licensed images to use in campaign materials.

Following the panel there was plenty of discussion, both during the forum, and afterwards with a number of people staying behind to talk amongst themselves. Some gems from the discussion:

• We heard from Kathleen McCann, the artist who produced the original ‘Jabiluka hand symbol’ which became the dominant icon representing the peaceful blockade of the Jabiluka mine site. The Mirarr site states: ‘the design evolved through consultation with the Mirarr and utilised, with permission, the colours of Harold Thomas’s 1971 Aboriginal flag. The ‘open hand’ is a common motif in Aboriginal rock art, and also symbolises ‘stop’ in many cultures around the world’. Kathleen spoke about wanting to create something that would be easily reproduced – people could dip their hands in paint and use that to produce placards and banners. The image has since ‘gone viral’ and is used around the world as a symbol of resistance to the uranium industry.

• Alex Kelly, a media/arts practitioner based in Alice Springs, shared two quotes to illustrate the importance of storytelling in campaigns: ‘Nations are narratives’ (Edward Said), and ‘It’s harder to hurt someone when you know their story’.

• Yikes from Occupy Melbourne issued an invitation for artists to get involved with OM and participate in Occupy Fridays.

It felt like we only touched the tip of the iceberg of this topic – there is clearly much more to explore. One opportunity is the Art for Community Power workshop presented by myself (Holly Hammond) and Jessie Boylan on June 13. The workshop is part of the Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People (CHRIP) Effective Advocacy Training Program 2012.

Big appreciation to Jessie Boylan of Arena Project Space for developing and organising the workshop with me, and to APS for hosting. Thanks to the fabulous panel and all the participants for making it a great night.

Thanks to Jessica Parra Nowajewski for taking photos on the night: 1) Anti-nuclear poster, Breakdown Press, 2007 election; 2) Arlene TextaQueen and Tom Civil; 3) Van Thanh Rudd and Jessie Boylan; 4) Facilitator Holly Hammond with poster by Arlene TextaQueen from the ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’ series.

What did you take away from the forum? What questions remain? If you couldn’t make it, what would you have liked to have discussed? What role do you think art can play in campaigns?

Understanding theories of change helps you connect your actions with your own political and philosophical beliefs. Being able to recognise the diversity of theories of change that people may hold is powerful in better understanding colleagues or allies. It can also help you to situate your personal politics with that of your organisation.

This introductory workshop will outline the elements of a theory of change and help you begin to articulate your own theory of change. There will also be an opportunity to reflect on the theory of change operating in your campaigns or those you support.

Facilitated by Naomi Blackburn. This is a Melbourne Campaigner’s Network event. MCN holds regular gatherings for campaigners, activists, and organisers to discuss ideas, exchange resources and discover new approaches to social change.

Location:  The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Time:  6pm til 8pm.
Date:  Thursday 10 May
Further info:  Holly Hammond – call 0421 508 446 or via the Contact page.

The exhibition displayed 150 posters from the Kotare collection stretching back many years, grouped together in these themes: treaty justice; unemployed workers’ rights; anti-nuclear/peace movement; housing; feminism and women’s rights; anti-surveillance; anti-globalisation; education; various environmental struggles; and social movement events.

Kotare’s purpose is to support community action for a more just world through participatory education and research in Aotearoa/New Zealand. So naturally, there was more to the exhibition than looking at posters. Four participatory workshops were also held: on the role of poster art in protesting the 1981 Springbok tour; an oral history workshop looking at ‘people behind the posters’; a screen-printing workshop; and sharing stories of postering and social change. Folks visiting the exhibition got to make their own posters and share feedback about those exhibited.

Jared Davidson, Otautahi/Christchurch artist, created the fabulous poster shown here for the exhibition. It states ‘Never in history did the rich and powerful give up their privileges voluntarily’. I was lucky to be presented with one of these by Tanya Newman from Kotare Trust at the close of the workshop I facilitated. I’m looking forward to hanging this in my workspace as a reminder of the excellent fellow travellers on the other side of the Tasman.

