How to Be An Activist is by experienced campaigner Vanessa Holburn, with a foreword by award-winning animal welfare campaigner Lorraine Platt. It covers all you need to know to start a successful local campaign, from identifying the issues to learning how to work effectively with media, and staying safe within the law.
- Identifying the problem
- Finding your tribe
- Getting organised
- Gathering your information
- Spreading the message
- Direct action
- Online petitions
- Pressure groups
- All-party parliamentary groups
- The media & social media
- Budgeting & fundraising
- The law for campaigners
- Personal safety
Essential reading for anyone looking to start a grassroots campaign. And useful bedtime reading for some of our political parties too. Hannah Beckerman
I wish this book was available when I started campaigning for accessible toilets. Sarah Brisdion, Changing Places
There’s no time like the present to make the world a kinder safer place for all beings. This wonderful book will empower you to get up off your sofa and make that change. Emily Lawrence
Vanessa Holburn is used to waving banners in the rain. A working journalist, she was instrumental in creating Lucy’s Law, which has recently finally banned puppy mills in the UK. She is proof that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary change.
The Little Book of Activism is a pocket guide to making a difference. Everyone has the power to do something, as long as they know where to start. Drawing inspiration from celebrated activists and their groundbreaking work, this empowering little book will introduce you to the key forms of contemporary activism, showing how you can engage in political and social movements, and stand up to be a force for change. Various types of activism are covered:
- Craftivism
- Artivism
- Leafleting
- Petitioning
- Digital activism
- Microdonation
- Economic activism
- Peaceful protests
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment, before starting to improve the world. Anne Frank
Karen Edwards is an editor and writer from London, who specialises in responsible tourism, sustainable living and emotional well-being. She lives with her marine biologist fiancé.
Do Something! Activism for Everyone is for anyone who stares helplessly at the news feed and find your blood pressure going up every time an MP tells a lie or tries to gaslight, this is the book for you. From challenging local shops to reduce plastic waste or demanding new laws, get involved. People power works! So stop banging your head against the wall, pick up this book and start planning your resistance.
- Not all activists are tree-huggers
- Making the cake (the strategy bit)
- What gets you mad?
- The art of messaging
- Politicians – friends or foes?
- Create a community
Tired of complaining, but don’t know what to do? This beautifully written book will not only inspire you, but give you a step-by-step guide to creating positive change. Magid Magid
Kajal Odedra is an activist and writer from the Midlands. She has worked on campaigns for over 12 years and is currently UK director for Change.org (the world’s largest online petition site with 200 million users). She studied creative writing at Goldsmith University, where she was shortlisted for the Pat Kavanagh Award.
Be Kind: Rise Up and Make a Difference is a wonderful interactive guide for children age 9 to 12 on the power of kindness, to change the world. Whether it’s being a friend to someone who feels lonely or simply smiling and giving someone a thumbs-up, when we support each other, we can be our best selves.
This is a young person’s handbook to use their voice to empower yourself and others to spread kindness. Marcus tells the story of kindness, what it feels like and why it matters (this is REAL kindness, not just the fake social media type so prevalent today). Are you ready to make a difference?
Marcus wrote the book when someone pointed out the heroes in his books are always nice people do good for others. He draws this back to his childhood and teenage years in the 80s, when you were told to ‘look out for number one’ as if being selfish was good. Back then, he did not have the tools to explain his philosophy that this was not the way to live life. So he wrote this book to be a tool to the next generation, so they can explain and inspire.
Marcus Sedgwick is an award-winning author of novels for adults and children, along with academic papers. He has taught creative writing for 15 years and was for 3 years author-in-residence at Bath Spa University. He currently lives in southern France.
