Social Action
Below find a list of activities and session modules focused on social action. Some of these appear in the six session curriculum; others can be used once your group has finished it. Visit our Facebook page for more ideas.
Read suggestions from others and suggest your own ideas here!
Take the Transition Challenge
During the month of May, join thousands of people across the US taking action to rise to the challenge of food, water, and energy independence. Thousands of landscapes and homes will be transformed, retrofitted and revitalized as part of the Transition Challenge. Thousands of us will take to the streets, the garden, schoolyard, home, apartment […]
Redwood City Resilience Circle Joins Fight Against Prison Expansion
The Redwood City Resilience Circle joined other local groups in opposing the construction of a new jail in San Mateo. Read more about this effort here. See their letter below. Submitted to [email protected]: Please include our group on the list of public endorsements for your letter to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors found […]
June 16 – Newburyport Community Resilience Circles Kick Off “Citizens for Sustainable Bagging”
Members of Transition Newburyport and two local Community Resilience Circles are kicking off an initiative to move our coastal community past single-use plastic bags. An initial meeting will be held to discuss strategies on Saturday, June 16, 1 pm at Central Congregational Church, 14 Titcomb Street, Newburyport. Marjorie Green from Hanover, NH will be talking […]
What is An Affinity Group?
Download as a PDF What is an Affinity Group? An affinity group is a small group of people who support each other and work together to change the world. Social activism can be tough work. Acting alone, we may feel powerless to create real change. An affinity group can provide practical support as well as […]
Five Tips for Forming an Affinity Group
Download as a PDF 1. Start where you are. Can you think of five people who might want to form an affinity group? Congratulations, you’re half-way there! Bring those five folks together for dinner to talk about reaching five more. Can you think of three, or just one? That’s okay! Do the same thing – […]
Corporations Are Not People! Bank of America Showdown, Redwood City, CA
If corporations are people, can they get married? The Mid-Peninsula America Dream Council sponsored this creative direct action with members of the Redwood City Resilience Circle. Related items: February 13, 15 and 21 – New Common Security Circles Meet in Redwood City Common Security Circles Form in Redwood City, CA January 30 – Redwood City, CA […]
Resources for Affinity Groups
What is an Affinity Group? (One-Pager) 5 Tips for Forming an Affinity Group A Guide for Your First Meeting (PDF) Direct Action Roles for Affinity Groups Using Consensus Decision-Making, from War Resisters’ International Facilitation Tips Small Groups in Larger Group Structures: How Small Groups Can Power Big Change, by Sarah Byrnes, YES! Magazine Globalize Liberation: 5 […]
The World Designed by God, John Paul II
“The World designed by God cannot be a world in which some hoard immoderate wealth in their hands, while others suffer from destitution and poverty, and die of hunger. Love must inspire justice and the struggle for justice.” – Pope John Paul II, via JustFaith Related items: On Waking, John O’Donohue The Sustainable World Sourcebook […]
Maryland Circles Attend Tar Sands Protests
August, 2011 In August 2011, members of the Greenbelt Circle attended the Tar Sands Protests in Washington DC and “American Dream” Town Meetings about jobs and the economy. The Circle helped members see how climate change and economic struggles are interconnected, and that the over-influence of corporations in our democracy is at the root of […]
Whatcom Folk School Launched
from the Transition United States website Bellingham, WA – Whatcom Folk School has printed its first free catalog of summer classes with about 65 classes and 50 instructors. First classes start in June and include topics such as Fermentation of Foods, Tree Climbing with Gear; Woodworking Skill Building for Women, Ayurvedic Medicine, Homebrewing of Beer, […]
Help Pass the Bottle Bill! July 20th Massachusetts State House
The Bottle Bill is the State’s most successful recycling and litter prevention program. Since the Bottle Bill’s inception in 1983, over 35 billion containers have been redeemed, contributing to a healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities, and a stronger economy. But to keep up with the times and consumer tastes, the bottle bill must be […]
Supporting the DISCLOSE Act
Resilience Circle organizers Veronica Palmer and Aaron Castle pose as “Liberty under Siege” to help collect signatures for the California DISCLOSE Act at the Redwood City Parade. Participants in the Resilience Circle at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City California (UUFRC) voted to focus on corporate personhood as their first social action project. As […]
Video: We’re Not Broke, Just Twisted
Extreme Wealth Inequality in America Via inequality.org Related items: Video: The Spirit Level – Income Inequality & Social Justice Video: If the Federal Budget Were Oreos… by Ben Cohen Video: Smart Security, Not War Video: Go Figure – What Would It Cost to Save the World? Video: What’s the Economy For, Anyway?
Action Ideas: Budgeting & Debt Reduction
Resilience Circles can be a place where we support one another to get our personal financial situations in better shape. Below are some of the activities that clubs have done to support one another. 1. Assess Your Debt Take inventory of your debt. Is your debt a serious issue? Take this confidential Debtor’s Anonymous quiz […]
31 Ways to Jumpstart the Local Economy by Sarah Van Gelder
AT HOME Rent out a room in your home, or swap space for gardening, child or elder care, or carpentry. Buy less so you can buy higher quality. Buy from companies that “internalize” costs by passing along to you the cost of living wages, low carbon footprints, or organic production. Take your money out of […]
