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Prague / Mass Actions Training Plan

Friday evening: 19.30 - 22.00

Introduce each trainer.

Each to give a short account of their experience.
(Starhawk / all - 10 mins) What does victory for this movement look like (in context of Prague)?

Brainstorm.
(Stickle 5 - 10 mins)

Strategy / Direct action theory - what direct action can do.

In context of weekend: Tactical nonviolence

• Autonomy / solidarity dynamic (incl. jail soilidarity)
  
  
• Promote diversity
  
  
• Spotlight issues & campaigns
  
  
• Keep overarching goal in mind (e.g. closing convention)

• At blockade: person on bicycle trying to get through / blockader
  
  
• In prison: activist in prison / angry person who was accidentally swept up by police (local, tourist etc.)

Relate back to theory (see above)

• Why use tactical nonviolence.
  
  
• NV is about choices, using energies in a particular situation (from body language to tone of voice).
  
  
• NV is about communication.

NVDA Training - like learning to drive
(Stickle - 2 mins) Spectogram

Start with violent / nonviolent

• Blocking a delegate from getting into the IMF
  
  
• Calling names to a delegate, yelling Now add effective / ineffective. (looking at property damage)
  
  
• Smashing the windows of a McDonalds
  
  
• Smashing the windows of a local grocery store
  
  Explain: There is a general agreement for no property damage in place, which was put forward by Czech activists.
  
  
• Repeat: Smashing the windows of a McDonalds
  
  NO property damage agreement in place:
  
  
• Breaking one window of an IMF building in order to gain access.
  
  WITH property damage agreement in place:
  
  
• Ditto with no property damage agreement.

Questions, discussion. What do people expect for the weekend?

Evaluation: What worked, what didn't.
(Starhawk & David - 10 mins)

Announcements: Bring drums, bring lunch

Closure
(Starhawk - 5 mins)

TOTAL TIME: 2 hrs 32 mins

Saturday: 9.00 - 17.00

Role play of action situation (Starhawk has the plot, everyone helps)

• Pre-emptive arrest
  
  
• Police dogs are arriving (or horses, water cannon)
  
  
• Police is masking up (CS gas ?)
  
  
• Isolating people, selective arrests (or mass arrests)
  
  
• Stopped at the border
  
  
• Etc. etc. ...

R.Play
(Starhawk - 45 mins) Intro and present agenda

Pres
(Rowan - 5 mins)

Getting hit on the head - how to protect yourself

• follow on from role play
  
  
• Clubs, dogs, horses, water cannon, rubber bullets, CS gas, pepper spray
  
  
• Selective arrests, camera snatching - puppy piling
  
  
• Being dragged away, arrests (lock-ons) - body posture
  
  
• Dearresting (why its problematic)

Demo
(Stickle - 30 mins)

Fashion tips

Presentation
(David 5 - 10 mins)

Things which influence the energy / atmosphere

(drumming, singing, chants, sitting down, om-ming, etc.) (*)

Exc.
(Starhawk - 10 mins)

How do you feel - active listening

Excercise
(Rowan - 15 mins)

Don't panic - how to ground . Some techniques

Awareness exercises

Exc.
(Starhawk - 10 mins)

What when the fascists come? Role play and exercises (*)

Debrief

R.Play
(Stickle - 60 mins or less)

Closing morning session

10 mins

Lunch Break: 12.30 - 13.30

Affinity groups and roles

Presentation
(David - 15 mins)

"Action Elfs", Peace keeping, Peace police, Policing the peace

Act out / demonstrate two examples (demasking and removing NV person from the front line) (*)

Presentation with examples
(Rowan & Stickle - 15 mins)

Decision making and consensus (+ facilitation)

Presentation ???
(Starhawk - 30 mins)

Quick decision making & role play

Excercise
(Rowan - 20 mins)

Spectogram (pushing police lines) - (with repeat after discussion)
(Rowan - 10 mins)

Spokes council (to address question of action elves, peacekeepers?
- not clear if this is the question we agreed upon ??)

R.Play
(Starhawk - 30 mins)

Preparing for / facing prison (making it possible)

Need for legal information
(David - 30 mins)

Movement building (Diversity)

I see / I assume
(Starhawk - 20 mins)

Evaluation
(Rowan - 10 mins)

Closure - drumming,

chant: ain't no power like the power of the people coz the power of the people don't stop
(Starhawk - 10)

(*) Possible times when we could give examples of dealing with violent individuals in an appropriately nonviolent way. When is the best time ?????

Sunday: 9.00 - 17.00

Trainer's skills:

• Advanced facilitation skills and roles, e.g. "vibes-watch"
  
  
• Empowered learning model
  
  
• Anti-opression (What to do, where is the power, etc.)

Trainer's tool box:

• Trust building exercises
  
  
• Mental - games
  
  
• Physical - pens, paper, tape etc.
  
  
• Energy movement

Getting your info ready prepared

Presentation, Demo., Exercise.
(Stickle - 30 mins)

Undercurrents

body language, diversity, etc.

Exercise & Demo
(Rowan - 30 mins: I think we actually dropped this in favor of David's
energy sensing/street energy exercise)

What would need to happen in this group (some group which is very different
from you) for me/you to feel welcome?

Excercise
(Starhawk 10 mins: This also got dropped)

Coming from Core role play

Exploring different aspects of self

R.Play
(Starhawk - 15 mins)

Energy Sensing
(David - 15 mins)

Role PlayóStreet Energy
(Sensing, matching, shifting) 30 minutes

Divide Group into 5. Give out tasks (see below)to prepare over lunch.
(Starhawk - 10 mins)

Divide group into 5, each subgroup having to prepare over lunch the following aspects of a training:

• presentation on something
  
  
• hassle line
  
  
• role play
  
  
• agenda
  
  
• decision making, affinity group.

Everyone takes turns to critique / feed back.

(Starhawk & all - 180 mins)

Evaluation
(Rowan - 15 mins)

Closing
15 mins

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