A Workshop for Activists & Social Justice Leaders
Duration: 2.5 hours
Audience: Grassroots organizers, social justice leaders, nonprofit comms teams, digital activists
Facilitator: Leteria Bailey, CEO, Airetel Media
Platform: In-person or online via Zoom
Materials Needed: Projector or screen, worksheets, pens, Wi-Fi, access to phones/laptops
🧭 WORKSHOP GOALS
- Understand how censorship and surveillance work on mainstream platforms
- Learn alternative platforms and strategies for digital organizing
- Build secure communication practices and protect your data
- Create a flexible, censorship-resistant content strategy
- Empower your movement with decentralized tools and collective action online
🧱 WORKSHOP OUTLINE
1. Welcome + Grounding (10 mins)
- Land acknowledgment (if applicable)
- Intention setting: “What brought you here today?”
- Quick intro poll: “Have you ever had content flagged or removed on social media?”
2. The Digital Landscape Under Threat (20 mins)
Presentation + Discussion:
- How social media platforms work with governments: shadowbanning, deplatforming, surveillance
- Review cases (e.g., Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock, Palestinian content)
- "The algorithm is not neutral."
Mini Exercise:
→ Write down 1-2 posts that were removed or suppressed.
→ Reflect: Was it the language, hashtags, or timing?
3. The New Rules of Resistance (30 mins)
Key Topics:
- What NOT to post (avoiding keywords that trigger moderation)
- Decentralized platforms: Mastodon, Signal, Telegram, Bluesky
- Using memes and metaphor to encode messages
- How to archive your content in real-time
Tool Demo:
→ How to use Linktree alternatives, self-hosted sites, and anonymous browsing (Tor, VPNs)
4. Security Culture & Digital Safety (30 mins)
Topics Covered:
- End-to-end encryption
- Strong password practices
- Avoiding phishing & infiltration
- Building private group chats with vetting systems
Exercise:
→ Set up a secure comms plan with your organization (Signal, ProtonMail, encrypted Docs)
→ Define protocols for digital emergencies (content takedowns, account bans)
5. Creative Strategies to Outsmart Censorship (25 mins)
- Using art, poetry, parody, satire to carry political messages
- Scheduling tools & shadow drop strategies
- Collabs with influencers & micro-amplifiers
- The power of visuals: infographics > rants
Exercise:
→ Break into teams. Create a sample post about a real issue (e.g., voter suppression, ICE raids) using creative language that avoids keywords. Share & discuss.
6. Contingency Planning: When You Get Silenced (20 mins)
- Backups for your content & contacts
- Press kits and media allies
- Redirecting traffic (email lists, SMS lists, WhatsApp groups)
- How to document your censorship and report it publicly
Pro Tip: Create a "Censorship Action Kit" for your org.
7. Collective Power: Building a Digital Mutual Aid Network (15 mins)
- Sharing followers & boosting each other
- Coordinating simultaneous posts ("digital storms")
- Creating an internal "alert system" when one of you is taken down
8. Wrap-Up + Call to Action (10 mins)
- Recap key tools: Signal, Proton, Mastodon, Canva, Secure Browsers
- Each person writes 1 action they’ll take this week
- Resource list & join our encrypted group for ongoing support
📦 RESOURCES TO PROVIDE
- Digital Security Starter Kit (PDF)
- List of alternative platforms
- Social Media Content Calendar (editable)
- Censorship Case Studies (optional deep dive)
✊🏾 CLOSING QUOTE:
"They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds."