October 4th, 2025
As movement builders, it's essential to consider the broader context around us when planning our strategic nonviolent efforts. One shift in the situation could alter the course of a campaign. While it's nearly impossible to prepare for every single variable in the field, there's a way to make the path towards the world we want clearer. As leaders of movements, we should feel a responsibility to avoid strategic blunders. Blunder indicating that we should have known what we didn’t know. To do that, we need to employ frameworks and processes that help us think through how we will engage.
Additionally, when formulating this plan, we need a way to link our strategic objectives with our on-the-ground work. Asking ourselves, how does this method or tactical approach contribute to advancing our shared strategy? This week, we’ll begin to explore how to approach this task, utilizing frameworks that provide scaffolding for you and your team to make the best possible decisions with the information at hand.
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Joe Worthy is a community organizer and strategist who works alongside community members to build power through Strategic Nonviolent Action. Partnering with leaders and local groups, he drives systemic change through his roles with the Strategic Nonviolence Academy, the Albert Einstein Institution, and Light House | Black Girl Projects. His support has led to landmark victories, from coaching a community group in Côte d'Ivoire that successfully shut down a coal mine to helping end Zero Tolerance Policies in Boston and expand healthcare for mothers in Mississippi. Previously, at the Children’s Defense Fund, he focused on dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Joe studied at Heidelberg University and the University of Oxford and was a Community Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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This session provides a comprehensive analysis of the strategic estimate framework as articulated by Robert Helvey and Gene Sharp, specifically designed for the context of nonviolent movements. Participants will engage in a systematic examination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that their movements encounter. The strategic estimate process involves a rigorous assessment of the movement’s objectives, available resources, and the broader environmental context in which it operates. By critically evaluating these elements, participants can develop effective strategies to achieve their objectives through nonviolent means.
Key components of the strategic estimate will be addressed, including delineating the movement’s fundamental objectives, evaluating internal capabilities alongside external conditions, and anticipating potential challenges and opportunities. Furthermore, participants will investigate methodologies for prioritizing actions and allocating resources to optimize impact.
By the conclusion of the session, participants will be equipped with the essential tools and knowledge necessary to conduct thorough strategic estimates. This will empower them to make informed decisions and adapt their strategies in response to evolving circumstances. This rigorous and comprehensive approach will fundamentally strengthen nonviolent movements, equipping them to effectively confront oppressive systems and move toward enduring social and political transformation.
Participants will be able to apply the strategic estimate framework to analyze and develop effective strategies for their nonviolent movements in diverse and evolving contexts, leading to greater potential for strategic success and enduring social and political transformation.
This session explores the operational level's role in connecting tactical actions to strategic objectives in nonviolent movements. Participants will learn to coordinate large-scale efforts, focusing on logistics, planning, and operations that convert tactical successes—like rallies and boycotts—into strategic gains. Emphasizing the alignment of operational goals with broader objectives enhances impact.
Insights will cover the operational level as a link between tactical and strategic actions, highlighting the importance of careful planning and logistics in achieving effectiveness. To maximize impact, tactical actions must align with the movement's strategic goals.
The session also delves into Gene Sharp's methods of strategic nonviolent action, examining his categorized list of 198 techniques, such as symbolic protests and economic non-cooperation. Understanding these methods equips participants to disrupt oppressive systems strategically.
Through case studies and practical exercises, attendees will gain knowledge and strategies to transform tactical successes into long-term strategic achievements, ensuring nonviolent actions align with broader movement goals.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to independently design, coordinate, and adapt operational plans for nonviolent movements, effectively bridging tactical approaches with strategic objectives to achieve progress towards a grand strategy.