Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Activist’s
Toolkit
BY JULIA RETICKER-FLYNN
www.advocatesforyouth.org
www.amplifyyourvoice.org
Advocates for Youth is dedicated to creating programs and advocating for policies that help young people
make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. Advocates provides
information, training, and strategic assistance to youth-serving organizations, youth activists, policy mak-
ers, and the media in the United States and developing nations.
Table of Contents
I. WHAT IS ORGANIZING? 2
V. BUILDING POWER 13
VII. WINNING 28
VIII. RESOURCES 30
4 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
1
Dear Activist -
Julia Reticker-Flynn
Associate Director,
Youth Organizing & Mobilization
2 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
What is Organizing?
Organizing is the process of building power then they would act. Unfortunately, in most
as a group and using this power to create cases, even if we are right, and those in
positive change in our lives. Throughout power know about the issue, they still don’t
history, organizers have played a key role act. This is because they are being pres-
in addressing injustice in our country. From sured by others not to act, such as donors
the Civil Rights movement, to the feminist, who want school funds to be allocated to
LGBT and immigrant rights movements, sports programs instead of a student health
organizers have come together, created center. Most campaigns will require you to
strategies and built collective power to win be more than right. You will find that you
lasting change. must build power in order to put pressure
on those who can make decisions. Organiz-
Organizing has everything to do with power ing is about figuring out what resources
and shifting relationships of power. Power you really need in order to win change. This
is the ability to control our circumstances could mean you need the votes of members
and make things happen outside of our- of your student council; chatter on social
selves. Everyone has power inside them- media; the allegiance of a person with
selves—power to make decisions, to act, power; or it could mean building crowd sup-
to think, to create. However, not everyone port to disrupt business as usual with direct
has equal power to make things happen action (such as a protest). You must identify
outside of our own lives due to inequality of what you need and then figure out how you
resources and authority. Nevertheless, we can make it happen.
can build our own power and the power of
our community through organizing. Collec- This guide will serve as a tool you can use
tive power is the power that a group has by to think through how to make change in
working together with a shared interest in your community. It will walk you through
achieving a goal. the steps of developing a campaign strategy
that includes setting goals and establishing
Sometimes we think that if our cause is demands, analyzing key players, building
right, we will be able to win easily without power, and using power to achieve your
building power. We might think that if deci- goals.
sion makers just understood the problem
II. IDENTIFYING THE CHANGE YOU WANT 3
RIGHTS: Youth have the inalienable right " And this list goes on.
to accurate and complete sexual health
While we must be ambitious and dream
information, confidential reproductive and
sexual health services, and a secure stake big to realize our vision for young people’s
in the future. sexual health and rights in our communi-
ties, we also must recognize that we cannot
RESPECT: Youth deserve respect. Valuing address all of the problems we see at one
young people means involving them in the time. So the first step we must take is to
design, implementation and evaluation think through what we want to tackle first.
of programs and policies that affect their
health and well-being.
RESPONSIBILITY: Society has the respon- Here are four key questions to consider
sibility to provide young people with the when determining what problems to ad-
tools they need to safeguard their sexual dress. The first two will help you identify
health, and young people have the respon- if the problem is deeply and widely felt.
sibility to protect themselves from unwant- Questions three and four will help you think
ed pregnancy, and sexually transmitted through the solution to the problem:
infections (STIs) including HIV.
To develop your own shared values, you can 1. What problems are you most angry
use Advocates’ vision as a launching point about?
and determine if there are ways you want to
It is important that you seek to
adapt it or recreate it to meet the values of address a problem that impacts
your community or group. people’s lives in a direct and signifi-
cant way. The more deeply we feel an
At times, Advocates’ vision and the sexual injustice (often through anger), the
health and rights of young people are more likely people will be willing to
take action to address the problem.
threatened. For examples, in instances of:
share your concern, the more people understanding of the problems you see in
you will be able to motivate to take your community will help you determine a
action.
solution that does not simply address the
3. Can you think of a concrete solution for symptoms, but rather the underlying power
this problem? Is this solution feasible? structures that support the problems.
If you cannot name a concrete solu- Complete the chart by filling out the differ-
tion, you will be unable to organize ent levels of the problem:
towards a change that will address
the problem. It is also important that 1. Leaves: What problems do you see facing
your solution is possible. The more
able you are to convince people that the community? Leaves are the visible
your solution is feasible, the more and tangible parts of the problem. In
likely people will commit their time other words, they are the symptoms.
and energy to working toward mak-
ing change. (For example, sometimes For example, high STI rates, high rates of
students say that they are really unintended pregnancies, violence against
angry about patriarchy, but a clear LGBTQ people, high rates of sexual assault
winnable solution to patriarchy is
hard to name. Instead, if we identify in the community, etc.
sexual violence is a problem on cam-
pus, then we can identify solutions 2. Trunk: What structures, practices and pol-
such as demanding improvements to icies create an environment that supports
the sexual assault policy on campus, the problems – what’s “holding them
or requiring training for all incom-
ing students on sexual assault and up”? When answering this question, think
consent.) about some reasons these problems exist.
Is there a policy banning condom access
4. Will this solution make a lasting change in your school? Does your school teach
in people’s lives? Does it alter the system abstinence-only programming rather than
that is creating the problem? comprehensive sex education? Is there
It is important to consider if the a lack of training for students, profes-
change you are aiming toward will sors, and campus police on gender-based
make a lasting impact in people’s violence? Think about what structures are
lives or will the community go back
to how life was before you started keeping these problems in place and that
this campaign. One way to ensure if they were changed would have a long
lasting success is to address under- term impact on your community.
lying power structures (who has
power in a situation and the systems 3. Roots: What are the underlying historical,
which reinforce that individual’s or
group’s power). social or economic root causes of these
problems? Why do these structures or
Once you have answered the four ques- policies (listed under the trunk) exist?
tions above, you likely will have developed Some examples of root causes are racism,
a shorter list of problems that you want classism, homophobia, sexism, ageism,
to address. Your next step is to complete a and discomfort with or fear of sexuality.
deeper analysis of the problem which will
help you determine how to address it in Your organizing efforts should be focused
order to make a lasting change in your com- on challenging the programs, practices and
munity. policies you listed under the trunk. If you
only address the leaves, you will only create
ROOT CAUSE TREE TOOL band-aid solutions. It is difficult to address
the roots because they are based in a long
The problem tree is a great tool to use with
history of deep rooted injustices. Cutting
your group to better understand the con-
off the problems at the trunk is your best
cerns you see in your community and where
opportunity to defeat the problems in your
you should concentrate your organizing
community.
efforts to create lasting change. A deeper
IDENTIFYING THE CHANGE YOU WANT 5
PROBLEM TREE
See page 36 for a blank worksheet problem tree you can fill out!
IDENTIFYING YOUR DEMANDS: center provides free HIV testing, the school *This original Blueprint
for Social Justice, from
Now that you have analyzed the problem could meet your demands by providing free which the ‘Root Cause/
Problem Tree’ is mod-
and the structures, you are ready to name testing one time a year. A more specific de- eled, was developed
your solution. Your solution should aim to mand could be that the student health cen- by the Movement
Strategy Center [MSC]
cut the problem off at the trunk by address- ter should provide free HIV testing twice a for Young People For.
ing the policies, practices or structures week—once before and once during school This work is a remixed
and updated version of
that are keeping the problem in place. hours. Creating specific demands requires the Blueprint for Social
Organizers often refer to their solutions that you do some research to understand Justice Workbook &
Curriculum licensed
as demands. A demand is a specific policy how to best meet the needs of your com- in 2009 to Movement
munity, but it ensures you have the most Strategy Center, under
change or action that you seek to win from the Creative Commons
a decision maker. control of defining how the success of your “Attribution-NonCom-
campaign will be implemented. mercial-ShareAlike 2.5”
License.
One way to ensure you create strong de-
mands is to make them S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable: It is important that you
Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and establish concrete criteria for measuring
Timely) progress to attaining each demand. Setting
measurable benchmarks will help you stay
Specific: It is important that your demands on track and be able to clearly articulate
are as specific as possible so that you are how you are moving toward achieving your
in control of defining success. For example, demands.
if you demand that your student health
6 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
III.Creating a Strategy
As mentioned, organizing is the process then you will need a strategy, because you
of building power as a group and using will need power to influence a decision
this power to create positive change in maker.
our lives. To do this, we must have a vi-
A tool that can help you design an effective
sion, an understanding of how we can go
strategy is this strategy chart created by
about working towards creating positive
Midwest Academy. The chart asks questions
change. In other words, we need a strategy.
that you need to answer in order to plan
A strategy can be defined as the method
how to win your campaign. The chart has
of building enough power to influence a
five columns. Each column addresses one
decision maker to give you what you want.
aspect of organizing and allows you to think
Creating a strategy is essential because it
concretely about what you need to do. Thus
will help you understand how each action
far, you have identified your demands and
you take will move you toward winning
are ready to fill out the first column of the
your demands. A strategy is different from a
chart. The subsequent chapters will help
plan because it involves power and relation-
you to complete the strategy chart by defin-
ships. For example, if your group is putting
ing targets and key players, providing tips
on a social event, you don’t need a strategy.
on how to build your power, and by offering
You just need a plan to execute the event.
suggestions on using your power through
However, if you want your school to change
employing various tactics.
its non-discrimination policy to be inclusive
of sexual orientation and gender identity,
STRATEGY CHART
CURRENT POTENTIAL
DEMANDS TARGETS RESOURCES SUPPORTERS TACTICS
Demands are specific Primary target: What we have: Who cares about this Tactics are actions taken
measurable things we issue enough to join or to move your target to
want to WIN! The person who has List the resources help us? give you what you want
the power to give you that your organization (your demands).
