ChangeMakers Podcast · Episode #27 – This is a big moment Episode #27 – COVID-19 has shaken the foundations of life as we know it. There is fear, but is there hope as well? This episode features three stories, about healthcare, mutual aid and green stimulus, that show people making something better out of this difficult time. We speak with Dr. Claire Hooker, from Sydney Health Ethics at the University of Sydney; Professor David Isaacs, one of Australia’s leading…
There are almost limitless interesting readings and resources on ChangeMaking. Here are a few of our favourite readings and tools that you might find useful. We are keen to promote and share interesting resources – so if you have readings you would suggest we share, send us an email to [email protected] or add ideas and suggestions in the comments section below. THINKING ABOUT ACTION Rules for Radicals – Chptr 7 – Tactics – Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals is the most…
Relational meetings are a staple of community organising, where the focus is on building the capacity of leaders and connections between people to build strongly networked groups of diverse people. Nothing beats undertaking a training in relational meetings to understand how they work. We have a video of a relational meeting training delivered for the ‘Organising in a Pandemic’ Series that can be viewed here (after 27 April). The slides can be viewed here. Meanwhile, there are some useful readings….
In our second session of the Organising in a Pandemic series we looked at how we can make change arising out of the crisis created by COVID. We considered the history of economic crises, and then a series of community organising concepts that might be useful for developing issues and claims arising out of this time. Key concepts included listening, cutting the issue and multi-issue claims. The video of the session can be viewed here, and the slides here.
This is the long story behind one of the United Kingdom’s most high profile left wing figures. In this Chat we learn about Owen Jones’s journey into political life, how extra-parliamentary activism shaped him, but also why the British Labour Party matters. Owen Jones is a writer and political commentator in the United Kingdom. He is a columnist for The Guardian and the author of two books, Chavs: the Demonization of the Working Class, The Establishment: And how they…
We are swirling in the midst of a pandemic surrounded by keyboard warriors claiming to know what is going on. This week we speak to one of Australia’s leading infectious disease doctors – Professor David Isaacs – to get a briefing about everything COVID-19, where it came from, what makes it a pandemic, and how to stay safe. Listen by clicking play above, or listen via an app on Apple, PodcastOne or Stitcher – or on most other podcast apps…
We are not where we thought we would be right now. I’m tucked up in my home, probably like you, in self-imposed isolation, aiming to stop the spread of this pernicious, deadly disease that is sweeping the planet right now. It’s a moment where we realise the things we have taken for granted. Seeing our friends, hugging our mum. Even having a robust argument with someone doesn’t quite work on Zoom (and it can be fatal on Twitter). Oh how…
Bonnie Honig is one of the world’s top democratic theorists and is based at Brown University. A scholar and commentator in the United States, Bonnie is the author of numerous books, including Public Things: Democracy in Disrepair, published in 2017. She runs us through her approach to democracy and critical thinking, showing us how it can help us interpret and respond to the crises and shocks that we are experiencing now. Listen by clicking play above, or listen via…
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers gives us the lowdown on what she’s learned about changemaking after more than 25 years at the chalkface of teacher’s unionism in the United States. We explore education reform and the mobilising power of social movements and discover how the election of President Trump invited her to rethink the way she organises. Listen by clicking play above, or listen via an app on Apple, PodcastOne or Stitcher – or on most…
Curious about the remarkable rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and policies like the Green New Deal? We talk to Andrés Bernal about both. Andrés Bernal is an Advisor to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His PhD research focuses on the political economy and policy design of the Green New Deal. Andrés is a proponent of the heterodox school of economic thought known as Modern Monetary Theory. He is a Research Fellow at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity. See: https://www.andres-bernal.com/about Listen…
