Self defense can be defined as a set of physical, psychological, and verbal techniques that can be used to defend oneself in situations where one may be a target of verbal assault, physical abuse, or rape. It also involves knowing how to avoiding certain situations where we know we may be hurt. Self defense skills are important knowledge for any activist, and the "Self-Care and Self-Defense Manual for Feminist Activists" (developed by Marina Bernal, Artemisa, and Elige), contains step by step instructions on how we can implement these skills in our everyday activist work. There are three types of self defense: psychological, physical, and legal.

Activism can be difficult, dangerous, and draining work. We are forced to juggle enormous workloads, chronic stress, and exposure to trauma. There seems to be a dangerous perception within the community that we must work to eradicate human rights abuses at the expense of our own health and well-being, and that a truly committed activist works to achieve their goals regardless of the personal costs. As a result, we are often hesitant to speak about our own stress, burnout, and secondary trauma. Jane Barry, in her article "What's the Point of the Revolution if We Can't Dance", proposes several strategies to improve activist sustainability...

According to their website, The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) "aims to make clowning dangerous again, to bring it back to the street, restore its disobedience and give it back the social function it once had: its ability to disrupt, critique and heal society.

In Belarus, where censorship is pervasive and President Lukashenko presides over a repressive and autocratic regime, Pavel Marozau has used the power of humor and satire to undermine the government. Founded by Pavel in 2004, The Third Way Expatriates' Network began creating short satirical cartoons as a way to speak out against Lukashenko. Since then, the organization has begun using further cyberactivism tools to combat heavy government censorship of radio, television, newspapers, and most recently, internet.

Expanding on the tactic of using shortwave radio and community in human rights work, I would like to explore the use of podcasts and online broadcasts as an alternative to shortwave radio. Many organizations and individuals are using podcasts as a platform for education about human rights abuses, and what is being done to uphold and restore our most basic rights. I have attached several links leading to organizations that are currently using podcasts to further human rights: