Action Hub - Mobilisation & Activism

Started as a blog about the "influence and Evidence" camp in June 2013, this is evolving as a place to curate information about inspiring examples of campaigns, actions, tactics or thoughts behind mobilisation and campaigns for social change.

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Trailer of the exhibition “Nervous Systems: quantified life and the social question” a collaboration between the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and Tactical Technology Collective. Very proud to be part of this and can only highly recommend it. It runs from 10. March until 9. May -and on top of the amazing objects, videos and installations, there is an interactive section, the “White Room” to help visitors disentangle their digital lives if they feel curious and so inclined. Check out more here: https://tacticaltech.org/projects/nervoussystems

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Say it with cards -long live the paper based, analog life! #MethodKit

by Ola Möller, from Method Kit "This is a collection on some of the research I’ve done to scout the field of cards around MethodKit. Analogue workspaces are boring. They often consists of whiteboards, flip-charts and post-its. Cards have the possibility to transform analogue work and meetings in both structured and creative ways."

I have been following Ola's work for a couple of years, and even helped when he was starting up, by translating his first two sets into Spanish. Since then I have been following how Method Kit has evolved and expanded. Method Kit's cards offer many ways to think about the topic you try to address -and makes me often wonder how could I use my own set of cards to address problems or issues I need to think creatively about.

Most of all, I enjoy Ola's oblique thought associations to match the titles of the cards and the icons he designs for them. For example "Behaviour Change" and the icon of a sitting dog waiting for instructions. Or "User Acquisition" with a fish hook.

Read through his collection of card-based resources clicking the link abouve, check out how to use MethodKit here http://www.methodkit.com/how-to-use/

For more in depth articles on the thought process behind the conceptualisation and design of the cards, read Ola's articles on Medium: https://medium.com/@olamoller

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated, employed or contracted by MethodKit -I just think MethodKit is really great!

[newyorker]

As the content of video games has begun to expand, some gaming fans are intent on shutting down new perspectives. Simon Parkin on Gamergate:

"At their best, video games promote empathy and understanding by allowing us to experience virtual life from another’s perspective. Those who...

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Action Hub - Mobilisation & Activism turned 1 today!

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The Anonymous Makeover CV Dazzle Anon Salon - FutureEverything

Adam Harvey´s  anti-surveillance and facial recognition makeover makes you invisible to ‘Big Brother’.

Adam Harvey’s CV Dazzle Anon Salon is a world first hairdressing and makeup salon where the artist applies makeovers to visitors using unique geometric designs, making them invisible to Big Brother’s CCTV facial recognition software. Creator of the "Anti Drone" Hoodie, from his line of "Stealth Wear" Adam Harvey explores ways of protecting personal privacy in an era where increased surveillance is everywhere.

Seen at Future Everything festival in Manchester, April 2014.

More info on Adam Harvey at http://ahprojects.com/

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Craftivist Collective | A spoonful of CRAFT helps the ACTIVISM go down http://craftivist-collective.com

Activism for those with a passion for cross-stitching, crochet, knitting, and other crafty activities, explained by the lovely Sarah Corbett.

This is a noteworthy project, reaching out to new audiences not traditionally involved in activism -and asking them to put their crafting abilities to good use. DIY Activism, literally.

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PINK SHEET METHOD

How nonsensical is data collection? Check out the Pink Sheet Method, a playful way of getting people to think about what happens with their data.

By filling out this form, in triplicate, with meaningless acronyms and non-sensical logic, the artists invite the public to take part in the big data shuffle. Thought about as a three step art event, "Pink Sheet Method, is a product of Thickear, an art collective started in London in 2012. More info can be found here http://thickear.co.uk/

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From their website:

“Pink Sheet Method”, encourages the public to judge the value of their own data against the value of the art work itself.  thickear’s triptychal response to Data as Culture involves procedures of data collection, exhibition, re-examination and validation. Taking place over three locations, Pink Sheet Method investigates economies of data exchange, and considers how transaction is employed to create perceived but oblique value.  PSM brokers data through exchange, accruing and rendering. The credibility and limitations of analytics – or data fracking – is questioned through a series of performed, authoritative gestures that transform information into commodity and/or knowledge. 

Event #1 White Sheet - 29 and 30 March 2014 - City Fictions, FutureEverything Festival, Manchester A series of data gathering consultancies in which participants are issued with limited edition prints created through an audit of personal data sharing. Presented at FutureEverything as part of City Fictions, a speculative near future city. Institution: information hub.  Event #2 Pink Sheet - 11 April 2014 - The Open Data Institute, London Carbonless paper copies of the original document are revealed through an office intervention at the Open Data Institute.  Event #3 Blue Sheet - June 2014 - Lighthouse, Brighton During a final performance presentation at Lighthouse, thickear share newly acquired knowledge attained through Pink Sheet Method and expose the last remnants of the data. 

[chipkidd]

Design Matters with Debbie Millman: The SHEPARD FAIREY Interview

HEAR IT NOW: CLICK HERE!

