Experienced and curious
Resources and tools designed to stir and challenge how you work — an invitation for new thinking.
Does this sound like you:
As Socrates put it, wisdom is knowing what you don’t know, and we are not pretending to have the answers here. But we are keen to foster a community that encourages new thinking about making a difference for people who are deeply experienced at the craft.
In this section there are some tools and resources that translate some of the ideas in the book so they might be explored or applied in your work with others.
We have also assembled some written, audio and video materials that unpack some of the more novel ideas in the book – like sameness and difference, the paradoxes around time, or how curiosity and judgement offers a way to think about relating while disagreeing – that might open up what is written in the book and spark more ideas and reflection.
We see the book, and these materials, as a contribution to a bigger world of thinking and action. We are keen to hear reactions and suggestions – so be in touch via the community-contact us page something comes up.
In the resources below you’ll find…
Podcasts
We have assembled a series of podcasts with people who are already rethinking and reorganising how they make a difference in creative ways.
It includes people:
- Re-organising electoral politics (eg deep canvassing and independent political movements)
- Re-thinking union organising (with the magnificent Jane McAlevey, whose legacy we honour)
We also have episodes with people unpacking some of the books key ideas, such as around identity, neurodiversity, and story-telling.
You can go deeper into some of the book’s stories, including with John Robertson (Chapter 4), an dthere are also a few episodes with Amanda where she talks through some of the stories and ideas in the book.
Tools
We have resources to support both personal and political rethinking, starting with a guide for rethinking ourselves with the practice of a political autobiography.
We have a few resources on key concepts like sameness and difference, and curiosity and judgement – and stay turned for more.
We also have some materials digging into to a few topics that were only touched on briefly in the book, including:
- Scale
- People power
- The Relational Method and how the paradoxes of public life have something to offer research and policy makers
Stories
You can read more about Maha Abdo’s story and her experience navigating Sameness and Difference with Sydney Alliance leaders in 2010 in the wake of international conflict in the Middle East. And about Kisê-Pîsim and how she navigated curiosity and judgement with me around the word tribe.
We have also assembled several pieces of writing that show Amanda’s journey from losing her job to the apology she received, and how she came to rethink sameness and difference.
Next Steps
Like the provocation offered by the Zapatista practice of “walking while asking questions” – we are keen to be in conversation with you and your tribe about these ideas.
We also want to help make space and work with people to explore these ideas together. That might look like conversations with Amanda directly (see the contact page) or being part of conversations with each other.
If you are interested in finding out about conversations like these – please join the email list. We know that broadcast emails are pretty unrelational, but we will use the list to share details of upcoming face-to-face and online conversations. On the community page you can get in touch with Amanda if you are interested in engaging her in your tribe’s reflections.
How can I build the skills and capacity of others in my tribe?
Our tribes not only grow by finding more people but by building the skills, capacity and knowledge of each of our members. But how do you support growth like this? People often think that the answer is training, and that is one of the ways – but there are plenty of ways to grow people’s…
How do you do a Power Analysis: Video Workshop
A video with Amanda walking through how to use a power analysis to make a difference.
Making a difference starts with me and my story: my political autobiography
Reflecting on what I care about and why.
Amanda’s Reflections: what living with bipolar taught her about making a difference
A speech that became an early draft of Conscious Tribe’s conclusion
The relational method? What the paradoxes of public life might offer researchers and policy makers
How the paradoxes of public life can be useful in other contexts
What does scale really mean when it comes to making a difference?
A short blog rethinking scale – using the paradoxes of big and small, and fast and slow
amanda’s Reflections on the Labor for refugees campaign
Fleshing our the Labor for Refugees story and drawing lessons for how to make change on other polarised issues
Robbo went from leading unions to leading the ALP: listen to his reflections about electoral and community power
In this chat Robbo reflects on power and party politics – his answers might surprise you!
building community: ecosystems and ways to strengthen democracy, with hahrie Han
What we do in our tribes has a powerful role to play in rebuilding our democracy – according to this leading US researcher
The art of story-telling, with the acclaimed author anna funder
What can writing teach us about making a difference: exploring story-telling and power
Learning more about Valuing Indigenous knowledge with terri janke
An introduction to indigenous Knowledge and Property – useful for people wanting to build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities.
thinking about difference: neurodiversity and neurodivergency with wenn lawson
A podcast exploring neurodiversity and neurodivergence – a way of thinking about our big and small differences.