10:00AM ― 11:15AM AEDT | OPENING PLENARY
PLENARY
Welcome to Country + Welcome to FWD+Organise 2021
Gadigal Elder
Kirsty Albion (Australian Progress)
Sarah Rogan (Australian Progress)
A Gadigal elder will officially open FWD+Organise 2021 with the Welcome to Country.
PLENARY
Campaigns to Stop Black Deaths in Custody
Jamie McConnachie (NATSILS)
Apryl Day (Dhadjowa Foundation)
Latoya Aroha Rule (#JusticeForFella / Ban Spit Hoods)
In the 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, at least 474 First Nations people have died in police and prison custody. Jamie McConnachie from NATSILS will lead this plenary conversation on First Nations justice and the campaigns to Stop Black Deaths in Custody, alongside Apryl Day and Latoya Aroha Rule who’ll share lessons and insights from their recent winning campaigns to abolish public drunkenness laws in Victoria and ban spit hoods in South Australia.
NETWORKING
Speed Networking
Networking with other FWD+Organise 2021 participants.
Speed networking will be an opportunity for you to come together in a paired chat with other participants to build connections.
11:45AM ― 12:45PM AEDT | MORNING BREAKOUTS
CASE STUDY
Tech Tricks and Trends for your Pandemic Election Campaign
Sorcha Rochford (NationBuilder)
Hundreds of campaigns and nonprofits faced an election at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. NationBuilder provided digital infrastructure to support customers like Vote Run Lead - who are unleashing the political power of women as voters, candidates, and leaders in the US, plus Culture Aid NOLA - a crisis response organisation that’s provided 95K New Orleans residents with locally sourced food using a no-barrier model. In this session hear from Sorcha Rochford on how NationBuilder supported these customers in running an election campaign and a nonprofit in the midst of the pandemic, with practical takeaways you can apply in the lead up to our next federal election.
WORKSHOP
Challenging the Culture of Whiteness
Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg (Hue)
Sonia Sofat (Hue)
Join Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg and Sonia Sofat from Hue for an engaging and interactive session to explore whiteness and white-dominant culture. Reflect on how this culture shapes our values, ways of understanding the world, and the structural impacts in our organisations. Through group work and facilitated discussions, this session will start conversations about the actions we can take to challenge whiteness culture within our organisations.
WORKSHOP
Growing Our Movement through Momentum
Cat Nadel (Tomorrow Movement)
Des Cai (Tomorrow Movement)
“We are the first organisation in Australia to adopt the Momentum organising model, and are excited to share how it’s helped us grow a movement, even during lockdowns.” Join Cat Nadel and Des Cai from Tomorrow Movement for this interactive workshop on the Momentum model and how to practically apply it. The Momentum organising model is behind powerful US movements like the Sunrise Movement, If Not Now and the campaign to impeach Trump, and can help you scale your movement, too.
MASTERCLASS
From Dollar Handles to Donation Asks - Best Practice Fundraising in 2021
Tom Maitland (Raisely)
What helps supporters and donors engage with my campaigns? What will boost my conversion rates? And what are the benchmarks to measure my next campaign by? Raisely will share answers to these questions and more, informed by insights from over $200M worth of anonymised fundraising data and thousands of campaigns. Their workshop – designed specifically for FWD+Organise participants - will also offer practical tips from recent case studies in digital fundraising.
CASE STUDY
Local Power: Shifting Power at the Local Level
Nadia Montague (Victorian Trades Hall Council)
David Barrow (Sydney Alliance)
If community organising is all about building power and all politics is local, why aren't we paying more attention to shifting power at the level of local government? Come along to hear two case studies of organising at a local level: VTHC’s candidate school, focused on changing who gets elected to local office, and the work of Sydney Alliance, who’re building community power to influence policies of local government around issues of the common good.
1:45PM ― 2:45PM AEDT | EARLY AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
WORKSHOP
Organising in a Post-Lockdown World
Beth Koch (Australian Conservation Foundation)
Nina Atkinson (Tipping Point)
Jon Ferguson (Australian Conservation Foundation)
Patrick Shaw (Office of Adam Bandt)
Are you grappling with questions about what community organising looks like in a post-lockdown, ‘Covid-normal’ world? Asking yourself about the ethics of hosting public gatherings, in-person events or public actions? Grappling with the creation of Covid-safe policies and plans for when things finally ‘open up?’ Working online during lockdown has increased opportunities for participation, an important step for making our movements more accessible. Join this session to unpack where community organising goes from here, and how to maintain accessibility while slowly reintroducing in-person activities and events.
