Mapmaking
Technology comes, but technology can be taken away. Knowing how to read a traditional map will be critical without phones or other GPS technology. Even better, learn how to draw a map yourself. This is a great way to discover alternate routes.
Self-Defense
When you get where you need to go, you might find trouble there. You’ll need to know how to defend yourself. That could look like learning hand-to-hand combat. Some liberation organizations of the past acquired or created their own weapons, too.
First Aid
But just as it’s essential to know how to fight, we need people to fix us up afterwards. That means not just bandaging scrapes and cuts, but treating gunshot wounds, severe burns, and exposure to teargas. We also need people on-site to help others manage their chronic pain or long-term injuries.
Psychological Preparedness
From media propaganda to generational trauma, oppression includes psychological warfare, so we need to prepare for that, too. Trained therapists invested in liberation are always good to have on hand. Still, this category also means practicing the worst-case scenarios, and helping people confront and organize against what they fear most.
Oppressive systems want us to feel powerless, but we aren’t. We can practice resistance and a liberated future by empowering ourselves with the skills we need to survive — together.