How Does Effective Protest Work?
THIS COURSE WILL BE CONDUCTED IN GERMAN! Protest actions are tools to advance social change. Whether through drawing attention or exerting pressure—the approaches are as diverse as the organizations within social movements. In this course, we ask ourselves how we can design our actions as effectively as possible, in alignment with various theories of change.
Different organizations within social movements take on very different roles, occupy niches, and reach out to different people. That's why it's important that actions are not only identity-forming but are also strategically planned with a view of the bigger picture. Actions that are not meaningfully embedded in larger campaigns or long-term political goals have little impact. Therefore, we must ask ourselves: Which tactics bring us closest to our goal and our intermediate objectives? Which demands make sense?
We also deal with the communication surrounding actions: both to the media and to civil society. Because with our actions, we want to reach new people who are outside our bubble.
And even within our actions themselves, we should orient ourselves toward our political ideals: How do we design actions that simultaneously generate attention and pressure and are emancipatory for us as participants? From the type of work structure to the action design itself: How can our actions be accessible and empowering? Because that can also make an action successful—or not. How do we measure the success of our actions and prepare them meaningfully afterward to learn from them? And how do we involve new interested people in the movement?
In the course, different perspectives are illuminated: from grassroots work to professional NGOs.
Modules:
- Different Strategic Logics: Actions in the Ecosystem of Social Movements
- Embedding Actions in Campaigns
- What Are Escalation Levels and Why Are They Important
- Communication Around Actions
- Actions as Entry Points for New Activists
- Emancipatory Design of Actions
- Evaluation and Follow-up of Actions
This course is for you if ...
- ...you enjoy planning actions but sometimes wonder if they achieve the goal you're pursuing.
- ...you have participated in actions but want to learn more about planning.
- ...you are skeptical about various action ideas that your colleagues are passionate about.
- ...you want to learn how to best use protest actions for your campaigns.
Learning objectives
Participants will have an understanding of when and for what actions can be used. They can plan and implement actions as part of a larger strategy. Interfaces with media work are known, and implementation is based on emancipatory and empowering principles.
Trainers
Sara Fromm
Sara (she/they) has been active since 2018 in the German and European climate justice movement in various alliances. She is also organized as an action trainer with Skills for Action and the Workshop for Nonviolent Action. As an action coordinator at the international network Stay Grounded, she also coordinates decentralized and central actions professionally. (www.sarafromm.de)
Kim
Kim (he/him) works full-time as an action campaigner for GP. Since 2009, he has been involved in various groups of the climate justice movement and refugee aid in Germany and Europe. He is part of a trainer collective that offers strategy and action trainings for grassroots groups in the field of socio-ecological transformation.
English 
German