10 Resources to Support Your Organising This Summer

Summer is here with trees in full green, flowers blooming, and (hopefully) sunny weather that allows us to spend more time outside. Organising does not stop in summer – if anything it's the perfect season to energise our efforts and our communities.

With that in mind, we have compiled a list of books, podcasts, guides and films recommended by the Act Build Change team and our community. These resources have inspired us, opened our minds, and informed our organising practices.

1. It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World by Mikaela Loach

Recommended by Neha, Project Manager at Act Build Change.

It’s Not That Radical is the ultimate introduction to climate organising and a manifesto based on the idea that everyone can change the world. Mikaela Loach, co-founder of Awethu School of Organising, shares her experiences as a young racial and climate justice activist and what she has learned over the years.

Loach covers a range of topics providing a brilliant foundation of knowledge and understanding of climate justice. She unpicks mainstream white environmentalism, discussing what the causes of the climate crisis are and who is actually responsible. It’s Not That Radical is grounded in hope and optimism, with the view that by acting together in community we can save lives from the climate catastrophe.

Buy It’s Not That Radical from Bookshop.org.

2. Abolitionist Alternatives to Exclusions guide by No More Exclusions

Recommended by Son, Community Organiser at Act Build Change.

No More Exclusions is a Black-led grassroots coalition who organise for a just and liberatory education system, working with abolitionist principles to end exclusions and policing in schools. Their most recent guide, Abolitionist Alternatives to Exclusions, is a re-imagining of care, education and wellbeing in schools. It asks the question ‘what would an education system without school exclusions look like?’, compares punitive educational strategies to abolitionist ones and explains exactly why the punitive approaches are harmful.

In the words of the guide: ‘This resource is for anyone who wants to work towards ending school exclusions. It is for school staff, educators, students, care-givers, parents, policy makers, and members of the public who are concerned about school exclusions and are seeking ways to better support children and young people.’

Download Abolitionist Alternatives to Exclusions from No More Exclusions.

3. Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha

Recommended by Stephanie, CEO at Act Build Change.

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear is both witness and sanctuary, chronicling Palestinian life under siege with a voice that refuses to be silenced or forgotten. Winner of the American Book Award, the Palestine Book Award, and the Derek Walcott Poetry Prize, this is essential reading for anyone committed to Palestinian liberation, for those who believe in the power of poetry to bear witness to injustice, and for all who understand that Palestinian stories are not just stories of survival, but of asserting the right to dream, love, create - to exist with dignity and freedom.

In the face of erasure each verse is an assertion of Palestinian humanity and dignity. Toha's poems are letters to the future - that Palestinian life, culture and creativity will endure despite attempts at genocide, and that the Palestinian voice – speaking, singing, remembering – will not be silenced or buried.

Buy Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear from Bookshop.org.

4. People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal by Marshall Ganz

Recommended by the Act Build Change team.

The teachings of Marshall Ganz continue to influence our work here at Act Build Change. Ganz was introduced to organising during the Mississippi freedom movement of the 1960s and has since worked with migrant workers and unions, and on community and electoral campaigns. Since the 1980s, Ganz has been a professor at Harvard University, where he has taught and mentored new generations of organisers.

In May, we hosted the UK launch of his latest book, People, Power, Change with 100 organisers from across the country. In this book, Ganz shares his own organising experiences, discusses what it really means to practise democracy and looks into the core practices that make an effective organiser, including storytelling, building relationships, and strategising. Whether you’re a seasoned organiser or just taking your first steps, People, Power, Change is for you.

Buy People, Power, Change from Bookshop.org and read our insights from the book launch we hosted in the UK.

5. The Role of Love in Social Justice Work podcast by Surviving Society

Recommended by Ez, Associate Care Organiser at Act Build Change.

This podcast series looks at how those of us working in social justice spaces navigate the complexity of love and showing up for ourselves and each other in ways that centre collective care. Hosted by Ez, she explores this topic across two series with different colleagues and friends working in a variety of roles within social justice sectors. The intention of the series is to support people to think practically about how to build movements which centre love, care and wellbeing in response to the challenging issues we’re working towards changing.

Listen to The Role of Love in Social Justice Work and other Surviving Society podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud.

6. "No Offence But…”: How to have difficult conversations for meaningful change by Gina Martin

Recommended by Jemima, Associate Communications Officer at Act Build Change.

We’ve all heard comments we found offensive or misplaced and had responses to our campaigns and organising efforts that are unhelpful to say the least. It’s so easy to want to say something snappy and shut the conversation down. However, those reactions often leave both sides angry and defensive with no dialogue shared.