What political posters have inspired and engaged you? Examples of political art will be on display at the Art and Campaigning forum, 6pm Thursday 15 March at Arena Project Space in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Come along to discuss the connection between art and social change; hear from artists producing political work; gather some creative inspiration and practical tips for working with artists to enhance campaigning.

Posters and postcard sets from the ‘Political Poster Art in Aotearoa’ exhibition are available for sale. See the Kotare website – or if you have difficulty viewing the site, contact Holly at Plan to Win. Pictured here – ‘Poverty Sux – Unity is Strength’ (c. 1987, designed by Karen Kahurangi, produced by Auckland Unemployed Workers Union and the Combined Beneficiaries Union) and ‘Run a cake stall to buy a new bomber’ (c. 1984, designed by David Judd, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom), both reprinted with permission by Kotare Trust 2011.

Back in 2007 I wrote an article for the Change Agency’s enews about framing in the federal election campaign, and specifically the contrast between ‘working families’ and the Howard era frame of ‘battlers’.  The recent struggle for the ALP leadership between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd provides an another interesting opportunity to look at framing.

George Lakoff, the most well known progressive proponent of framing, defines frames as ‘mental structures that shape the way we see the world’ (Don’t Think of an Elephant, 2004). Frames are about values, and they define ‘common sense’ for us – if information doesn’t fit our view of the world, it tends to bounce off. Language activates our frames, and the language used in political discourse can be key to connecting with people.

Lakoff makes the point that frames will be most effective when they relate to widely held values. This world cloud of Kevin Rudd’s resignation speech on February 22 is interesting:

The repeated use of Australia/Australian/Australia’s, and the Australian people is noteworthy. Rudd is tapping into widely held values around Australian democracy. ‘Future’, ‘believe’ and ‘proud’ also occur frequently, showing an emphasis on communicating vision and personal belief (however sincere). By contrast Gillard’s speech announcing the leadership ballot, presented to a press conference on February 23,  is represented below:

The cloud shows Gillard talking about Labor, the government and reforms a lot, less about Australian people. Like Rudd, Gillard talks about the future, and interestingly ‘make’ is used a lot. The Prime Minister in this speech and later statements has placed a lot of emphasis on her role in making things happen, delivering on the ALP reform agenda. Gillard uses a frame of ‘hard work’ (as a moral value, as a contrast to her ‘chaotic’ opponent) and ‘discipline’ which have been the main values statements she has made during her leadership – tapping into Labor themes of the ‘dignity of work’, the Protestant work ethic, hard work as virtuous, godly, and deserving reward. While a fairly widely held value this appears to not necessarily resonate in the Australian public. Gillard emphasis on getting the practical work done in contrast to her opponent’s ego and flashiness also references gender differences.

In his resignation speech Rudd speaks directly for the first time publicly about losing the ALP leadership and position as PM – but it’s a familiar story because we’ve been hearing it ever since it happened, predominantly from Tony Abbott. That is, that he was subject to a ‘stealth attack’, a ‘coup’, a ‘political assassination’ (this term not used by Rudd, but widely used in the media), pulled down by factional power-brokers. He fits his resignation as Foreign Minister directly into this story – saying his position has been undermined by ‘faceless men’ and comments which have questioned his integrity. He attempts to make the story about the PM’s lack of confidence in him, rather than his undermining of her.

The Drama Triangle is a great tool I picked up from smartMeme, as part of their story-based campaign strategy curriculum. The Drama Triangle is a neat way to summarise the central conflict and characters in a story. Compelling stories tend to have a Hero, Villain and Victim. Here is my interpretation of the story Kevin Rudd has been telling:

That is, Rudd has been victimised by the faceless men, and the Australian people are the heroes who through ‘people power’ can put things right. Rudd positions himself as a well-intentioned monarch deposed by corrupt careerists, waiting to be restored to his rightful position. This is consistent with the ‘coup’ frame – the definition of a coup is ‘a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government’.

