Non Violent Direct Action 101

Core Foundations & Direct Action: (4 hours)

From Industrial Workers of the World and the use of slow-downs, to Black Panthers distribution of free breakfast to children, to the early years of Earth First! unrolling a plastic "crack" down the Glen Canyon dam, Direct Action has a rich history. Often, our institutions perpetuate oppression and exploitation and global corporatism erodes any respect for the sacred quality of life. Our society has proven that "traditional channels" of redress are wholly incapable of delivering anything remotely close to justice, fairness, or equality. Other methods are needed in order to assert our humanity, our deeply held values, and an affirmation of the worth of all life.

What is direct action? This training goes over the basics of how to use direct action effectively and strategically. Skills covered include: forming affinity groups, de-escalation and conflict management, consensus, legal, strategic action planning. This training will provide an introduction to pulling off direct actions, explores what makes an action effective, how to work as a group in a direct action context, action preparation and roles, and features many interactive role plays based on real life scenarios.

This training can be adapted according to the needs and experience of the group.