WORKSHOP
Showing Power Online
Ruby Marshall (Victorian Trades Hall Council)
Rhiannon Williams-Demmon (GetUp)
Ella Shi (Migrant Workers Centre)
Tim Petterson (United Workers Union)
It’s been almost two years of organising in a pandemic -- so, what have we learned? Hear from innovative digital campaigns who’ve won pay rises, safer working conditions, access to PPE, paid pandemic leave and more. What are the solid, meaningful and ongoing tactics for volunteers (covid-safe) that have worked? What are the alternatives to rallies and door knocks, and what do they look like online? We’ll cover these questions and more so you walk away with the confidence to design and deliver a digital election strategy that centres relationships and organising.
PANEL
The Ethics of Tech, and Using it to Build Healthier Organisations and Fairer Societies
Daniel Stone (Principle Co)
Lizzie O'Shea (Digital Rights Watch)
You’ve seen the questions and opinions about how technology is changing our society -- for good and bad. How can we use new technologies to build stronger and more capable movements? What does it mean if we use Big Tech platforms who simultaneously undermine our democracies? How can we organise online while protecting ourselves from omnipotent state surveillance? And should we be investing in AI, or running away from it? We’re often required to make tech choices that fall between the extremes, and navigating online spaces ethically can be more complex than we like to think. Join this session to reflect on these challenges, and explore how we can use the opportunities of technology to build stronger, ethical organisations.
WORKSHOP
India and Australia - A Workshop on Climate Solidarity
Ruchira Talukdar (Climate Justice Research Centre / UTS)
Jess Harwood (The Sunrise Project)
The 10-year movement against Adani in Australia has attempted to build solidarity with struggles in India against Adani’s coal operations. While the movement here consists of urban, middle class activists and volunteers, the Indian movements are largely subsistence-based 'peasant' and Adivasi (Indigenous) peoples whose struggles for land and social justice are historic and ongoing. How can the Australian movement fully understand and effectively centre the visions and needs for climate justice of these Indian groups in its narrative and campaigns? With live visual illustrations, this workshop shares a toolkit for effective intersectional solidarity from global elites towards global subalterns.
WORKSHOP
Beyond Self Care - creating communities of care for activists
Kaz Uy (Tipping Point)
Roj Amedi (Justice Connect)
You can’t ‘self care’ yourself out of oppression. This session shares two approaches to creating communities of care - mutual aid, and in the workplace. Mutual aid grew in popularity during lockdowns, yet many communities (people of colour, migrant, LGBTIQA+ and more) have always organised like this. How does community organising around mutual aid ensure communities care for each other? Also, hear how one organisation addressed healthy work principles from an anti-oppression and justice perspective, not just ‘diversity and inclusion,’ and included volunteers and activists. What’s needed to create a culture that’s safe for people with multiple identities to be involved? How can your organisation begin and build on your journey?
CASE STUDY
Get inspired by winning campaigns
Diana Sayed (Afghanistan Australian Advocacy Network)
Kristin O'Connell (Antipoverty Centre)
Matthew Phillips (Equality Australia)
Jess Beckerling (WA Forest Alliance)
It’s been a massive year! This breakout showcases some of the significant campaigns that captured the moment and cut through the noise, sharing tips you can adapt and apply in your contexts, and what’s still to be done. Learn from Diana Sayed (Afghanistan Australian Advocacy Network) on demanding the government do more to support the people of Afghanistan, Kristin O’Connell (Antipoverty Centre) on income support payments during the pandemic, Jess Beckerling (WA Forest Alliance) on banning logging in native forests, and Matthew Phillips (Equality Australia) on the Religious Decrimination Bill, which has far-reaching ramifications.
3:00PM ― 4:00PM AEDT | LATE AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
WORKSHOP
Finding our feet: understanding the context and strategic responses to the election
Ben Raue (The Tally Room)
Stacey Batterham (Australian Council of Social Service)
Kate Colvin (Everybody's Home)
Are you developing your election strategy and want to know where other organisations are playing? This session will kick off with a briefing from the Tally Room’s Ben Raue, who’ll share his prediction on which seats are likely to fall and electorates to watch. This will be followed by four organisations sharing their strategies for the election - including their goals and target audiences, as well as the tactics and messaging they’re using.
MASTERCLASS
Digital Transformation In Progressive Organisations
Sara Smylie (United Workers Union)
Madeleine Holme (Reveille Strategy)
Jack Milroy (Defiance)
How do we convince our organisations to invest in tech and digital? How do we get new ideas up and running, and build a culture of innovation? Join Sara, Madeleine and Jack to hear about their innovation portfolio, and the wins, failures and lessons they have to share for other organisations trying to do the same.