In response to Rudd’s resignation ALP MPs who support Gillard have gone public about their experience of Rudd as PM, and their allegations of him undermining the government. The difficulty is that Rudd got there first with the framing. Talking about treacherous acts that undermine an elected Prime Minister brings to mind Rudd’s unseating by Gillard. It also confirms Rudd in the Victim position. Many have commented on Gillard’s lack of explanation for why she took the leadership, and what has come out recently may look like too little too late for many voters. If there is an assumption that Gillard became PM dishonourably, and her government is not legitimate (as Abbott has repeatedly reinforced) there is no moral high-ground to take about being undermined or sabotaged. Here’s my interpretation of the story told by Julia Gillard and her supporters:

That is, Julia Gillard has heroically cleaned up the mess caused by Rudd and guided a reform agenda. Kevin Rudd has undermined the functioning of the government, sabotaged the ALP’s 2011 election campaign, and got in the way of communicating the government’s achievements.

The contrast between the two triangles is striking. Which is a more sympathetic victim, Rudd with a high approval rating, or the ALP which is on the nose? Which is a more compelling hero, the valiant Australian people, or a PM polling terribly?

Rudd’s story is a well crafted campaign story, while Gillard’s may resonate with people inside the ALP and its rusted-on supporters, but has little broader appeal. Gillard is lucky the ballot has nothing to do with ‘people power’ – but the truth never got in the way of a good story.

Another example is the Climamania Project which utilises the performing arts to raise awareness and encourage action about climate change. I spoke with Alicia Liley, the Director of Soul Theatre, who is bringing the Climamania Project to life.

Hi Alicia! Firstly, can you share a little about what motivates you to run Soul Theatre?

It is part of my soul to help others, and I have talents I think can benefit others. I had a life-changing car accident 23 years ago. I died three times in the back of the ambulance, so I have to believe that there is a reason for my existence. It’s Soul Theatre’s mission to  “represent the misunderstood, the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised by educating and enlightening our audience, confronting attitudes of narrow mindedness, bigotry, injustice and ignorance.”

I believe education is an antidote to bigotry. Through Soul Theatre I aim to have an impact on our world, as well as showing that a brain-injured individual can make a difference.

What role do you think theatre can play in social change?

Theatre, like any art, engages the emotions. Emotions trigger cognitive functioning, emotions influence people’s behaviour – it’s much more effective than facts and figures. Emotions drive our society.

All art is about communicating. For me, the performing arts are the most powerful. People learn through different senses – visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, emotional. Theatre engages all of these, and involves actual people that the audience can relate to. So theatre can have a long lasting impact on audiences, and give them those ‘wow’ moments where thinking changes.

I also think if you give people an entertaining, pleasurable experience, they are more likely to learn. People’s resistance to learning is reduced when they are in a state of enjoyment.

Can you tell us about the Climamania Project?

The Climamania Project explores the emotional terrain of climate change through theatre and music. The term Climamania was chosen to reflect the somewhat manic response to the climate pattern changes that we’re starting to experience.

The Climamania Project is an umbrella for a number of productions. Later this year Soul Theatre will be presenting The Contingency Plan by UK playwright Steve Waters. This play received great reviews in the UK, and this will be the first time it is shown in Australia. Other activities will follow, with a festival of short plays and music planned.

The Climamania Launch on 18 March will include music, performance, comedy, and a presentation by Beyond Zero Emissions. The main aim is to educate and inform people about climate change – but without too many dry facts, instead using art and cultural media as more provocative, more inspiring and deeper vehicles for shaping society’s perceptions and actions around global crises.

Would you give any tips to others who are using the arts in pursuit of social change?

It takes a lot of perseverance! I believe in the ripple effect – the power and influence of our acts, spreading to many others. It’s the web of life. Persist, and work with others. It’s too important to humanity to give up.

