Taking Action
After reading, sharing and discussing stories about meaningful moments and turning points in people’s lives on the COIN website, you might be wondering what to do next. On this page you will find some ideas about different ways to raise awareness and take action in your local setting, which includes Coffeehouse Conversations and Public Assemblies. These types of events can help publicize how issues related to life altering experiences impact lives and society. You will also find advice here on different approaches from a range of organizations and institutions.
Talking
- This can be as simple as having conversations with friends, family and co-workers about the issues of concern to you.
- The Art of Meaningful Conversation – https://www.ted.com/playlists/211/the_art_of_meaningful_conversa
- 14 Tricks To Better Conversations – https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/14-tricks-better-conversations.html
- Managing conversations when you disagree politically – https://www.apa.org/topics/stress-conversations#
- Experts agree: Don’t avoid political conversations with family members – https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/8/22/16171270/partisanship-politics-discussion-family
Organisations
- Check to see what existing organisations in your local area are working on issues related to life changing events of interest to you. This can be done by searching online (TIP: in a search engine, type the name of your area and the issue you are interested in). Local and regional government websites are also good places to look for information on local organisations.
Local Groups
- “A community group is a group of people who work for the benefit of the public. Community groups may follow a set structure and adopt principles and codes of conduct which it wishes the community to follow”.
- https://www.thirdsectorprotect.co.uk/blog/starting-a-community-group
- https://www.resourcecentre.org.uk/information-category/starting-a-group/first-steps-for-new-groups/
- E.g. Extinction Rebellion – https://rebellion.earth/act-now/resources/communities/ [includes a manual on how to run one]
- E.g. Friends of the Earth – https://campaigning.friendsoftheearth.uk/general-resources/start-local-group
Online Groups
- Groups that exist online as a digital version of local groups but can span multiple countries.
- https://www.go2s.com/managing-a-group-online-the-ultimate-guide/
- https://www.facebook.com/community/establishing-membership-and-rules/how-to-write-great-group-rules
- https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/online-community-launch
Campaigning
- Information on campaigning for social change.
- How Change Happens – http://how-change-happens.com/
- Campaigning and influencing – https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/campaigns/campaigning-and-influencing
- Petition Tips: How to get the most out of your petition – https://home.38degrees.org.uk/cby-tips/
- 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action – https://www.aeinstein.org/nonviolentaction/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/
- How to campaign – https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/how-to-campaign/campaign-tools-and-resources
- Six behavioural psychology tips for effective campaigns – https://www.bond.org.uk/news/2016/08/six-behavioural-psychology-tips-for-effective-campaigns
- 5 tech tips to accelerate social change – https://www.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-network/2014/apr/25/twitter-minecraft-innovative-digital-marketing-ngos
Petitions
- Different organisations involved in creating and running petitions anyone can set up.
- Change.org – https://www.change.org/
- Avaaz.com – https://secure.avaaz.org/page/en/
- 38 Degrees – https://home.38degrees.org.uk/cby-tips/
Vienna Coffeehouse Conversations
- “At Vienna Coffeehouse Conversations, strangers sit down to eat or drink together, with a menu of questions to ask each other. The questions lead to stories among participants, and the evening is an adventure in storytelling”.
- https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/sep/03/two-hours-stranger-questions-open-city-vienna
- http://spaceandplace.at/vienna-coffeehouse-conversations/
Long table discussions
- “The Long Table is an “experimental open public forum that is a hybrid performance-installation-roundtable-discussion-dinner-party designed to facilitate dialogue through the gathering together of people with common interests”.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Table
- http://www.split-britches.com/long-table
Popular Assembly/ People’s Assemblies
- “People’s assemblies are a way for a group of people to discuss issues or make decisions collectively, so that all voices are heard and valued equally and no one person or group is able to dominate the process”.
- https://rebellion.earth/act-now/resources/peoples-assemblies/ [includes a manual on how to run one]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_assembly
- https://assembliesfordemocracy.org/about-2/