Here are practices based in the science of motivation, performance and well-being to improve the quality of political organizing trainings. Connect the activity to its impact on other people or the world. Present goals and timelines as valuable information that is necessary for achieving a shared goal. Be clear about any requirements, guidelines, or boundaries. Provide a meaningful rationale for requests and requirements. Acknowledge and accept negative feelings and affect. Provide appropriate scaffolding (training, shadowing, role-plays, etc.).

Despite widespread discouragement among climate activists, a tested blueprint for successful movements shows immense progress being made. There are patterns movements follow as they expand from the political fringes to start shaping national decisions. One framework for identifying these is the eight-stage “Movement Action Plan,” or MAP, articulated by activist and scholar Bill Moyer in 1987. According to Moyer, during Stage One of the MAP unjust conditions “are maintained by the policies of public and private powerholders, and a majority of public opinion.” During the MAP’s Stage One, the status quo is reinforced by the public’s misconception that if something were seriously amiss, officially sanctioned forms of advocacy like lobbying should be sufficient to rectify the problem. The next stage of the MAP involves conditions aligning to create a political environment where the birth of a broad-based movement becomes possible—this may involve national or global events over which activists have little control. Then, all successful movements experience a moment when they enter the public consciousness and become a potent political force, usually after a trigger event that grabs people’s attention. The climate movement has already progressed through most stages of the MAP can provide activists with a sense of clarity about what work has already been done.

Underdogs can use the same strategies as more powerful actors do against their powerful opponents. In this podcast episode, Deepak and Stephanie discuss some great examples of how to counter corporate power, use PSYOPS against white supremacists, and drive wedges in elite coalitions. They also explore other lessons progressives can take from the “overdogs’” (i.e., more powerful actors) playbook: crafting long-term plans, recruiting based on belonging rather than belief, and using data-driven evaluation paired with the lean startup model for organizing. And overdogs today invest in strategic education at a scale that dwarfs anything on the left. Their commitment is captured in the slogan of the right-wing Leadership Institute, which has trained over 200,000 people: “You owe it to your philosophy to learn how to win.”

The "Taking Action & Self Care Worksheets" by ClimateMentalHealth.Net provide tools to help individuals determine their climate action through a personalized Venn diagram.

Lynsy Smithson-Stanley and Jack Zhou join The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about their work on the Climate Advocacy Lab's latest report A Blueprint for Multiracial Cross-class Climate Movements.

How are you measuring your organization’s efforts and advances towards meaningful long-term change? Would you like to begin the process of identifying a unique set of metrics that best suit your organizational goals and power-building strategies?

Organizers worldwide are using the science of motivation to create the conditions for deep learning, commitment, creativity, and performance required to achieve purpose in complex and uncertain political environments. This exclusive PowerLabs webinar is an introduction to the science of motivation and discover practical methods applicable in most organizing contexts. The organizers are achieving extraordinary outcomes by creating environments that support members in meeting the universal psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence.

The Lab is planning a four-part training series based on our Blueprint for MRXC Climate Coalitions project. Our goal is to help the Lab community develop more durable, effective, and equitable coalitions to win the climate solutions we need. This series is open to advocates who want help setting up a coalition, are currently working in coalition, or just want to learn best-practices for their next coalition. Come to this info session to learn more about the timeline, scope, and design principles for this all-new training series!

Series breakdown

Young people bring critical perspective, expertise, and energy to our movement spaces -- but traditional organizing and mobilizing structures can leave them feeling undervalued, tokenized, or burnt out. 

How do we design ladders of engagement that truly support youth leadership development within our climate organizing work?

Participants will leave this Lab training with:

• Evidence-insights into the challenges and opportunities of youth climate organizing

What is power? This podcast episode starts with that fundamental question. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King famously said, “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and . . . love without power is sentimental and anemic.” But many on the left seem allergic to power. Drawing on the influential sociologists Michael Mann and Erik Olin Wright, Stephanie and Deepak present a novel typology, identifying six forms of power and giving examples of each. Then this episode features a guest who has brilliantly analyzed right-wing strategies to build power over the past several decades: Ilyse Hogue, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America and co-author, with Ellie Langford, of The Lie that Binds (which is also a terrific 6-part podcast). Hogue debunks the myth that the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade was the turning point in conservative organizing.