WORKSHOP
Data 101
Amelia Briggs (United Workers Union)
Teagan Buckley (United Workers Union)
Don’t know where to start with the data you’ve got? This session for data newbies will teach you the basics of data wrangling, measurement and evaluation. Hear from digital experts Amelia Briggs and Teagan Buckley from United Workers Union, as you walk away from this workshop with the info you need to create a data management plan, understand what data is most useful, as well as the best tools to use.
CASE STUDY
Fast and First: Shifting Narratives Through Rapid Response Media Campaigning
Aliya Ahmad (Economic Media Centre)
Neha Madhok (Democracy in Colour)
Media campaigns can shape or shift mainstream narratives and change policies. Neha (Democracy in Colour) and Aliya (Economic Media Centre) will discuss the rapid response media campaign they ran that addressed the racist and heavy-handed response of over policing communities of colour and working class communities in south west Sydney at the start of the Delta outbreak. The rapid response media campaign combined with digital tactics shifted the narrative within hours, and has continued to shape the discourse. They will share insights on how to run a rapid response media campaign and sustain momentum beyond the immediate media moment.
WORKSHOP
Scaling Up Our Leadership Training
Alex Ryan (AktivAsia)
Laura Melville (Environment Victoria)
Eleisha Mullane (Australian Education Union)
In this workshop, we will examine case studies of community organising training focused on developing local leadership including those delivered online and unpack the challenges, choices and outcomes from these different leadership training approaches. We’ll focus on structuring, designing and delivering community organising leadership training, rather than on the curriculum and content. Alex Ryan, Laura Melville and Eleisha Mullane share case studies on training community leaders.
WORKSHOP
Digital Accessibility: Making Online Spaces Accessible
Manisha Amin (Centre for Inclusive Design)
With so much organising taking place online, it’s crucial that the online spaces we make are accessible to everyone - especially those with disabilities. Come to this session with the Centre for Inclusive Design to learn the fundamentals of digital accessibility, the best channels for accessibility, and make sure that everyone can learn, take action and organise on our platforms and as part of our movements.
4:00PM ― 4:45PM AEDT | AFTERNOON PLENARY
PLENARY
Five Lessons in Five Minutes
Renee Carr (Fair Agenda)
Qiane Matata-Sipu (Protect Ihumatao)
Dougie Herd (Community Connections)
Lee Carnie (Foundation for Young Australians)
Designed to inspire you and share practical tips from recent campaigns that have won (or come close!), including learning from Qiane Matata-Sipu (Protect Ihūmatao, Aotearoa) on resilient land reclamation, Dougie Herd (Community Connections) on the campaign to scrap the harmful NDIS independent assessments, Renee Carr (Fair Agenda) on decriminalising abortion, and Lee Carnie (Foundation for Young Australians) on birth certificate reforms for trans and gender diverse people.
NETWORKING
Open Space Conversation
Networking with other FWD+Organise 2021 participants.
Open space conversations will be an opportunity for you to come together in an open chat with other participants to build connections.
6:00PM ― 7:15PM AEDT | EVENING PLENARY
PLENARY
We Stand With Palestine
Jeanine Hourani (Road to Refuge)
Sara Saleh (Artist and refugee advocate)
Randa Abdel-Fatah (Advocate and academic)
Salem Barahmeh (PIPD/Rabet)
This special evening panel will dive into the fight for Palestinian human rights, the illegal military occupation of the land and solidarity between anti-colonial movements. Jeanine, Randa and Sara will explore the continuing battle against the systemic oppression of Palestinians by the Israeli government - including lessons and wins from years of struggle and how they changed the national conversation on Palestine. For an on-the-ground perspective, they’ll be joined by Salem Barahmeh from Sheikh Jarrah, to tell the story of the vibrant grassroots campaign to save the neighbourhood.
PLENARY
Cellphones for collective action
Koketso Moeti (Amandla.mobi)
Amandla.mobi mobilised a community of 900,000+ people to turn every cellphone in Mzansi (South Africa) into a democracy-building tool to ensure those most affected by injustice, particularly low income Black women, can take collective action. Koketso will share amandla.mobi’s work drawing on legacies of resistance, organising at the intersections of racial and economic justice, and building eco systems to create a shared vision for Black women to thrive. You’ll take away lessons on reaching multilingual audiences, connecting people, coordinating at scale and using tech as a tool to create change.