Peter Kodde, a long-time Dutch eco-activist, will be showing us what strong NVDA looks like.
If you’re planning on going to the 2017 YFoEE Summer Camp then you probably already know a bit about non-violent direct action (NVDA). But, did you know that the first recorded labour strike was a NVDA and occurred in Ancient Egypt 3,000 years ago? Exasperated tomb builders occupied temples to protest the lack of provisions supplied by the pharaoh. Although occupation is still a crucial tactic in any activist’s toolkit today, NVDA, not surprisingly, has changed quite a bit since the days of ancient Egypt.
Peter Kodde, a long-time Dutch eco-activist, will be showing us what strong NVDA looks like today at summer camp. He has spent a long-time as an organizer supporting the people of Groningen that want to shut down the biggest gas field in Europe and he has, also, spent time volunteering as an action trainer at Stroomversnellers, a trainers’ collective supporting several Dutch social movements and action groups with training, coaching and advice.
Here is what Peter had to say about his experience and summer camp:
I was involved in several large civil disobedience campaigns in the Netherlands the last 20 years, from forest occupations to shutting down lignite mines in Germany and blocking nuclear waste transports. I like doing those type of actions for they can be an effective strategy, and an adventure to participate in.
I hope to show you how to use civil disobedience and let you explore it to see if it can be used in your campaigns and if it is the type of action you would participate in (or not).
Keep tuned for more updates from our speakers. YFoEE Summer Camp is coming in less than 2 weeks!