1. List the demands of what you want. (The brings to the campaign. Who has the skills that
your campaign? decision maker) A target Include: skills of you need to win the Tactics must:
is always a person, never group members, campaign?
an institution. connections to student Demonstrate your power
2. What short-term or and community while simultaneously build
partial victories can you Understanding your organizations, funding. How will you reach out your power.
win as steps toward target: to potential supporters? Be within the comfort
reaching your overall What we need: zone of your group, but
campaign demands? What opposing pressure (for instance: table outside comfort zone of
does your target face to List the specific things on campus, hold your tactic.
not give you what you you need to do to membership meetings, Be directed toward your
How will the campaign: want? develop the campaign. host social events, primary or secondary
" group
Expand leadership of present at other club target
" Win concrete
improvements in Secondary target:
meetings, canvass
the dorms, talk to
Moves you closer to
reaching your demands.
people’s lives? " base
Build membership
professors, etc.)
" ofGivetheir
people a sense
own power?
The person(s) that have
power of your target? " Develop media plan
Example of tactics:
Petitions
Public Hearings
" power?
Alter the relations of What power do you " strategy
Develop campaign
Negotiations
have over the secondary Rallies
YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
might be a good secondary target. Other Or if your target is an elected official, they
secondary targets might be a major donor, may be influenced by:
a local elected official that supports your
efforts, or a respected religious leader in
your community, etc. If you think you have a
CO ROU
better chance at moving your secondary tar-
RS
G
MM PS
NO
get to move your primary target to give you
UN
DO
what you want, you might want to focus
ITY
your efforts on this strategy.
R
VO HE LS
TE
RS OT ICIA
Understanding your primary and secondary F
OF
targets: It is important to look at the situ-
ation from the perspective of your target ELECTED
to determine potential secondary targets OFFICIAL
as well as potential supporters who have
major influence. You can do this by mapping
out some of the people and institutions that
influence your target. You will also be able
Constituency: Constituents are the people
to identify your opposition and be able to
directly impacted by the issue you are
start developing a strategy to make sure the
organizing around. These are your core
pressure you are putting on your target will
group of people. Constituents have the
outweigh that of your opposition.
most to win if change is achieved. From
For example if your target is the president within this group, it is important to identify
of your University, she will be influenced trusted leaders who can help shape and
potentially by the following players: lead the campaign, as well as the skills and
resources your group can help bring to the
campaign.
POWER MAP
DECISIVE DECISION
TARGET: UNIVERSITY
MAKING POWER PRESIDENT
OR INFLUENCE
CONSERVATIVE
BOARD MEMBER
TAKEN INTO
ACCOUNT
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
PRESIDENT
CAN GET
ATTENTION
YOUR
GROUP OPPOSING STUDENT
ORGANIZATION
NOT ON RADAR
LEVEL OF OPPOSITION
12 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
Now that you have a sense of where the toward supporting your demands. In other
key players currently stand, you want to words, on the power map you want to shift
devise a strategy to build the power of your people towards agreeing to your demands
supporters and move key decision makers (left) and build your power (top).
POWER MAP
DECISIVE DECISION
TARGET: UNIVERSITY
MAKING POWER PRESIDENT
OR INFLUENCE
CONSERVATIVE
BOARD MEMBER
TAKEN INTO
ACCOUNT
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
PRESIDENT
CAN GET
ATTENTION
YOUR
GROUP OPPOSING STUDENT
ORGANIZATION
NOT ON RADAR
LEVEL OF OPPOSITION
V. BUILDING POWER 13
V. Building Power
Now that you have done a preliminary This is a key group to keep in touch with via
power analysis to understand your power in email or phone when you need to turn out
relation to the decision makers and begun larger numbers for a campaign.
to map out your campaign strategy, it is
Your goal is to increase your base of sup-
time to determine how you can build your
porters while simultaneously moving
own power. As a reminder, power is the
supporters to be members and members to
ability to control circumstances and make
be leaders. This is the process of base build-
things happen outside of ourselves. While
ing. Another way to think about this is that
not all of us have the economic or decision
you are trying to build a base that is both
making power to make change on our own,
wide and deep: wide in the sense that you
we can build power to create the changes
reach as many people as you can and deep
we want to see in our community. In this
in the sense that you build strong leaders
section we will discuss the cornerstone of
within the group.
organizing, which is how we build our col-
lective power through engaging others in As a means of envisioning your own base,
our fight to create change. fill in the circular diagram with the names of
your leaders, members and supporters. On
This process of engaging others, often
the outside of your diagram, you will want
referred to as base building, includes: con-
to think of new individuals and groups you
ducting outreach, following up and building
could reach out to bring in new supporters
relationships with potential new members,
and widen your base. Simultaneously, you
providing new opportunities for members
will want to circle the names of some of
to engage over time, and developing mem-
your members who you identify as potential
bers as leaders themselves.
leaders.
