What to do when we “lose”
We do our best to win campaigns, but what do we do when we lose? How do we recover, find footing and carry on? Some important lessons can be drawn […]
Author: Lee McLenon
How to prepare for international trips (like the “worst conflict in the world”)
I’ve trained in about two dozen different countries, most of them on multiple occasions. Trainers at Training for Change are increasingly training internationally. The last year other trainers have led […]
Review of Strategy and Soul
Reading Daniel Hunter’s Strategy & Soul is almost as good as taking one of his Training for Change workshops. It’s a very experiential read, immersing you in the story of […]
Was the Walker recall effort the wrong fight?
A few months after last year’s Wisconsin uprising at the state capitol, I stood in front of a packed Quaker meeting house overflowing with labor leaders, religious leaders and radical […]
How Presence Stopped a Riot
It was during the second presidential inauguration of George Bush. We were a group of over 5,000 “protestors” named Turn Your Back on Bush. When Bush’s motorcade would go by […]
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: lessons in time of empire
More and more people see the United States as an empire in decline. It is over-stretching itself in Iraq and Afghanistan, increasing its trade debt astronomically, and unable to even […]
When Nonviolent Intervention Meets Terrorism: Which Side Wins?
When armed insurgents in Iraq abducted four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams two weeks ago, something was clearly wrong. Like other hostage situations in Iraq, a shadowy insurgent group took […]
The Upside-Down Kingdom: learning from the margins
My dad was a Baptist preacher. A “classic” sermon of his was the “upside-down kingdom” — the message that God’s kingdom reflected different values of this one. While the values […]
Campaigning for Social Change: beyond just protesting for it!
For groups looking for more strategic models and tools to use, here’s a time-tested model for effective social change work. It’s a tool that’s inherently democratic and builds resources for […]
Beyond Just Education: Why our approach to teaching makes all the difference in social change
“We need to educate people,” is one of the most common refrains from social change activists. But what does it really mean? The rise of popular education and insights from […]