Developing effective strategies
From WRIWiki
To develop a an effective campaign strategy, a group should be excited about the power and possibilities nonviolent campaigns have. The following exercises can help groups discover the effectiveness of campaigns, and give them an understanding of how change happens.
Exercises – Use either 10/10 Strategies or the discussion on “How does change happen”” to help a group share their own knowledge of campaigns. To go more into depth, the group can use case studies.
(30 min)10/10 Strategies - This exercise helps people learn about the rich history of nonviolent campaigns, getting a better understanding of campaigns, tactics and movements. Break into small groups of 5-6. One person in each group needs to list numbers 1 to 10 on a piece of paper. Groups are “competing” with one another to see who can do the task in the fastest time, as opposed to our usual cooperative style. Each group is to list 10 wars as quickly as possible, raising their hands when they are done. Facilitator should note the time. Then ask them to list 10 nonviolent campaigns, and again raise their hands when done. Note how it takes longer to come up with the campaigns then the wars (which we will not talk about here). Starting with the “winning” group, write their list of nonviolent campaigns on a wall chart. Ask other groups to add to the list. (There will probably be a mix of movements, tactics, campaigns, etc. List them all and then use the list to explain the differences so people learn about strategic processes and how effective strategies develop. For example, the list may include “anti-apartheid” ( movement), “Salt March” (a campaign) and “sit-ins” (a tactic). Use the list, and the participants as much as possible, to describe components of campaigns, identify tactics, and describe what makes a movement. Use a well known campaign as a case study to learn about strategic development of nonviolent campaigns.
Time: Takes 10 minutes for set up, small group exercise and to list on wall chart. Discussion time can be 20 minutes, although could be longer or shorter depending on available time. 30 minutes total works well.
How does change happen? To get a group thinking about what has happened in the past, ask them what effective campaigns they know about and what made them effective. Create a check list from their responses.
Case Studies – Learning from what’s been done
Learning about effective nonviolent campaigns helps us understand the process of achieving a victory. Case studies are not blue-prints for what to do, but stories that can teach and inspire us, showing us the determination and patience of successful nonviolent campaigns. See the Resources for films and books that describe nonviolent campaigns, or use some of the stories told in this handbook.
