Anti-oppression organising

Relevant to all the organising I have been doing recently.....

'Anti-oppression frameworks' are a structure which movements for social change often embed in their organising which genuinely and actively work towards shifting internal power structures to embody the society people and movements strive for. Simultaneously with addressing 'oppression' comes addressing 'privilege'. For example some groups and projects may claim to be 'movement building' yet be predominantly young, white, middle class and able bodied and when if someone isn’t one of these they are assimilated and assumed to be anyway. Campaigning and organising language, ways of organising, use of abstract thought, ways of debating and arguing, accessibility of venues, need of time and money and many more issues all contribute to the exclusivity and elitism of a movement.

What is needed is a framework that generates strength and resilience in individuals and movements to build diverse empowering movements and contributes to an analysis of ways of how to have proper solidarity and support of/with other already organising groups from other backgrounds rather than trying to work out how to welcome them into one specific movement.

Different social groups have unequal access to power and privilege. Even stereotypes are not equal - consider the assumptions society holds of young white working class men (e.g. aggressive, anti-social, prone to criminal behaviour). While all individuals are capable of prejudice, abuse, violence and intolerance, only privileged groups have the power to enforce their prejudice at the institutional and cultural level. Community organising methods without relating the issues to people’s daily lives when compared to more imaginative methods we could be so proud of, often further exploits already oppressed people(s).

This is about eradicating methods which contribute nothing to our imaginations. Without community consultation or an outlet for people to get involved through their means of communication there is no community buy-in. This leads to the community feeling alienated and frustrated with yet more outsiders coming to tell the locals that they are doing things wrong and should do things in a new/different way. This is an example of privilege.

Anti-oppression is everyone's responsibility and for everyone to take responsibility in confronting social injustice. The focus is on understanding how systems of oppression operate, who benefits, why and how to transform them.

The anti-oppression organising workshop will address the key areas of the framework:
1.Actively working to acknowledge and shift power towards inclusiveness, accessibility, equity and social justice.
2.Ensuring that anti-oppression is embedded in everything that you do by examining attitudes and actions through the lens of access, equity and social justice.
3.Being conscious and active in the process of learning and recognizing that the process as well as the product is important.
4.Creating a space where people are safe, but can also be challenged.

It's important to remember that anti-oppression is a learning process and a journey of reflection, challenge and effective action. Youth workers and movements for change can benefit from routine anti-oppression training techniques that sharpens their knowledge and skills in analysing and understanding everyday situations.