In the fifth chapter of All In, Planning for Victory, we write:
We need to step up for the task. Stepping up includes a “step” from a “current state” to a “future state”. So that’s at least three things to explore.
Our starting point includes analysis of the movement and analysis of the monster we are fighting. A movement mapping is a prerequisite for any movement-level strategy.
Movement Learning Catalyst, a joint project of European Alternatives, European Community Organising Network, Ulex Project and activist researchers at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, produced a Guide to Learning Systemic Change. In this Guide, we want to highlight the following learning activity titled “Situating ourselves in the social movement landscape”, which helps us do exactly this.
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This 90-minutes activity encourages activists to assess their position within the social movement landscape, focusing on identifying key movements and communities in struggle. Through a four-stage process, participants analyze their surroundings, considering geographical scope, ideological orientation, and relational dynamics. By mapping these elements, they visualize alliances and gaps, prompting reflection on collaboration, intersectionality, and organizational identity. The activity emphasizes understanding how others perceive their movement, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and potential for collaboration. It fosters introspection and strategizing to facilitate effective solidarity within the broader activist ecosystem.
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A longer exercise gives full guidance that can last several days of collective work.
The module only offers one activity due to its richness and adaptivity to learning needs. The activity plan includes a comprehensive series of activities and analyses that together will support a deep inquiry into the ecology of social movements – and can be adapted as needed. The activities are designed to be carried out by activists who are embedded in specific movements, beginning the work based on their direct experience and then augmenting that with research and investigation. The mapping activity is itself a strategic analysis of the existing strengths and weaknesses of the chosen movement. As such it should be used to support strategic thinking about movement building, with learning enhanced by this concrete and practical engagement with existing movement building challenges.
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You can find the entire guide and more resources, here: https://movementlearning.org/