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You can help too. Save freezing Norwegians!

From the initiators of "RadiAId" http://www.africafornorway.no/ 

"Imagine if every person in Africa saw the “Africa for Norway” video and this was the only information they ever got about Norway. What would they think about Norway?

If we say Africa, what do you think about? Hunger, poverty, crime or AIDS? No wonder, because in fundraising campaigns and media that’s mainly what you hear about.

The pictures we usually see in fundraisers are of poor African children. Hunger and poverty is ugly, and it calls for action. But while these images can engage people in the short term, we are concerned that many people simply give up because it seems like nothing is getting better. Africa should not just be something that people either give to, or give up on.

The truth is that there are many positive developments in African countries, and we want these to become known. We need to change the simplistic explanations of problems in Africa. We need to educate ourselves on the complex issues and get more focus on how western countries have a negative impact on Africa’s development. If we want to address the problems the world is facing we need to do it based on knowledge and respect."

Watch the videos and visit their website for more information about this mock/campaign: http://www.africafornorway.no/ 

Humour and satire, as elements to influence the way in which people see aid. In this case, it works and it is funny. Well done to SAIH, the The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund for creating this. 

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A singing toilet promoting clean water day

How did Water Aid promote their report on the state of water and sanitation in the world?  How do you bring people to think about the harsh reality of people living without access to water and sanitation? Not an easy one…

But they captured the media´s attention with a singing toilet video, singing a song that sounds like a ColdPlay tune - that went viral because it was so quirky! It all went around social media with the hashtag #Thankyoutoilet.

The video opened the doors to talk to media about the serious stuff: the report was actually discussed in the BBC Business Daily programme last week, with a business perspective: the impact of sanitation in health around the world and the impact on development overall. You can hear the short interview here:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/bizdaily/bizdaily_20131118-0949a.mp3

 and the campaigner had all the facts and figures to convey the reality of hundreds of millions of people exposed to lack of sanitation.

The report was issued to mar World Toilet Day –Nov 19- established by the UN General Assembly. http://www.wateraid.org/get-involved/world-toilet-day

 The tactic of issuing such a video came to mind because they had trouble bringing attention to the issue: nobody feels comfortable talking about toilets, what goes in and out of them, what people do with them, etc.

Click on the link to see the video (if you don’t see the photo, click here: http://youtu.be/Di_ugvNXjgs )

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STAMPING MONEY OUT OF POLITICS

Here is a sweet incentive campaign –based in the US, focusing on the influence on money in political party financing.

Jerry's" Cohen's Stamp Stampede  project is calling on enemies of corruption to stamp messages opposing the Citizens United Supreme Court decision on dollar bills. Citizens United allows for unlimited political spending, on the grounds that money is speech and corporations are people.

Cohen's running a competition to produce the best Stamp Stampede promotional photo: grand prize is a year's supply (52 pints) of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream.

http://www.stampstampede.org/blogs/stampstampede/11421161-the-only-photo-contest-with-prizes-this-sweet

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Civil Society Strategies - Are you like Apple or Google?

Sometimes we need to experiment and take risks; other times we need to focus on impact and adoption.

Most civil society organizations prefer the Google strategy, ” launching dozens of experimental, iterative initiatives to see which will take shape and eventually lead to social change. 

Few have used the Apple strategy: focusing on impact and user experience first, and then working backward to develop the necessary campaigns and platforms

Insightful reflection on ways of developing strategy, transferring concept from product development strategy to organisational strategy. 

Link includes 1997 Video from Steve Jobs at the Web Developers Conference, outlining his thoughts on cloud computing. To put this into perspective, this was even before Hotmail was "hot"!

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52 Hilarious #ActivistPickUpLines For Valentine's Day

Somebody get me a human rights lawyer, 'cos being without you is cruel and unusual punishment. #ActivistPickUpLines

Who said Activists are boring?

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Famous movie quotes as charts. The image. Great idea to develop a party game from. 

http://flowingdata.com/famous-movie-quotes-as-charts/

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“No”, the Brilliant and Optimistic Campaign that Boosted a Revolution

What can we learn from political campaigns of the past? A look back at the movement that brought an end to Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile.

I was in Chile when this campaign took place -and lived through the elections that happened as a result of this. I was actually in Punta Arenas, the only region in Chile where all elected representatives to Congress belonged to the opposition. This was due to a landslide vote, to defeat the perfidious requirements of the Pinochet era electoral law.

There was an atmosphere of positive change in the air, people were campaigning in the streets -and the "Yes" campaign was not taking this lightly or devoting any less energy to it. Their messages contained images that appealed to people's fears (of extremism, of violence, of instability) linked to what might happen if the status quo changed. 

Take a look at the campaign. The word "No" was never so positive and hopeful!

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Screening of "Exposing the Invisible: Our Currency is Information" a series by Tactical Tech (http://www.exposingtheinvisible.org) hosting TTC´s co-founder and movie director Marek Tuszinsky @Transparency International in Berlin

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how to tie a sari at #ttccamp13