Strategies Classification: Different Approaches Categorized
In the realm of social activism, the Tactic Star has emerged as a valuable resource for grassroots organisers seeking to develop effective campaign strategies. This strategic planning tool, popularised by Daniel Hunter from Training for Change, offers a framework that helps organisers visualise how various tactics interact and align with overall campaign goals.
The Tactic Star is a guide to understanding the diverse array of tactics available to social movements. It involves plotting tactics along axes such as level of confrontation, type of action, target of the tactic, scale, and timing. By placing tactics on this 'star', organisers can identify complementary actions, cover different parts of the campaign landscape, and avoid tactical clashes or redundancy.
The Tactic Star offers several benefits in developing campaign strategy:
1. **Clarifies goals and tactics:** By identifying a diverse set of actions contributing to the campaign’s ultimate objectives, such as policy change or cultural shift, organisers can ensure a comprehensive strategy.
2. **Balances inside and outside game:** Organisers can balance 'inside game' tactics (e.g., lobbying, legal challenges) with 'outside game' tactics (e.g., protests, public pressure) to leverage multiple avenues of influence.
3. **Assesses risk and confrontation level:** The Tactic Star enables strategic decisions about how confrontational tactics should be at various campaign stages depending on political context and resources.
4. **Builds coalition and momentum:** By mapping out tactics, campaigns can integrate different groups’ strengths and build broad-based support.
5. **Adjusts over time:** As social movements evolve, the tactic star approach encourages adapting tactics that align with shifting goals—from revolutionary to reformist or redemptive elements.
For instance, the Chicago grassroots organisers fighting wealth-based incarceration combined electoral campaigns, direct actions, and legal strategies—a multi-tactic approach akin to using a tactic star to coordinate and maximise impact.
The Tactic Star also offers a resource in the form of Gene Sharp's 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, classified into three categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, and political), and nonviolent intervention. This resource serves as a valuable guide for activists stuck in a rut with campaign tactics.
In addition to the Tactic Star, other tools are available, such as Tactics and Actions: Training and Planning Tools, which can assist in developing campaign strategy during training workshops and planning sessions. These resources provide templates, worksheets, and checklists to help organise and execute effective campaigns.
Symbolic Protest, a category within the Tactic Star, aims to raise public awareness of an issue and persuade a target to act in a desired way. Examples of Symbolic Protest include marches, rallies, street theater, letter-writing, petition drives, skywriting, mock awards, picketing, group lobbying, mock elections, "haunting" officials, vigils, and student strikes. When used effectively, these tactics can create safe and known actions for wider participation and educate people in an experiential, participatory way.
However, when Symbolic Protest is used ineffectively, it can only speak to those who already know the issue and require too much resource to win. On the other hand, the goal of Noncooperation is to undermine the authority of an unjust system by refusing to cooperate with it. The goal of Alternative Cooperation is to actively cooperate with an alternative institution or policy.
A report and webinar on Civil Resistance Tactics in the 21st Century, as well as a crowdsourced spreadsheet listing digital variations of Gene Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, are also available resources for activists seeking inspiration for new tactics. These resources serve as a testament to the ongoing evolution and adaptability of the Tactic Star framework in the ever-changing landscape of social activism.
- The Tactic Star worksheet, a valuable resource from Training for Change, is a guide that helps grassroots organizers visualize and align various tactics with overall campaign goals.
- In education-and-self-development materials, the resources offered by Tactic Star include checklists and templates to assist in developing effective campaign strategies.
- Some tactics listed in Gene Sharp's 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, a resource for activists, include symbolic protests like marches, rallies, and picketing, aiming to raise public awareness and influence targets.
- As a changemaker in the realm of social activism, one can benefit from various resources, such as the Tactic Star, to learn different tactics, strategies, and techniques for building coalitions, creating momentum, and achieving education-and-self-development goals.