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About Alicia Liley
Alicia Liley was accepted by Actors Equity in 1990 and has worked in theatre, television, radio and film. She was the presenter in the film Remember Me that won The World Medal at The New York Festival in 1995 and also in that same year won The Silver Hugo Award: Most Prestigious Education Award in the World at the Chicago Film and Television Festival. Alica’s story was filmed for the hour long documentary “Alicia” that has been screened six times nationally from 1996 to 2000 as well as internationally several times. Alicia founded Soul Theatre Inc in 1994.

The Launch of the Climamania Project will be at the Athol Gill Centre, 100 Hodgkinson Street, Clifton Hill, from 6pm – 10pm on Sunday 18 March. Performers will include Bob Sedergreen, Rod Quantock, Carl Pannuzzo, Penny Larkins, Brendan Gray, Julia Sutherland, Cameron Semmens, Lia Avene, Boori Monty Pryor and more. Beyond Zero Emissions are leaders in the national conversation around climate change solutions and will also be presenting on the night.

See Soul Theatre for more information and registration details.

Melbourne Campaigners’ Network is a regular networking and development opportunity for campaigners, organisers and activists. Topics reflect the interests of participants. The next event is the Art and Campaigning forum co-presented with Arena Project Space on Thursday 15 March. We’ll take a break over April and be back with Theories of Change on Thursday 10 May. Got an idea for a future topic? Or interested in presenting to a group of your peers? Please get in touch!

Here’s some information about the campaigns profiled at the February MCN…

The Last Stand

The Last Stand is an action-focused environmental organisation committed to nonviolence and utilising direct action, social media, and fun, creative campaigning. The Last Stand is campaigning to make Harvey Norman and other leading retailers make a commitment to stop selling furniture and other products sourced from timber from native forests.  TLS hopes to inspire and provide resources for activists across Australia to join in creative direct action.

Get involved  

• Visit The Last Stand for updates, and follow and share campaign info on Facebook and Twitter
• Participate in the online action on Ta Ann Tasmania to stop driving forest destruction
• Contact TLS to get involved in on the ground action
• Check out Vulture Jam, a project to inspire activists and share resources for street art

Public Schools For Our Future

Public Schools For Our Future is campaigning for a critical increase in investment in the public school system by the federal government to ensure every child can get a great education. A national review of school funding arrangements has been completed by David Gonski and new legislation will be introduced this year that will govern school funding into the future. Public schools only receive one third of Federal Government schools funding, even though they teach two thirds of our children. Taxpayer funding for private schools has also been increasing at a higher rate than for public schools since 2001. We need a new funding system that ensures there are public schools of the highest quality in every community.

Get involved

• Visit the For Our Future website, join on Facebook, and follow @ps_forourfuture on Twitter
• Send a message to the Prime Minister and let her know it’s time to invest in public schools.

Every Australian Counts

Every Australian Counts is the campaign for a National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS will make it easier for people to access essential care, support, therapy, equipment, early intervention and training. The NDIS was recommended by the Productivity Commission and has strong public support with over 108,000 registered campaign supporters. Every Australian Counts is campaigning for the government to Make the NDIS Real in 2012. The campaign includes public advocacy, community awareness raising, lobbying of MPs, social media actions and public forums.

Get involved

• Sign up as a campaign supporter and tell your friends
• Talk to your MP about why the NDIS is important to you
• Keep an eye on the website, Facebook and Twitter for future actions

Repower Australia

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) aims to build a generation-wide movement to solve the climate crisis. Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) is showing support for 100% renewable energy by holding ‘Repower’ events all across Australia, which raise money to ‘Repower’ local pubs, cafes, and other community venues. These events reduce emissions at a local level, they educate our communities about the fact that 100% renewable energy is possible, and they show our politicians and media that we are a growing movement of people who want action on climate change.

Get involved

• Sign up to hold an event as part of the ‘Repower Australia’ campaign or attend an event near you
• Sign the ‘Repower’ petition
• Visit the website and follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter

World Vision

World Vision works to eliminate poverty globally, including through campaigns  such as Don’t Trade Lives and Child Health Now. Don’t Trade Lives is an advocacy campaign seeking to unite Australians against human trafficking and slavery. Working together, Australians can create change, asking governments to strengthen anti-trafficking policies and petitioning industries to make changes to help eradicate child labour. World Vision’s global campaign Child Health Now is the culmination of 50 years of experience caring for children and their communities. The health of mothers and children can be improved through simple, affordable and achievable means. Get involved in the campaign and help bring an end to preventable child deaths in the world’s poorest countries.