In “No Offence But…”, gender equality activist Gina Martin discusses how to effectively respond to such comments in a way that opens discussion and creates opportunity for understanding and progress. She sees everyday conversations as the foundation of social change and as a powerful tool with the potential to both preserve and challenge our current systems. In this book, Gina and 11 contributors tackle common problematic phrases or ideas - such as ‘not all men’, ‘I don’t see colour’ and ‘I don’t do politics’. They debunk them and discuss how to respond to them in a calm, clear and informative manner that might change the mind of the person saying them.

Buy "No Offence But..." from Bookshop.org.

7. Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church by Hahrie Han

Recommended by the Act Build Change team.

At the heart of this book is the case study of Crossroads, an evangelical church in Cincinnati that grew from 11 founding members to a congregation of 35,000 weekly in-person attendees, plus 500,000 online worshippers. Hahrie Han documented the impacts of an anti-racist programme called ‘Undivided’ and the impacts this had on members of Crossroads.

At Crossroads, success stems partly from a simple yet revolutionary principle: ‘Belonging comes before belief.’ This means welcoming people first, without demanding they prove their ideological alignment. As a result, the worshippers involved in the Undivided programme led successful campaigns for racial justice, changed jobs, confronted their bosses, and had tough conversations with loved ones about racial solidarity. The process transformed them as people and agents of change. Through the structure of their groups, they found courage and renewed commitment to return to the public sphere again and again, advocating for racial justice.

Buy Undivided from Bookshop.org and read our reflections on the book the tour we hosted in the UK.

8. Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think by Helen de Cruz

Recommended by Stephanie, CEO at Act Build Change.

What drives us to ask the big questions? Why are we here? What is our purpose? How do we make sense of the mystery of existence itself? Philosopher Helen de Cruz reveals that wonder and awe aren't just fleeting feelings, but powerful cognitive forces that shape how we think, learn, and understand our world.

In our age of apathy and information overload, de Cruz offers both a celebration of human curiosity and a practical reminder that wonder is something to nurture, not outgrow. It shows how cultivating awe can help us engage with the world as if experiencing it for the first time, finding meaning in both everyday miracles and life's deepest mysteries. Wonderstruck is essential reading for anyone who wants to rediscover what makes us human: our endless capacity to be amazed.

Buy Wonderstruck from Bookshop.org.

9. Solidarity Knows No Borders’ film series produced by Migrants Organise

Recommended by the Act Build Change team.

Filmed over a 2 day gathering of migrant justice organisers in 2023, this three-part series of short films is a joyful reminder of the power of community and togetherness. Each under five minutes the films cover Communities of Solidarity, Hope as a Discipline and Radical Listening.

There are so many examples of amazing organisers from all across the UK featured in these films, and their insights are invaluable. From Lorraine, organiser at Carag, highlighting how when you find your community, that is where you find your strength’, to Fatou from Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit reminding us that ‘it will take a long time or a short time but there are wins happening’ and Act Build Change’s very own Son describing how ‘organising is about dreaming bigger, living better and loving more.’

Watch the films on the Solidarity Knows No Borders’ website.

10. One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Recommended by Stephanie, CEO at Act Build Change.

From the award-winning author of American War, Omar El Akkad delivers a deeply personal examination of moral courage in times of crisis. Born from a viral tweet posted during the early weeks of Israel’s current aggression on Gaza, One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This asks the uncomfortable question: why do we so often find our voices only when it's safe to speak?

El Akkad is someone who has lived between worlds – as an Egyptian-Canadian witnessing Western ideals tested against harsh realities. This collection of essays explores what it means to live in societies that profess high moral standards while often failing to live up to them when it matters most.

With unflinching honesty and surprising tenderness, El Akkad examines the gap between our stated values and our actions, the comfortable distance we create from inconvenient truths, and the all-too-human tendency to rewrite history once the moral stakes have passed. He doesn't offer easy answers or comfortable reassurances, but rather invites us to sit with the difficult questions about complicity, courage, and what it really costs to speak truth to power.

Buy One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This from Bookshop.org.

If you’re in search of more resources, we have lots of recommendations and discussions in our archive, including 10 Resources to Get Started with Disability Activism and 10 Books Every Community Organiser Needs in Their Toolkit.

We would love to know what resources - whether books, films, podcasts, or something else - have changed how you think about organising. What recommendations would you give a fellow organiser?

Share them with us in the comments and on our socials!