James is co-founder of the Change Agency and director of our Community Organising Fellowship.
Facilitating group learning: Strategies for success with adult learners
This book defines principles and techniques for teaching adults in groups and includes illustrative stories from the experiences of the author. It deals with issues of diversity, as well as authenticity and emotions in group learning. This book describes how to...
Getting politicians’ attention
Tips and resources for lobbying, including meeting and contact elected representatives, writing letters, sending emails, phone calls, contacting newspapers, etc.
Ecoevolutionaries
The living world is not ‘out there’ somewhere, it’s in our hearts. Our work combines Ecopsychology with Sustainability Education, to nourish you on a journey of Self discovery that can transform our world. We weave the Personal, our Earthly clay bodies – values,...
Earth Spirit Action
Short film featuring Starhawk, Vandana Shiva, Ruth Rosenhek, John Seed and Matthew Fox speaking on deep ecology, living democracy and revolution in consciousness in a discussion of the type of change that needs to take place for a sustainable future.
Earth Affinity workshops
Through a series of experiential processes, we: Connect with our inner responses to the condition of our world Connect with one another Connect with our passion for all life and our power to protect it and Become empowered and inspired to take new action for social...
Dynamic groups, dynamic learning
The only ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ Creative Facilitation and Teacher Training Course in Australia that’s open to the general public this year will be at Crystal Waters Permaculture EcoVillage from 13th to 18th October. Robin loves presenting this course in...
Diversity is inefficient
We shouldn’t bother with diversity unless we plan to make the time to be inclusive. Because diversity without inclusion backfires. Almost always. Over and over again I’ve seen people with the best intentions of building racial bridges horrified to see...
Community empowerment key words
These are not definitions, but notes about concepts related to empowering low income communities. They are directed first to community field workers, but will be of interest to planners, activists, academics, students, researchers, programmers, managers and...
Give racism the finger (campaign evaluation)
Campaign evaluations are few and far between. Relatively few campaigners even document their campaigns! We’re pleased to link to Priscilla Brice-Weller’s evaluation of the ‘Give racism the finger’ campaign.
Cacophany: Why digital activism isnt helping America
The US is mired in some of the most toxic and unproductive politics in recent memory. The author of this report argues that America’s democracy and pluralism make digital activism less effective at bringing about dramatic change.
Community Engagement to Facilitate Legitimise and Accelerate the Advancement of GMOs in Australia
Despite promises that community engagement activities will enable policy makers to identify complex and contested community attitudes, and that these will be included as part of the policy making process, a closer look at Australia’s engagement activities reveals...
Community empowerment training modules
Phil Bartle’s great collection of training modules at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels on topics including: principles of community empowerment; mobilization, skills in moving and organizing a community to act; participatory appraisal…
Community building and community organising
Sandy O’Donnell and Ellen Schumer examine the problem of organizing in housing and community development. The Shelterforce website is a great online resource for community organizers.
Coming out as a working class man (George Lakey)
Classism is more powerful (and more subtle) than most middle class activists realize. Activist groups can grow by changing their internal culture to encourage members who were brought up working class to be who they fully are.
Popular education South Africa
This site is concerned with popular education in past, present and future: links to organisations dealing with popular education in other parts of the world; a library of documents, visual, auditory and print information about past and present popular education...
Collective book on collective process
A handbook on group process for egalitarian collectives. Its focus is on the often unrecognised negative dynamics that can occur when people try to work collectively. it is a collaborative work-in-progress, and everybody is invited to contribute.
Collaborative process to develop your theory of change
Les Robinson’s engaging and collaborative method for designing programs to tackle complex social and environmental problems: to “mobilise and process the contributions of diverse participants… scalable from small to large programs…
Class matters
“Often the paid organizers in low-income communities come from professional middle-class backgrounds. I worked as a community organizer for many years, and the class dynamics can be tricky…”