RESOURCES FROM FWD+ORGANISE 2021
In December 2021, Australian Progress hosted FWD+Organise 2021 online. The program focused on centring communities with lived experience, highlighting winning case studies during the pandemic and tactics to win on our issues in the upcoming Federal Election.
The conference brought together community organisers and digital campaigners from across Australia and Aotearoa to share practical skills, learn innovative approaches to advocacy, and build lasting collaborations to win systemic change. The program included keynotes, workshops, masterclasses, and expert briefings.
Thank you to all our community who attended, to the presenters who shared resources, and to our friends at The Commons Social Change Library for collating the information and resources shared. If you presented at FWD+Organise 2021 and would like to add to this collection, please get in touch.
Resources
Koketso Moeti is a South African activist and the founder of the digital engagement platform and advocacy organisation amandla.mobi. Amandla.mobi’s main focus is on empowering the voices of low-income Black women in South Africa – one of the most unequal countries in the world.
Koketso was one of the evening keynote speakers on the first day of FWD+Organise 2021. She shared how her path into activism has shaped and continues to shape amandla.mobi’s approach.
Deep Canvassing to Shift Hearts, Mind and Votes
Deep canvass conversations can shift hearts and minds and votes around divisive issues. Caitlin Homrich-Knieling, Deep Canvass Coordinator at We the People Michigan in the United States, presented at FWD+Organise 2021. She shared her story about the success of a deep canvassing approach to rights for undocumented migrants and Medicare for All in Michigan.
Winning Long-game, Collaborative, Grassroots Campaigns: The WA Forest Campaign Experience
Reflections and wisdom from seasoned campaigner, Jess Beckerling from the WA Forest Alliance, who has campaigned for over 20 years to ban logging in native forests. Jess gave an inspiring talk at the FWD + Organise 2021 Conference held by Australia Progress. Here are her learnings from playing the long game.
This article includes photographs from Western Australian Forest Alliance campaigning since 1990.
Home Grown: Mapping Australian Organising Models
Home Grown: Mapping Australian Organising Models was a session presented at FWD+Organise 2021. The session was chaired by Holly Hammond with organising models shared by three organisers: Beth Koch (Australian Conservation Foundation), Jawoon Kim (Results International Australia) and Amanda Atlee (Amnesty International Australia).
The purpose of the session was to introduce a new research project and demonstrate the value of organisers reflecting on and sharing the models they have developed and put into practice.
Organising in a Post-Lockdown World: Events and Training
Session by Jon Ferguson, Community Organiser, Australian Conservation Foundation. For the last 12 years, Jon (he/him) has worked in the Australian union movement, organising and campaigning for better working conditions for union members in various sectors. With a recent move to Brisbane, Jon decided to leverage the skills he had and move into the environmental space, taking on his current role of Community Organiser at the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Digital Accessibility: Making Online Spaces Accessible
With so much organising taking place online, it’s crucial that the spaces we make are accessible to everyone – especially those with disabilities. Here are tips, notes and presentation slides from a session at the FWD + Organise 2021 Conference held by Australian Progress with Manisha Amin from the Centre for Inclusive Design.
Five Lessons from Fair Agenda’s Campaigns for Access to Abortion Care in Australia
Renee Carr, Executive Director at Fair Agenda, shares lessons learned from Fair Agenda’s role in campaigns to win safe and legal access to abortion care in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.
Digital Transformation in Progressive Organisations
Key lessons and insights from the panel, led by Sara Smylie (United Workers Union), Madeleine Holme (Reveille Strategy) and Jack Milroy (Defiance). They each shared about their innovation portfolio, and the wins, failures and lessons they have to share for other organisations trying to do the same. Please note that Reveille Strategy and Defiance are both consultancies that can support organisations looking to progress a digital transformation program.
Tech Tricks and Trends for Your Pandemic Election Campaign
Practical takeaways from Sorcha Rochford’s presentation on how NationBuilder supported customers in running an election campaign and a nonprofit in the midst of the pandemic.
Fast and First: Shifting Narratives through Rapid Response Media Campaigning
Media campaigns can shape or shift mainstream narratives and change policies. Neha Madhok from Democracy in Colour and Aliya Ahmad from the Economic Media Centre presented on rapid response media campaigning. They outlined their response to the racist and heavy-handed over policing of communities of colour and working-class communities in southwest Sydney at the start of the Delta outbreak in 2021. The rapid response media campaign combined with digital tactics shifted the narrative within hours and has continued to shape the discourse.
Local Power: Shifting Power at the Local Level – Candidate School
If community organising is all about building power and all politics is local, why aren’t we paying more attention to shifting power at the level of local government? Here is a case study of organising at a local level: Victorian Trades Hall Council’s Candidate School, focused on changing who gets elected to local office. Session presented by Nadia Montague (Victorian Trades Hall Council)
When Facts Fail: How We Fight Misinformation
Campaigners and communities engaged in struggles for progressive change have long had to face media distortions and publicity operations aimed at promoting backlashes and demobilising their bases of support. Session led by Bridget Todd (UltraViolet / There Are No Girls on the Internet podcast), Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran (Reset Australia) and Chris Cooper (Purpose).
