Changemakers Masterclass 1: Electoral Power

Building power to change the world is a dynamic process. Which means it’s always helpful to discuss your strategies and refine them. Pick apart what’s going right, and reflect on how you could be more effective.

That’s why we’ve set up the ChangeMakers Masterclasses. They’re small seminars with a maximum of fifty people, presented by the host of ChangeMakers Podcast, Amanda Tattersall. We spend a whole day taking a deep dive into one aspect of change making.

2019 Season

In 2019, we’re looking at power. How to build it, and wield it, as well as examining the best (and worst) practices from around the world. We’re holding the first ones in Australia in February 2019 in association with Sydney University’s PolicyLab, and then heading to Melbourne and several cities in the US and United Kingdom later in the year.

MasterClass 1: Electoral Power

This class takes a deep dive into the issues of Power, with a particular focus on electoral power. Across the day we consider the continuum of strategies that change makers can use to influence political leaders during elections and between them. We consider when certain circumstances are more likely to be successful and why.

We explore conventional political analysis and practice as well as combining that with radical emerging practices from around the globe to dig into case studies that deepen our understanding of contesting electoral power. We go to America and dig into a bunch of strategies - from Indivisible in America to the Industrial Areas Foundation. What are the costs and benefits of these strategies, and under what circumstances are these mainstream strategies highly effective - and when are they deeply lacking in power?

Then we move to the cutting edge when it comes to electoral politics, considering the world of radical political party formation - where in Barcelona, Hong Kong, Chile and South Africa change makers are forming new political parties to contest elections with the goal of winning majority support. We seek to understand what makes this strategy work and how it is different from say explicit minor party status - like the Greens Party. At what scale do these new party formations operate? What are the qualities of their leaders? How do the party machines organise themselves to win power and how do they protect themselves from turning into the same party machines that they are fighting today?

We also look at how progressive movements can successfully enter parties - like the work of the Sanders Campaign or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - how could this strategy be re-imagined in Australia?

The day's discussion will be held in the backdrop of the upcoming NSW and Federal Elections, allowing groups who are contesting those battles the space to reflect, re-assess and contemplate creative ways forward.

About Amanda Tattersall

Dr Amanda Tattersall is an organiser who has trained ChangeMakers for over 20 years. Her book, Power in Coalition, rewrote the rules about how community coalitions can wield power. In 2007, she set up the Sydney Alliance, a broad coalition of unions, community groups, non-profits and religious organisations to change the balance of power in her home city, based on the principles of the Industrial Areas Foundation.

Before that, she co-founded GetUp! - the digital campaign organisation that has changed the face of Australian politics.

Schedule

The first class for 2019 is on Saturday, 16th February at Sydney University. It runs from 9:30am to 4:30pm, and includes lunch, and catered breaks.

If your organisation would like to enquire about our MasterClasses or other training opportunities, please get in touch via [email protected].