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Resource Manual for A Living Revolution
A Handbook of Skills & Tools for Social Change Activists

Coover, Virginia, Deacon, Ellen, Esser, Charles, Moore, Christopher
Publisher:  New Society Publishers
Year Published:  1985   First Published:  1977
Pages:  329pp   ISBN:  0-86571-056-2
Book Type:  Handbooks/Manuals

Dewey:  323.4
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX3557

A manual for people who are concerned or angered by the deterioration of our society and who, because they have some sense that their efforts can have an effet for change, are looking for tools to transform it. It is a working reference for those who are prepared to act to create a better life for themselves and others.


Abstract:  The Resource Manual is a guide to creating a new society community by community. It is based on the ideas of the Philadelphia Life Centre, where activists banded together to create a living space that focused on social change. The Movement for a New Society stemmed from this community, and aims to teach new social skills that break the roles and hierarchy of society to reach a new level of equality. Various training programs have been developed to improve personal relationships and interaction with groups, and to reform the system of governance. The idea is to start with personal growth and change the individual's perspective. Social change will follow.

The guide is extensive and includes many exercises for the growth of individuals, groups and organizations. It begins with a theoretical theory for social change and explores the history of social movements. The section on working with groups includes the subheadings, "Group Dynamics", "Facilitation of Meetings", "Special Tools", and "Conflict Resolution". Developing Communities of Support is a section on how to establish and maintain such a living space, and Organizing for a Change discusses how to use these communities groups to bring about social change. There are also sections entitled Personal Growth, Consciousness Raising, and Training and Education. The book includes many references for further reading and skill-building exercises.

An alternative way of living is possible with this manual. Human needs can be met without exhausting natural resources. Communities can flourish without leadership in the form of a hierarchy. This guide seeks to educate those who want to change the world we live in with the techniques that are in use by successful activists.

[Abstract by Mia Manns]

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Mission Connexions exists to support individuals and groups working for freedom and social justice. We work to maintain and make available a record of the theory and practice of people struggling against oppression and for social change. We believe that the more we know about the struggles, victories, and defeats of the past, and about those who took part in them, the better equipped we will be to bring a new world into being. Connexions maintains a physical archive of books and documents, and is engaged in an ongoing project to build and expand an indexed digital archive of documents. We try to feature a wide variety of resources reflecting a diversity of viewpoints and approaches to social change within our overall mandate of support for democracy, civil liberties, freedom of expression, universal human rights, secularism, equality, economic justice, environmental responsibility, and the creation and preservation of community. We are internationalist in our orientation, but as a Canadian-based project we feature an especially extensive collection of Canadian documents and profiles of Canadian activist organizations.