Nonviolent Direct Action, Creative Protest and Planning Effective Campaigns Workshop

Space is limited, so register by sending an email to tasc@web.ca We will send location details (we will be in an accessible space) after you have registered. Please let us know specific issues you would like to have covered in the workshop. We’ll send some video clips to help get you prepared for the day.

We request that participants be masked to protect yourselves amidst the high rates of respiratory viruses and in support of those immunocompromised members of the community who otherwise cannot attend such indoor gatherings. HEPA filters will be running throughout the day. 

 Presented by Homes not Bombs and the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Ottawa Quakers 

WHY THIS WORKSHOP? Protests are common in Ottawa – Gaza, climate catastrophe, anti-racism, solidarity with LGBTQ2+, anti-poverty – and while many of us are comfortable showing up as long as someone else is organizing them, we tend to forget that there is an artistry and skills set to them, especially those that may involve some level of confrontation or that turn out unexpectedly. Having those skills to fall back on can ensure your safety and keeping the message focused. Just as we wouldn't send someone into surgery without training, having training for political protests and nonviolent direct actions is critical to protect you, your message, and your community. 

The workshop will include discussion, role plays to prepare you for real-life situations, video samples, laughter and, importantly, joy, because to come together to say “NO” to the injustices of the world is an opportunity for us to live in the best of ourselves. 

QUESTIONS CONSIDERED IN THE WORKSHOP This in-depth interactive workshop, facilitated by a Homes not Bombs trainer with decades of experience conducting trainings in schools, prisons, faith groups, anti-globalization convergences, and other venues, will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and legal/political/theatrical literacy you need to carry out successful, creative nonviolent direct actions that go beyond the “Demonstrations 101" box. 

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How nonviolence? 

How has nonviolence worked against dictators and other brutal regimes? 

 How does nonviolent resistance respond to ecological and genocide grief? 

 What is the architecture of building a successful action and campaign? 

 How can we approach effective political action without us/them polarization, by naming and protesting practices which are harmful but refusing to be enemies? 

 How do we make ourselves and our messages accessible to bystanders and opponents? 

 How can we harness the fiercely compassionate power of love, joy, and beloved community even as we face some of the most difficult challenges imaginable? 

 How can humour, theatre, art, and silence be employed as tactics that draw people in and protect the integrity of your gathering? 

How do we engage those with whom we disagree as opponents and not enemies? 

How can nonviolent activists show solidarity with a people who feel they have no other choice but to take up arms? 

How do you de-escalate a tense situation? 

How have the key ideas of the civil rights, women’s liberation, LGBTQ2+, disabled rights, peace and anti-intervention, and anti-colonial mass movements speak to how we organize in Ottawa? 

What is nonviolent civil disobedience? How does it work? What are my rights and responsibilities when I take part in one? What happens if I am arrested? What is it like to be held in custody and to go to court if I am charged? 

 "When the appeal and temptation to violence is most powerful; when the suffering and oppression is greatest; when the desire for vengeance is compelling, that is when we most need to stand up and say as loudly as we can that violence is not the answer! War must stop. Occupation must cease. The siege must be lifted. The struggle for freedom, equality and self determination must continue, yes, but with different methods and without violence, destruction, or bloodshed.”– Mubarak Awad and Jonathan Kuttab, Nonviolence International, on the Palestinian liberation struggle.