Following the *LEAD* of Farmed Animals
Raucous Chin - Cham - Pu! shouts (aka Rock-Paper-Scissors!) rocked the opening of day three of the LEAD for Farmed Animals training. Losers become champions for their victors, building teams of support for each other. More than just an energizing game, it brought to light the value of being a team player. This was a favorite exercise of the 40 activists gathered from around the US, Mexico, India and Pakistan at Pepperdine University in Southern California in June, 2023.
The Beautiful Trouble facilitation team — Sarah Nahar, Carolina Munis, and Rae Abileah — facilitated a four-day training on building people-powered movements for the global leadership training for farmed animal advocates. We explored how movements ebb and flow over time using the Movement Compass and crafted compelling narratives with the Story of Self, Us, and Now. Every participant received one of our Strategy Card Decks – and divinations with the principles and tactics were done daily to innovate strategic campaigns and design creative actions.
During the final “organizer’s challenge” session, teams collaborated to design campaigns with an eye for cultivating alliances across movements for justice, countering oppression, and creating many points of entry to engage new audiences. They skilled up in key planning tools from Spectrum of Allies to Perception Box, and showcased action ideas in a mock film festival on the final day. And each organizer went home with a printed copy of our new BATMo! card deck for trainers! (You too can print your own!)
It was an honor to be invited into the room for deep discussions on the history of the animal rights movement and the big challenges it faces in working to stop the caging and exploitation of animals. We were inspired by the bold and creative action ideas and innovative possible campaigns for solidarity and resilience across movements – we hope to highlight some future successes in stories in our toolbox!
For those of you paying attention, you might notice a theme of Beautiful Trouble work: taking a deep dive into the ecology of movement-building. While we frequently show up in classrooms for one-time lectures or do brief creative action trainings with grassroots organizations, we appreciate the opportunity to invest time with organizations committed to justice for the long haul (see our article in Yes! Magazine for more on this).
Know an organization who would benefit from a Beautiful Trouble training or movement mindset jam session? Connect with us here!
P.S. – We closed the LEAD training with this quote:
“E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G—is connected. The soil needs rain, organic matter, air, worms and life in order to do what it needs to do to give and receive life. Each element is an essential component…
…Organizing takes humility and selflessness and patience and rhythm while our ultimate goal of liberation will take many expert components. Some of us build and fight for land, healthy bodies, healthy relationships, clean air, water, homes, safety, dignity, and humanizing education. Others of us fight for food and political prisoners and abolition and environmental justice. Our work is intersectional and multifaceted. Nature teaches us that our work has to be nuanced and steadfast. And more than anything, that we need each other—at our highest natural glory—in order to get free.”
― adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds