ONM — Organisation for Nonviolent Movements
Paris · Founded 2025 · Bilingual FR/EN

Democracy defence,
built from below.

ONM is an international NGO working at the intersection of civil society and democracy defense — integrating civilian agency into human rights and security, and building nonviolent power in France, Europe, Ukraine, and Francophone Africa.

Our Work Engage With Us
20+
Countries reached
through our programmes
5
Cohorts of the
Francophone Africa course
10mo
Months since
founding
4
Active programmes
in development
Latest PDSF 2026 · ESDC Vienna · LinkedIn Live May 28 · REACT Fellowship · Across Fault Lines Journal
PDSF panel — Amber French-Griette moderates
PDSF panel — Amber French-Griette moderates "The Democracy Arsenal", Paris 2026
Our Mission
"We exist to ensure that civilian agency — the organized, strategic power of ordinary people — is understood, integrated, and resourced as a core pillar of democratic resilience and comprehensive defence."
01

Two pillars, one mission

Europe & Defence

Ukraine, resilience & civilian-based defence

We work at the nexus of democratic resilience, unarmed civilian defence, civil-military cooperation, and hybrid warfare — influencing the European security establishment from within, with Ukrainian voices at the table.

Civil resistance frameworks for defence ministries & NATO
Ukrainian veteran co-creation & peer learning
Wargaming & curriculum enrichment for defence academia
Policy influence: PDSF, IHEDN, Baltic & Polish MODs
Francophone Africa & Civic Education

Nonviolent action to protect freedom & dignity

Civic education in nonviolent action across French-speaking Africa, building with local leaders, human rights defenders, and civic groups — in regions where Russian and Chinese influence is virtually unchecked.

Online course in French: 5 cohorts, 20+ countries
Trusted civil society networks
Innovation Fund for Nonviolent Action Education
Alumni network supporting local curriculum adaptation
02

Upcoming events

May21

Panel speaker — "Cognitive warfare in the high-tech era", Kyiv

Co-founder & Director Amber French-Griette speaking on cognitive warfare. Recording shared after the event.

Conference
May28

ONM Networking Meet & Greet — LinkedIn Live Free

Meet ONM leadership. Highlights from our first 10 months and how to get involved. 16:00–17:30 Paris time.

Online Event
Jun17

ESDC Guest Session — Vienna

Amber French-Griette at the European Security and Defence College on human agency in protection of civilians.

Conference
Jun18

REACT Research-in-Action "Open Mic" Webinar

Lightning talks by activist-writers from around the world. 16:00–17:30 Paris time · Online.

Online Event
Jun30

Ukrainian Civil Society Week: Deep-Dive — Democratic and Civic Resilience against Hybrid War 12€

Dr. Oleksandra Keudel, Founding Director of the Centre for Democratic Resilience (Kyiv School of Economics), and Col. (Ret.) Andrii Ordynovych, Ukrainian Air Force, bridge research, practice, and policy — centreing the lived experience and human agency of Ukrainians, including the organized, nonviolent civic action central to the country’s defence.

16:00–17:30 CET · Online workshop · Tickets here

Online Event
03

Milestones & momentum

Jul 2024

ONM Founded in Paris

Formally established as an international NGO.

2024–2025

Francophone Africa course: 5 cohorts

Over 20 countries reached through our online course in French.

Early 2025

REACT Fellowship launched

Activist-writers cohort bridging research and practice.

Jun 2026

PDSF 2026 — Paris Defence & Security Forum

ONM accepted and presenting at Europe's leading defence policy forum.

2026

Across Fault Lines Journal — inaugural issue

ONM's flagship knowledge product launching this year.

04

Active programmes

Active · Fundraising

Pinpoints of Resilience

A human-centreed resilience training framework co-developed with Ukrainian partners. Modular workshops designed for defence establishments, corporate teams, and universities.

Defence · Corporate · Universities
Active · Cohort 6 forming

Civic Education in Nonviolent Action

Our flagship online course in French reaches activists, students, and civic leaders across Francophone Africa — including low-connectivity zones.

Francophone Africa · 20+ countries
Active · Growing

REACT Fellowship

Research-in-Action: a fellowship for activist-writers producing field-grounded knowledge that bridges research, practice, and policy in civil resistance.

