Imagine that an organised social movement is the left hand and an NGO is the right hand. They can function independently of one another. But when working together they can collaborate to complete more complex tasks. Social movements do not need NGOs to be formed, to sustain or to succeed just as NGOs do not need to be affiliated with social movements to reach their aims. But both can present the other with great advantages and together we are able to make more sweeping changes. We believe that the added value of NGO's and social movements collaborating is about using each other’s strengths - that is, be able to take risks, sustain for longer and grow in mass, together. ActionAid has a long tradition of community organising, with grassroots organising and direct-action at its core and a recognition that empowerment, social movement building and community organising takes time. But how can we ensure that we continue to be meaningful allies to social movements and offer the needed support? This short paper presents our take on how NGO’s and social movements can meaningfully join hands. More specifically how we as NGO’s can offer support based on the needs of the movements themselves. It presents five support mechanisms followed by concrete examples of how we are supporting and working with social movements. It is in no way elaborate to the full of our work but should provide a short flash and inspiration to how to strengthen the ties between NGO’s and social movements.
1. KNOWLEDGE ‘FROM DOING’ - CONNECTING PEOPLE, MOVEMENTS AND CAUSES Only a small percentage of organisers can commit more than 10 hours a week to their movements. Still fewer are those who can rely on a salary as an organiser and commit full-time. Most materials designed for organisers cater to these “die-hards.” Few are designed primarily with the average, stressed, overworked, underpaid human giving only an hour or two each week in mind — yet these are the majority population of most movements. As an INGO we have the opportunity to support the proliferation of knowledge on movements and amongst them. Demystifying assumptions about people power and explore viral ways to spark curiosity of the nuances of movements. We are working with movements across the globe to support sharing of experience and knowledge between movements. An important principle to that ideal is that you learn from the street on the street – not behind desks or piles of paper. Structured around forming a safe space for sharing skills, strategies and experiences, we have been convening social movement leaders regionally and globally for the past four years. Using our resources and infrastructure to connect people and their movements in their own capacities (and not necessarily on an ActionAid policy agenda), not only legitimize our work with them, but also enable us to learn better about their specific needs to adjust our support and collaboration with social movements.
// Global People Power Forum [example] Mobilising and consolidating people’s collective power has emerged as one of those powerful ways through which to make change happen. In collaboration with scholars, activists, movement leaders and organisers, ActionAid organised a Global People Power Forum in 2019. Here senior leaders from ActionAid and experienced global activists had series of learning conversations to deepen their joint understanding of how to support and work with peoples movements, not only to benefit ActionAid's own mandate, but also create a platform where people representatives can come together to learn from each other.
// Online Organising Courses [example] As part of curating knowledge between movements we have created the first in a line of online modules that covers the nuances of how to organise effectively. The purpose of the first course, called “Why, what, how organising?” is not to go into great depth on organising, but to touch upon the surface in order for people to understand what organising is, why it is important, how it can work in practice and reflect on where they fit into this bigger picture. Its short and concrete, so activists can take it, even in a busy life on the front line of social change. You can take the course here.
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2. ORGANISING - LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR LONG TERM STRUGGLE Organising is about leadership that enables people to turn the resources they have into the power they need to make the change they want. Building and nurturing leadership within movements is key to sustaining and growing people power. It is about a shared story, strategy and action – maintained in a net of relationships and enabled through a culture of trust. Mentorships, coaching and organisational support can all be helpful when developing that leadership, but it requires a long term and timely investment in specific individuals and an understanding of the level of engagement required for building and maintaining relationships.
// Welcome to Denmark – and the Danish refugee movement [example] ActionAid Denmark has a historic footing in the Danish refugee movement. Started as an organisation working to secure the rights and human dignity of German refugees after WWII, to hosting and supporting newer action wings of the movement, more recently by hosting the secretariat of both Kirke Asyl (Church Asylum) and Welcome To Denmark for shorter periods. Staff of ActionAid Denmark has played a pivotal role in supporting the movement with trainings on campaign and movement strategies as well as action design. In the case of Welcome To Denmark and Venligboerne ActionAid Denmark has hosted a number of strategic workshops to support critical decisions about identity and strategy. For Welcome To Denmark this led to the decision to develop into a nonviolent direct action wing of the movement and for Venligboerne it led to closing some of its volunteer initiatives and focus resources on what makes most sense at the moment and help build momentum further, namely supporting family reunion of refugee children and minors.
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// The Alliance supporting an LGBT+ movement in East Africa [example] To challenge stigma and discrimination towards LGBT+ people in Kenya and Uganda and to amplify the voices of the LGBT+ activists we have dedicated ourselves to supporting the creation and growth of a sustainable social movement called The Alliance. The movement is between unusual but powerful actors: progressive, influential community leaders from the political, religious and media arenas, and proven LGBT+ activists. The main aim is to create a critical mass of powerful advocates to demand anti-discrimination laws. Starting in 2017 and still ongoing, we have built the capacity of activists from 40 LGBT+ organisations from Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria in campaign strategy and online mobilising, movement building and holistic security. These activists have created songs and videos, social media campaigns, published coming-out blog posts and secured funding for their own work. The Alliance allowed LGBT+ activists and allied religious leaders of different denominations to create a safe space and jointly advocate for LGBT+ rights.
Some of the LGBT+ alliance members from Kenya.
3. SUPPORTING THE FRONT LINES - DIRECT ACTION SUPPORT, SAFETY AND RAPID RESPONSE Based on our experiences from working in sensitive contexts, we have built a practice of tools and skills to ensure that those movements we work with are effective & safe. There is a fine balance between limiting yourself because of fear of repression and staying safe. We have also experienced a clash between social movements need for flexible support and NGO’s need for accountability. To accommodate both sides we have established a number of initiatives: 4
One is a Rapid Response Fund where we seek to support activists in danger with funds and other help for short time spans until larger Human Rights Defender organisations can step in and provide long term support. Another is the Get Up, Rise Up Fund - a direct action fund to support activists globally to shift power through nonviolent direct actions.
