We are working to end war and militarism.

We are forcing institutions and elected officials to divest from war and militarism, reinvest in life, and repair relationships. We come together for this shared goal and strategy, and we are clear that war-mongering elites are our opponents. We focus our energy to win the world we deserve.

We practice joy and we appreciate each other every day.

This can be hard work, but when we see each other, appreciate each other, and celebrate often, our joy will carry us forward. Even on hard days, we do our best to stay grounded in our hope, joy, and gratitude for each other.

We believe everyone has a role to play.

To take on powerful elites and end to war and militarism, we need everyone! Whether you organize campaigns 10 hours a week, chip in a few bucks each month, or donate space for a training, you are playing an important role. We honor all roles and contributions.

We grow our power by talking to new people.

We aren’t here to just talk to people that already agree with us. If we’re going to win, we have to bring our vision to millions of new people and invite them to our side of history. That means meeting people where they are, identifying shared values, and speaking in ways that people can understand. We know that changing minds can be a long process, so we are patient and don’t expect it to happen all at once. When we plan an action, an op-ed, or a tweet, we always ask: how will new people hear and receive our story?

We lead by supporting new leaders.

To be a leading Dissenter means to recruit and develop new leaders. The more you grow as an organizer, the more you teach and support others to do the work that you used to do. Handing away the megaphone is how we sustain our work, and how our movement exponentially grows and wins.

We uplift the voices and leadership of those most often at the margins.

Communities who are surviving under oppression carry the solutions. These are the collective stories and strategies that will bring healing and safety to all of us.

We embrace experimentation, reflection, and growth.

We know that to win the world we deserve, we have to try new things. That means we celebrate risk-taking and imperfection, and prioritize reflection in service of growth. After every event or action, we take time to reflect and integrate lessons learned into next steps.

We recognize our wave is just one part of a growing movement.

We aren’t alone in this abundant movement for safety and healing. What a relief! We are always connecting to other struggles and campaigns to grow stronger together. We know and stay focused on our role, rely on and uplift other struggles, and trust that together we are all going to win.

We move toward repair.

We believe in our worth, our right to heal, and our ability to transform. Even when we try our best to love and support each other, we still have conflict, make mistakes, and cause harm. We understand conflict as an opportunity to grow and deepen relationships through honest communication. In contrast, we recognize shame, punishment, and disposability as tools of war that seek to dominate and control. We approach accountability through a transformative justice framework: everyone deserves the opportunity to heal and transform.

We practice interdependence, we take care of ourselves and each other.

We ask for help, share resources and skills, and show up for each other. We depend on each other and make sure others can depend on us. We know that when we each take care of our bodies, minds, and spirits, we’re taking care of the collective movement. That includes knowing our limitations and being honest about them, and offering and accepting support.