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DoWhatMATAs

American Civil Disobedience. Fostering thoughtful resistance through diverse voices and principled storytelling.  

Resistance Training & Movements
Learn, Train & Mobilize for Lasting Change


Welcome to the Resistance Training & Movements Hub

Together we can mobilize the resistance by taking action, but taking action isn’t just about the moment—it’s about building skills, understanding strategies, and working with others to create long-term change. This page connects you to leading organizations, training programs, and resources to help you resist effectively and help us mobilize the resistance.

💡 Effective resistance isn’t just about showing up—it’s about planning, training, and mobilizing with purpose. The more we know, the stronger we become.

We’re not just fighting back—we’re building forward. And the truth is: informed, strategic movements win more often than reactive ones.

📊 The Numbers Don’t Lie:

  • Movements that use nonviolent tactics are 2x more likely to achieve their goals than violent ones (ICNC).

  • Just 3.5% of a population actively participating in sustained protest can force major political change (Harvard Kennedy School).

  • People who receive action training are 42% more likely to stay engaged in long-term civic efforts.

  • Local organizing has stopped over $17 billion in harmful development projects in the last decade—from pipelines to corrupt policing contracts.

  • Voter turnout increases by up to 10% when individuals are contacted directly by someone in their community.

📚 That’s why this hub exists: to help you learn how, train wisely, and mobilize effectively — because resistance without strategy is just noise. And we’re here to make impact.

Ready to take action now? Check out the [Quick Action Toolkit →] and put your energy where it counts.

Keep reading to prepare yourself to help mobilize the resistance.


1. Know Your Rights & Legal Protections

📜 Understand your rights before you protest or organize — because being informed is your first line of defense.

Before you hit the streets, raise your sign, or speak out loud, you need to know the ground you’re standing on. Knowing your rights is not optional — it’s strategic armor. Whether it’s a peaceful march or a city council showdown, the law is often used as a tool against dissent. But when you know the rules, you can resist smarter.

📊 Why this MATAs:

  • Over 93% of recent U.S. protests have been peaceful — yet thousands of protestors were arrested without cause (ACLED).

  • Only 15% of Americans know their basic rights when interacting with police (Pew).

  • Protestors who receive legal briefings before an event are 80% less likely to face escalation or unlawful detainment.

  • Legal observers and support networks have helped dismiss thousands of bogus charges against activists in recent years.

  • The right to protest is protected under the First Amendment—but only if you know how to assert it when challenged.

📌 Start here to ensure your activism stays protected:

  • ACLU – Know Your Protest Rights
    Learn what you can (and can’t) legally do during demonstrations, and how to handle police interactions like a pro.
    🔗 Know Your Rights →

  • National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
    From legal observers to protest defense hotlines, the NLG is a lifeline for frontline organizers.
    🔗 Get Legal Support →

🛡️ Power concedes nothing without pressure — but it always backs down when you know the law.

“Resistance without legal knowledge is risk without protection. Know the rules. Then change the game.”
— Quin Halliwell


 2. Train in Nonviolent Resistance

Learn how to build and sustain nonviolent movements — because power listens when people move with purpose.

Nonviolent resistance isn’t passive—it’s strategic, courageous, and historically effective. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Berlin Wall’s fall to Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, peaceful protest has been the most successful method of civil resistance in modern history and why we want to mobilize the resistance today.

📊 Here’s why it works:

  • Movements that stay nonviolent are twice as likely to succeed as violent uprisings (ICNC).

  • Over 50% of successful revolutions in the past century used nonviolent tactics, not brute force.

  • Nonviolence invites wider participation—from youth and elders to faith leaders and workers—creating mass momentum that oppressive systems can’t ignore.

  • It reduces backlash and increases public sympathy, shifting the narrative toward justice.

📚 Choose a training program and strengthen your skills:

  • International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) – Free online courses, strategy guides, and real-world case studies.
    🔗 Explore ICNC →

  • Nonviolence International – Tactical action guides and live workshops for frontline organizing.
    🔗 Join Training →

  • Meta Peace Team – Hands-on workshops in conflict de-escalation, unarmed civilian protection, and bystander intervention.
    🔗 Learn More →

✍️ “Nonviolence is not the absence of action. It’s the presence of strategy, discipline, and power.”
Walden Wright


3. Join an Organized Movementlearn train mobilize the resistance

🌍 Get involved with larger movements for collective impact—because real change is never a solo act.

History doesn’t move by individual tweets or one-off protests. It moves when organized people show up consistently, strategically, and together. Movements are where isolated anger becomes coordinated power—where you don’t just resist, you build something better.

📊 Here’s why joining a movement MATAs:

  • Organized groups sustain momentum over time, outlasting media cycles and political distractions and mobilize the resistance in smaller more sustainable chapters.

  • Movements with local chapters can mobilize the resistance faster and more effectively than top-down organizations.

  • Being part of a movement increases your civic engagement by over 60%, from voting to advocacy to volunteering (Pew Research).

  • People in community are less likely to burn out and more likely to stay active long-term.

  • The most impactful resistance wins—from Civil Rights to Standing Rock—were built on deep local organizing, not just national headlines.

📌 Find an organization that aligns with your values and jump in:

  • Indivisible – A grassroots powerhouse with thousands of local groups driving progressive change from the ground up.
    🔗 Find a Group →

  • War Resisters League (WRL) – One of America’s oldest pacifist organizations, rooted in direct action and long-haul resistance.
    🔗 Join WRL →

  • The Ruckus Society – Bold, creative, and strategic—Ruckus offers action camps and training for high-impact protest and movement art.
    🔗 Train with Ruckus →

🧭 Resist with others. Fight smarter. Hold the line together.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”
— African Proverb (and every seasoned organizer ever)


4. Build Local & Online Organizing Skills

🏡 Effective organizing starts with connection — and connection starts with skill.

You can’t just “wing” a movement. Whether you’re mobilizing neighbors, building a digital campaign, or creating coalitions across state lines, organizing is a craft. And like any craft, it takes tools, practice, and people who know how to show up together.

📊 Why this MATAs:

  • Community organizers are five times more likely to influence policy outcomes than isolated activists (Stanford Social Innovation Review).

  • Online campaigns paired with local action increase participation by over 300%.

  • Nearly 80% of organizers cite a lack of training as a barrier to long-term impact and burnout prevention.

  • Organizing isn’t just about rallying — it’s about sustaining. The average campaign takes 18–36 months to see results.

  • Groups with both digital and in-person presence are more resilient, more flexible, and harder to silence.

📌 Choose a resource and start building your network:

  • Beautiful Trouble
    A playbook for the modern movement — packed with tactics, principles, and creative action case studies from around the world.
    🔗 Explore →

  • Momentum
    Learn how to build movements that scale, last, and win — from flash protests to enduring community power.
    🔗 Get Started →

  • Frontline Activist Network
    Offers practical toolkits for campaign-building, digital security, and decentralized grassroots organizing.
    🔗 Learn More →

🌐 The best resistance doesn’t just respond — it organizes. Learn the skills. Find your crew. Build something unstoppable.

“Organizing is hope with a blueprint. You don’t just light a fire—you teach others how to carry it.”
— Liberty Lane


Resistance Takes Strategy & Skill

💡 Effective resistance isn’t just about showing up—it’s about planning, training, and mobilize the resistance with purpose. The more we know, the stronger we become.

Ready to take action now? Check out the [Quick Action Toolkit →] page.