// Rapid Response [example] Working with social movement activists in repressive political contexts also require fast response mechanisms for the times (and they will come) when activists needs support – from legal support or escaping the country for a while. In 2016 one of the leaders of the Jobless Brotherhood in Uganda (an ActionAid partner) was abducted by civil disguised military intelligence outside his home and went missing for 5 days. We supported a public campaign – declaring his death – ultimately giving the authorities no other choice than to release him (or the campaign would have been right). After his release ActionAid supported his medical treatment after having been severely tortured during his abduction. A fast response is not only and always about getting people to safety – in this case it can also be a matter of mobilising a solidarity campaign that can help you put pressure on your target and by that making repression backfire. Read about how repression can backfire - or the principle of putting your target in a decision dilemma in the Beautiful Rising toolbox.
// Flexible resources and organisational infrastructure [example] Organisations like ActionAid have a stream of funds and resources that, despite donor requirements, can travel far when they are bend in favour of social movements support. It is seldom that social movement actually asks for or require financial support, but smaller and more flexible funds can usually come in handy. When student leaders in Kinshasa in DRC fell short of catering for a two week sit in, a small donation of $200 got the protests sustained and more people joining. But sometimes it is other resources than money that NGOs like ActionAid can offer or bend in social movements favour. When the Refugees Movement in Denmark experienced the biggest mobilisation moment in its history, ActionAid Denmark opened its doors at the Global Platform in Copenhagen to provide an office space to host a 24-hour open secretariat.
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Public meeting at ActionAid Denmark during the Refugee Crisis in 2015.
4. CAMPAIGNING - STRATEGIC TOOLS, TRAININGS AND CREATIVE ACTION DESIGN There is a lot of theory and tools on campaign planning, but nevertheless it is still very challenging to get it right. A good campaign needs to be detailed, the objectives specific, their targets well defined, and have a clear and straightforward message. Campaigns must correspond to changing environments but must also support the long-term strategy. When poor planning produces ineffective campaigns, you face a tough choice - to either continue an ineffective campaign or to cut your losses short. We have gathered a lot of experiences from making bad campaigns, but we make sure to learn from our mistakes. To support movements in building effective campaigns we have a strong network of highly experienced organisers. Together with them we run trainings, webinars, recommend books, offer online tools, creative card games and role plays, all centred around building and strategizing effective campaigns.
// Campaigning against metallic mining [example] In 2017 El Salvador became the first country in the world to ban all forms of mining. Since 2011 Global Platform El Salvador has played a key role in supporting the movement against metallic mining, through various strategic ways of supporting, involving and organising young people in the struggle. The first youth groups involved in the work against metallic mining in 2011 were formed by participants in trainings offered by the platform. Since 2011 the platform has led and supported many thematic environment-related campaigns and specifically three youth-driven campaigns aimed directly at banning metallic mining: ‘Stop Cerro Blanco’ (the name of a polluting 6
goldmine shut down in 2014), ‘Ni una mina mas’ (‘No more mines’) and ‘ES libre de minas’ (‘an El Salvador without mines’). Some of the main activities have been supporting the campaigns through relevant trainings (Campaign strategy, Social Media, Creative Activism and more) and supporting young leaders, who have gained confidence and experience in speaking on behalf of their local communities and as representatives of young people in El Salvador in general. The platform has been a vital hub for youth activism and strategic campaign development and trainings. But the platform has, with its resources also been a part of the movement, by not only supporting frontline activists and strategic work, but also initiating and leading campaigns under the movements banner of abolishing mines.
// Beautiful Trouble [example] Using the Beautiful Trouble (www.beautifultrouble.org) deck of cards, activists in Apaa, a northern region of Uganda – got ideas and inspirations for how to plan a month-long occupation of the regional UN office. The occupation was meant to direct attention and demands to the repression of the local community by regional police and military forces. This is just one example of a touchpoint of the Beautiful Trouble toolkit that is co-developed with activists for better strategic action design and planning. The toolkit is accessible online in four different languages, and through a chatbot, as a downloadable customised PDF or through 8 different language translated books – the most recent specifically with collections of learnings from the global south in “Beautiful Rising – Creative Resistance from the Global South”. The Beautiful Trouble universe exists in stories by and for activists. With every new campaign and social movement, there is a story to be told about success and failures. There are strategic lessons to be learnt that are crucial for other activists. This makes the toolbox, not only unique in its richness of stories from the grassroots and frontlines, but also as a method that seeks accountability between activists and not from activists to a specific donor.
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5. ACTS OF SOLIDARITY - BUILDING RELATIONSHIP BY STANDING TOGETHER IN THE STRUGGLE Solidarity is a core principle when building people power. “Acting in solidarity” might not on paper be much different from “usual” programmatic support, but requires organizational flexibility and agility adjusted to the context of social movements that are more fluid and sometimes in direct opposition with the political status quo (See also AADK position paper on Social Movements). Sometimes acts of solidarity require that we show our support by engaging in specific actions with others on their agenda.
// Acting in solidarity with ActionAid Uganda [example] When ActionAid Uganda and its core allies were targeted by government repression rapid actions were taken to build pressure on key targets. This was done through statements to embassies and regional and international bodies, but also in Denmark where we gathered in protest in front of the Ugandan embassy. Coming together as a federation has a big value in such moments. We believe that the continuous relationships with movements (internationally and locally in Denmark) in collaboration with more traditional advocacy and programming work is a core enabling factor for such moments.
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