Global · University partnerships sought
05

Who we work with

"ONM brings what your wargames are missing: civilian agency. In Ukraine, ordinary people organized roadblocks, filled governance voids in occupied zones, and shifted the terms of conflict — without weapons."
Current wargaming models do not adequately capture civilian agency. Ukraine proved ordinary citizens are diverse, active, organized, and decisive.
We bring civil resistance frameworks and more inclusive participation in strategic planning to break groupthink and produce more realistic scenarios.
Direct access to Ukrainian veterans, researchers, and grassroots civil society practitioners — and trusted networks in Francophone Africa where Russian recruitment is underway.

What we offer

Consulting

Civilian agency frameworks for defence planning

Workshops

Half-day to multi-day sessions on hybrid warfare

Curriculum review

Civil resistance frameworks in defence training

Wargaming

Voicing civilian roles with accuracy and depth

"Comprehensive defence cannot be built from the top down — Ukraine proved that. ONM helps governments understand and integrate the bottom-up dimensions of civilian resilience that no ministry currently has frameworks to capture."
Policy frameworks governing civilian protection were designed for a different era and do not reflect the reality of hybrid warfare.
We seek to update international humanitarian law to recognise civilian agency — not just victimhood — drawing on Ukraine's experience.
Our network spans Ukrainian civil society, defence establishments, Francophone African communities, and European research institutions.

What we offer

Commissioned reports

Policy-relevant research with ground-level intelligence

Expert briefings

Closed working group facilitation

Curriculum input

For European and national defence academies

Convening

Bridging Ukrainian civil society and European institutions

"Hybrid attacks don't stop at your company's door. ONM offers corporate teambuildings co-developed with Ukrainian business actors, researchers, and practitioners — fostering civic engagement and team resilience from the inside out."
Companies operating in conflict-adjacent regions face a choice: be part of the problem or part of the solution.
Our services are co-created with Ukrainian partners including Resilient Ukraine and the Kyiv School of Economics.
For companies with ESG mandates: investment in civic resilience is both a values expression and a risk management strategy.

What we offer

Corporate teambuilding

Co-created with Ukrainian partners; half-day to full-day

ESG advisory

Framing civic resilience investment for stakeholders

Social investment

Structural partnership models beyond grants

Solidarity model

Portion of proceeds devoted to Ukraine

"Civil resistance studies and the sociology of hybrid warfare are among the most urgent fields of our time — and among the least integrated into European defence curricula. ONM connects your institution to the cutting edge."
ONM's scientific advisory board includes leading researchers in civil resistance, nonviolent conflict, and democratic resilience across Europe and Africa.
The REACT Fellowship is a model for bringing academic and activist writing into productive dialogue — we are looking for university partners to host and expand it.
Pinpoints of Resilience offers a co-creation framework for human-centreed resilience training with research labs.

What we offer

Joint research

Co-creation of training programmes bridging theory and policy

Guest lectures

Ukrainian practitioners and ONM researchers as speakers

Curriculum partnership

Integrating civil resistance into defence curricula

REACT co-hosting

University partnership to host and scale the fellowship

06

Where we operate

ONM's unique positionality — Paris-based, bilingual, with deep networks across European defence circles and Francophone African civil society — is difficult to replicate and central to our value.

Europe & Ukraine

Active networks with defence ministries, NATO-adjacent bodies, Ukrainian civic actors, veterans, and researchers. Channel into French Ministry of Armies, Baltic MoDs, and Polish defence universities.

FranceUkrainePolandLithuaniaEstoniaLatviaUKDenmarkNetherlands

Francophone Africa

Trusted civil society networks and civic education partnerships across French-speaking Africa, including low-connectivity zones where Russian and Chinese influence are virtually unchecked.

DRCGuineaDjiboutiMaliSenegalCameroonHaiti20+ countries

Institutional Networks

Accepted at PDSF 2026. Active engagement with IHEDN, ACADEM, King's College London, Kyiv School of Economics, Sciences Po, and military training institutions in Poland.

PDSFIHEDNKCLKSEESDCSciences PoActionAid DK
08

Support our work

ONM is at a critical inflection point. Our first 10 months have demonstrated proof of concept. With strategic funding, we can scale programmes that defend democracy where it matters most.

€500k–1M
Funding target · 3-year programme
Donate to ONM
01
Pinpoints of Resilience
Scale the human-centreed resilience training programme across defence and corporate sectors.
02
Francophone Africa Education Fund
Expand the online nonviolent action course to additional cohorts and low-connectivity zones.
03
REACT Fellowship expansion
Scale the activist-writers fellowship and establish university co-hosting partnerships.
04
Knowledge production
Fund the Across Fault Lines journal, strategy briefs, and policy-relevant research outputs.