Solidarity Session #37 - Advocacy, Mobilising, Organising: What’s the difference?

Join us for a Solidarity Session on the different tools we can use to build strength in numbers to secure the future of small-scale livestock farming.

First Peoples, farmers and eaters are grappling with a myriad of issues in the food system, such as climate change, biodiversity destruction, and corporate capture of land, the native food industry, and essential processing infrastructure. Right now, the closure of abattoirs across the country has emerged as the most pressing issue for small-scale producers. So, how do we use the tools available to us to build movements and secure some wins for the future of small-scale livestock farming and the broader food sovereignty movement?

Join us for a Solidarity Session that will unpack the differences between advocacy, mobilising and organising–and when to use each–to amplify our collective voices and ensure that colonial capitalism does not crush our ability to produce socially-just, ecologically-sound and culturally-appropriate food for all. This comes at a critical time for farmers, as Hardwicks Abattoir, Victoria’s largest and most central facility, closes its doors to service kills on 1 February.

This session will be led by AFSA Secretary Ben Trethewey, who recently organised and undertook the six-week Skills to Win workshop with the UC Berkeley Labor Center, along with a group of AFSA members. During this session, Ben will recap what we learned over the six weeks, and delve into:

Differences between advocacy, mobilising and organising, and why this matters;
Defining power and power structures (e.g. what do we mean by “power over” and “power with”)
An overview of AFSA’s National Abattoir Campaign and why we need to build a movement;
Identifying ‘organic leaders’ who can expand our base;
Having successful organising conversations;
Charting the workplace, neighbourhood, or any other collective structure
Analysing and understanding power dynamics to inform your strategy
Integrating issues in the workplace and the community to build more resilient working-class and/or agricultural communities
How we can apply this to Meat Collectives Australia to secure a WIN for small-scale livestock farmers seeking control of critical infrastructure such as micro abattoirs, boning rooms and processing facilities.

After a discussion of these key points, we will open up the discussion for everyone to contribute their thoughts on what they know about advocacy, mobilising, and organising to apply to the current campaign.

Event details: