Teach Forward is the practice of passing every lesson, documenting every action, and leaving a replicable trail for future crews.
It prevents:
- Knowledge hoarding
- Personality-driven organizing
- Collapse when people leave or burn out.
Why Teach Forward Matters
Movements often die when:
- Memory is locked in one crew or one leader.
- Failures go unshared.
- New crews have to start from zero.
Teaching forward prevents this by making every crew's work:
- Teachable
- Documented
- Available for others to build on.
How to Teach Forward
Method | Description |
Debrief Write-Ups | Share what worked, what failed, and what you learned. |
Top 3 Lessons Forward | Capture and publish three replicable takeaways. |
Memory Kit Publication | Document the action in full and make it accessible. |
Public Teach-Ins | Host learning sessions for other crews or community members. |
Mentorship of New Crews | Walk a new crew through their first grievance or action. |
Zines or Digital Archives | Package learning in formats others can share or download. |
What Teach Forward Is Not
- Being the expert in the room.
- Building curriculums for sale.
- Performing knowledge for clout.
If you’ve practiced,
you can teach.
If you’ve failed,
you can teach even better.
Teach Forward Self-Check
[ ] Have we published our lessons in a Memory Kit?[ ] Have we shared takeaways with another crew?[ ] Have we hosted a teach-in or reflection session?[ ] Have we left a record for others to build on?
If you check two or more
you are already teaching forward.