Get involved

• Join the campaigns and subscribe for updates on Don’t Trade Lives and Child Health Now
• Take action for Child Health Now by sending a message to the Prime Minister

Quit Coal

Quit Coal campaigns against expansion of the coal industry in Victoria. Building new coal infrastructure locks in decades of dirty, old technology, when we should be moving towards clean, renewable energy. Quit Coal is running three campaigns in 2012:

• No CSG in Vic – putting the brakes on dangerous coal seam gas mining
• Stop HRL  – preventing the construction of a dirty polluting brown coal gas power station in the Latrobe Valley
• No New Coal Bacchus Marsh – supporting the local campaign to stop Mantle Mining and Exergen from turning  prime agricultural and residential land into an open cut coal mine

Get involved

• Sign the petition for a moratorium on coal seam gas mining in Victoria
• Visit the website, join the mailing list, follow on Facebook and Twitter
• Get along to a collective meeting and join in upcoming actions.

NUW Poultry Campaign

The National Union of Workers (NUW) is running an industry campaign to improve the wages and conditions of poultry workers in Australia. Poultry work is often hard, poorly paid, with little job security. Unionised workplaces have better wages and conditions than non-union workplaces and the NUW is working to improve conditions across the whole industry.

Get involved

• Join your union – the NUW is the union for poultry workers
• Already a member? Get active in the poultry campaign
• Look out for ways you can support a better deal for poultry workers – community support made a big difference in the Baiada campaign

Anti-nuclear and Clean Energy Campaign

Friends of the Earth Anti-nuclear & Clean Energy (ACE) collective campaigns on uranium mining, nuclear waste, and nuclear power. On 11 March 2012 — one year since the start of the Fukushima nuclear disaster — Australians will take part in a national day of action to end uranium mining. The Federal Government has confirmed that Australian uranium was in at least five of the six reactors at Fukushima at the time of the accident. There is only one responsible course of action: to avert a future nuclear catastrophe by ending the mining and export of uranium by Australia.

Get involved

• Visit the ACE website to find out the facts about on uranium mining, nuclear waste, and nuclear power  and visit the Facebook page for news
• Get involved in the ACE collective and/or donate online
• Take action on the 11 March, 1pm at State Library of Victoria – or other events around the country

Change.org

Change.org is a social action platform that empowers anyone, anywhere to start, join, and win campaigns for social change. Millions of people sign petitions on Change.org each month on thousands of issues, winning campaigns every day to advance change locally and globally. Change.org launched in Australia six months ago and already has a community of 150,000 people. Change.org has been taken up as a tool to mobilise people on a range of issues including ending the ‘gay panic’ defence in Queensland, targeting advertisers on Kyle Sandiland’s radio show, and advocating for Baiada poultry workers’ safety and job security.

Get involved

• Visit Change.org to take action on issues you care about, and find out about recent victories
• Set up your own petition right now

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Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, by Saul Alinsky, is essential reading for any radical who wants to create real change in the world. The book contains Alinsky’s codification of the ‘organising model’ of community change, and is generally considered the key text in the development of community organising. Rules for Radicals was published in 1971 and Alinsky drew on his experiences as a community organiser working with poorer and African American communities throughout the United States from the 1930s.

Alinsky’s organising model is based on the idea of generating durable power for an organisation through bringing communities together to act collectively for common goals. The model is now used in many unions and community organisations around the world and this book is an important resource for anyone who wants to do community organising well.

Alinsky covers a range of topics in Rules for Radicals, including discussions on the purpose of radical movements, ‘means and ends’ in campaigning, choosing issues to organise around, selecting targets, getting campaigns going, developing tactics, and communication strategies.

