The goal of Resistance School is to provide practical education for protesters, rebels, and freedom fighters of all kinds. We curate a catalog of workshops and classes which are taught by experienced movement veterans and professional tradespeople.
These trainings are free of charge to attendees. If you would like to host one of these trainings for your group, please get in touch so we can make arrangements.
Information Security
In the age of mass surveillance, how can radicals and dissidents organize effectively? How can we keep ourselves and each other safe from spying, and prevent our efforts from being weakened by electronic disruption?
Topics include:
- How to think about infosec in the age of mass surveillance
- Introduction to online security
- Using encryption to secure communications
- Countering cellphone surveillance
- Tools and techniques for online anonymity
Security Culture
Police and other authorities have a playbook of techniques that they use to entrap activists, spy on us, turn us against each other, and put us in prison. If your movement becomes successful, they will try these techniques against you.
But we can resist this repression! By learning their techniques, we can understand practices for keeping ourselves and each other safer while still doing resistance work. Learn about vetting, social mapping, dry snitching, what to discuss (and not discuss) in different environments, and how to spread good security practices within movements.
Street Tactics / Direct Action
Learn how to handle yourself and work together in the streets during a protest. Practice interacting with the media, communicating in chaotic environments, and learn what supplies to bring with you. Familiarize yourself with police formations and learn strategies for keeping each other safe from arrest and injury.
Know Your Rights
Everyone needs to know what their rights are when dealing with the police. This training teaches how to assert your constitutional rights using real-life scenarios to educate in a fun and accessible way. Learn what to say and what not to say when stopped by the police, how to act in jail, and more.
How To Copwatch
This workshop covers good practices for “copwatching”, or video recording the police. Copwatching can provide important evidence of police misconduct, and sometimes even stop cops from abusing people in the first place. It’s important, but can be risky without preparation. This training prepares you to record the cops in a safe, legal, and effective way. Learn how to work in a small team to monitor police activity during large protests or everyday encounters in the neighborhood.
Affinity Group Medic
Learn basic skills for providing emergency care during protests. While street medics are required to undergo extensive training, this workshop will prepare you to help your friends and comrades deal with injuries, health problems, and chemical weapons.
Jail Support
Support comrades who are arrested by learning how to track them through the jail system, bail them out, and provide legal support to beat the charges. You don’t need to be a lawyer to support arrestees, anyone can do it!
Scouting / Communications
Scouts work in and around a protest, uprising, or occupation to gather strategic information about hazards, police movements and events as they unfold. A communications team builds and operates infrastructure to help scouts relay and verify information as it comes in. Circulating reliable information quickly can make a huge difference in a chaotic situation! Learn different approaches to comms and scouting using cell phones and two-way radios.
Call for Instructors
Do you have skills you can teach? We are always looking for experienced people to share their knowledge of resistance skills. Please get in touch if you want to volunteer to teach on these or any other subjects.
In particular, we are looking for instructors for:
- Conflict resolution and communication
- Self-defense / martial arts