In today’s fast-paced world of social media, activists often find themselves bogged down in absurd discussions or meaningless online debates. All in all, these trends are not healthy, nor are they productive. The current crop of online platforms — Facebook, Twitter, etc., — are not conducive for popular education or movement building. These corporate entities have one goal: to maximize their profits.
In this context, an alternative online political platform has been created specifically for leftists: the World Institute for Social Change (WISC). WISC is an online school for developing and sharing ideas, skills, vision, and strategy within and across progressive constituencies. WISC courses take place four times a year, in eight week sessions, after each of which there is a month off for entering new enrollments, adding new courses, and refining features. The sessions are in April/May, July/August, October/November, and January/February.
Without question, many activists don’t have the opportunity to travel overseas or organize with political movements abroad, so the possibility of working with international activists and thinkers is often an unobtainable dream. Here, WISC provides a valuable and exciting prospect: the chance to explore ideas surrounding strategy, tactics, vision and values with organizers, authors and activists who are currently engaged in political struggles around the world.
The upcoming July/August session features courses from a wide variety of activists, authors, professors and journalists, including professor Jack Rasmus, world-renowned peace activist Kathy Kelly, antiwar veteran and author Rory Fanning, journalist and historian Paul Street, anarchist theorist Andrej Grubačić, author and theorist Michael Albert, author Avi Chomsky, attorney and activist Eva Golinger and many others.
Indeed, the courses themselves cover virtually every aspect of society and activism: anarchist theory, marxist theory, participatory economics, war, strategy, vision, tactics, investigative journalism, tools for online security, political economy, ecology, strategy, research methods, labor, feminism, globalization and much more.
As a result, people who participate in WISC will have the opportunity to interact with faculty members from around the world. To me, that’s one of the best dynamics of WISC: interacting with people who have helped me better understand the world. My politics, like so many activists, have been influenced by the work of people like Paul Street, Michael Albert and Kathy Kelly. Now, we have the chance to speak with them directly, hopefully engaging in vibrant and robust discussions and debates about the most important issues of our time. Most importantly, students will be able to speak with each other directly, through a secure online platform and without the limitations and distractions of modern social media.
What’s working? What’s not working? How can movements be more effective? How can activists foment international solidarity? What are the challenges movements face in the 21st century and beyond? How can we better prepare for these challenges? How can we develop winning strategies? How can we learn to be more effective? Those are the sort of debates and discussions that will take place in the WISC online forums. And those are the sort of debates that should be taking place in activist circles around the world.
Moreover, courses are sponsored by a WISC partner. In order to teach a course, potential faculty must obtain sponsorship from a partnering organization. This element provides a chance for organizations around the globe to promote their work, teach valuable skills or simply educate participants. Currently, partnering WISC organizations include ZCommunications, Real News Network, Bogazici Performance Arts and Publishing, Centre for Civil Society, Center for Anthropology and Social Change, Chicago Veterans for Peace, New Politics, PM Press, Rabble, Real Media, ROAR Magazine and Sto Kokkino.
Fortunately, potential faculty and partnering organizations can also make a bit of money. And while revenue isn’t the primary purpose of WISC, it’s an added bonus for individuals and organizations who all too often produce extremely valuable work, yet fail to be properly compensated, if at all. As a result, many activists and educators lack the resources available to continue their very important work.
Here’s how WISC’s revenue breaks down: 50% to course faculty, 25% to partner course sponsor, and 25% to WISC for maintaining the whole operation. This arrangement allows partnering organizations and individual faculty members to make a bit of money while contributing to a radical political project with unlimited potential. The cost of a WISC course is $100 for full fee enrollment, $50 for low income students and free for those who wish to sign up for observer status.
At a time when casually taking university courses has become virtually impossible for most people, as tuition prices have skyrocketed (the average cost of one year of school at a public university in the US is $8,000), the ability to be educated by world-class thinkers, journalists and activists is a rare and worthwhile opportunity.
The goals of WISC are evidenced by its features and composition. Thus, in no particular order, WISC seeks: to convey information, vision, and strategy for activists seeking to create a better world, to spread material benefits among activist organizations and to facilitate feelings of mutual aid, to facilitate ties among diverse constituencies as well as the organizations they associate with, and to facilitate the spontaneous sharing of lessons, activities, and even political program.
In the end, I think it’s important for leftists around the world to support and promote worthwhile political projects, entities and institutions. Activists should be battling cynicism, not contributing to it. As Michael Albert reminds us, “Trying to build a new institution to serve left needs around the world is a hard thing. Trying to do it without feedback is virtually impossible.”
If you’re reading this article, and if you’re the least bit interested in WISC, or its potential, if you have questions, criticisms or suggestions, reach out, participate and share this information with your allies. As an activist and writer, I’m excited about the prospect of learning and working with leftists from around the world. The folks at WISC are eagerly awaiting your participation.
Vincent Emanuele is a writer, activist and radio journalist who lives and works in the American Rust Belt. He’s a member of UAW Local 1981 and can be reached at vincent.emanuele333@gmail.
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1 Comment
This sounds like an exciting chance to dialogue with an interesting group of activists/educators and learn in a unique online platform. I’ve signed up for a course starting in July – looking forward to it.