In developing this model, Alinsky develops what he calls a ‘pragmatic primer for realistic radicals’. It is designed to allow radicals to know “the difference between being a realistic radical and being a rhetorical radical”. Throughout the text he looks at pragmatic ways organisations and radicals can work to create change. For example, when discussing tactics he suggests:

“For an elementary illustration of tactics, take parts of your face as the point of reference; your eyes, your ears and your nose. First the eyes; if you have organised a vast, mass-based people’s organisation, you can parade it visibly before the enemy and openly show your power. Second the ears; if your organisation is small in numbers, then do what Gideon did: conceal the members in the dark but raise a din and clamor that will make the listener believe that your organisation numbers many more than it does. Third, the nose; if your organisation is too tiny even for noise, stink up the place.”

Using this practical basis, Alinsky outlines the realistic ways organisations can develop campaigns. One of the most interesting areas in this discussion is his work on how radical organisations can justify means in order to achieve their ends. When discussing means and ends, Alinsky states:

“That perennial question, “Does the end justify the means?” is meaningless as it stands; the real and only question regarding the ethics of means and ends is, and always has been, “Does this particular end justify this particular mean?”

In other words, Alinsky argues that there are no clear lines for defining what ‘justifiable means’ are, but rather that justification is dependent on the context of the campaign and issue. This is particularly relevant given the power structures in our society, where those who are fighting for change (who are often the ones who get caught up in discussions about the ethics of means and ends) are fighting against people with a large amount of power who often have little care about the ethics of their means. Alinsky therefore states that:

“The practical revolutionary will understand Goethe’s “conscience is the virtue of observers and not of agents of action”; in action, one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one’s individual conscience and the good of mankind (sic). The choice must always be for the latter.”

Alinsky develops this idea further by outlining a range of rules for how organisations can determine the ethics of their means and ends. Two key rules are:

“The third rule of the ethics of means and ends is that in war the end justifies almost any means.”
“The ninth rule of the ethics of means and ends is that any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition as being unethical.”

The discussion on means and ends is just one area where Alinsky challenges much of the dominant discourse around movements for change. Throughout his work, Alinsky argues that much of our strategic decisions about ethics are made out of context, and that this is not a practical way to achieve change. And this is what is so important about his work. In many ways Alinsky’s work is an analysis of flawed approaches to social change (even today) and a call out for change. The great thing is that he also provides realistic, radicals ways for this to be achieved.

Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals is an essential work for any realistic radical. If you are working to create change in your community, make sure you get a copy. 5 stars!

About the reviewer

Simon Copland works and studies in science communication at the ANU. Simon has worked in environmental campaigns at University and been active in the ACT Greens since 2007. He is also a committed unionist and queer activist and the political editor for the ACT based queer magazine, FUSE.

The Melbourne Campaigner’s Network is a monthly gathering for campaigners, activists, and organisers to discuss ideas, exchange resources and discover new approaches to social change.

Four great speakers confirmed:

• Tom Civil, community graphic designer and artist
• Arlene TextaQueen, Australia’s felt-tip super-heroine
• Van Thanh Rudd, artist and activist
• Jessie Boylan, photomedia artist

The March MCN will explore the connection between art and campaigning. Come along to:

• Explore how art can be used in a campaign – to make injustice visible, raise awareness, amplify concerns, gain support, build the movement and put pressure on power-holders.
• See examples of how art has been used effectively in past campaigns.
• Hear from artists producing work in support of struggles for social and environmental justice.
• Find out how to work with artists to improve the effectiveness of your campaigning.

The session is a collaboration between Melbourne Campaigners’ Network and Arena Project Space and includes display of political artworks, a panel of artists, and the usual discussion and networking.

Location:  Arena Project Space, 2 Kerr St Fitzroy
Time:  6pm til 8pm.
Date:  Thursday 15 March
Further info:  Holly Hammond – call 0421 508 446 or via the Contact page.
Twitter:  #melbcamp   @Holly_PTW