One helpful way to think of this process is
to break down your base into three catego-
ries: Leaders, Members, and Supporters
“We need to change our condom 4. Don’t forget to follow up. Make sure to call
policy on campus so that students or email new supporters and thank them
can get condoms for free in the for participating or taking action. Invite
dorms and at the health center.”
them to your next event.
V. BUILDING POWER 15
5. Have fun! Choose fun and creative tactics nate with your school’s radio station to
to outreach to new supporters. The more announce your event.
you are having fun, the more people will
want to join you. " Partner with other student or commu-
nity organizations: By working directly
with other student organizations, you
SPECIFIC OUTREACH TACTICS TO
INCREASE NUMBER OF SUPPORTERS will bring a wider audience to your
" Make public announcements: Coordi- upcoming meetings, events and actions.
nate with your teachers to announce
your organization’s events during class.
" An individual phone call is still one
of the most effective ways to engage
Visit other student organization meet- people in an action or event. Before an
ings and ask for a few minutes to let action, calling your supporters to con-
them know about your event. Coordi- firm their participation will increase the
16 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
likelihood that they show up. For those There may be other skills that you are look-
willing to provide phone numbers, send ing for from your leaders that will help your
texts – people are more likely to read group reach its core goals. As a group, you
texts than email or social media posts. will want to continue to develop this list for
your campaign.
When using any of the above tactics to
outreach to members of your community, Leadership Development:
be sure to collect the contact information
Once you have defined what skills are im-
(email and phone number) of the people
portant for your leadership team, you can
with whom you interact. This will help you
begin to identify members in your group
build your list of supporters and enable you
that could be good leaders. The current
to follow up and engage them in new events
leaders should then begin the process of
or campaigns.
leadership development with these mem-
bers. One helpful tool to conceptualize the
STRATEGIES FOR DEEPENING YOUR
BASE: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT process of leadership development is the
ladder of engagement. Your goal is to use
While it is extremely important to bring
different ways to move people up the lad-
in new members and supporters, it is also
der of engagement with your campaign so
crucial to invest in current supporters and
you can build strong leaders.
equip them with skills to move from sup-
porters, to active members to new leaders.
WAYS TO DEVELOP STRONG
To do this, you can start by identifying some LEADERS AND MOVE PEOPLE UP THE
of the characteristics of a leader that are LADDER OF ENGAGEMENT:
important for your campaign’s success, One-on-Ones
outlined below.
This is an opportunity for current leaders to
Traits of a leader: engage more deeply with emerging leaders.
" Understand the vision of the change you
want to make and the steps that must
During a one-on-one meeting, you want to
make sure to ask a number of questions of
be taken to reach the goals. the emerging leader such as:
" Possess different skills than the cur- " What motivates you to be involved with
this campaign?
rent leaders. For example, you will want
some leaders in your group to be people
who are more focused on getting things " What is your vision for this campaign?
done and moving the project forward.
You will need others who like the pro-
" What types of projects/aspects of the
campaign do you enjoy working on?
cess of making decisions and can make
people feel good about how things are
getting done. It is essential to have both
" What support or information do you
need to take the lead on these aspects of
forms of leadership to accomplish your the campaign?
goals and maintain group membership.
The answers to these questions will help
" Can build good rapport with the com-
munity and will be able to bring people
you understand how to best plug the
emerging leaders into your campaign, as
into the fight. This is the key trait of a well as give you ideas of new directions to
successful organizer. steer the campaign. It can also help you
" Represent the people and interests of
the community.
figure out what type of guidance will help
to build the emerging leaders strengths. It
is important that current leaders continue
V. BUILDING POWER 17
VOLUNTEERS TO
PHONEBANK
COORDINATES A DORM CANVASSING
OR OTHER REGULAR EVENT
ATTENDS AN EVENT
CONSISTENTLY ATTENDS
MEETINGS AND PROVIDES INPUT
SIGNS A PETITION
to have one-on-ones with emerging leaders emerging leader with one current leader on
throughout the campaign. Having regular each project with the aim that the next time
check-ins will help foster a mentoring rela- this activity comes up, the emerging leader
tionship that will enable emerging leaders will take the lead.
to become the leaders.
Spending time to build strong leaders is es-
Leadership retreats: Leadership retreats sential for you to create the vision for youth
should aim to strengthen relationships sexual and reproductive health in your com-
among current and emerging leaders and munity. All too often when young leaders
thus build community among your lead- leave communities or graduate from school,
ership. They also serve as a time to dive campaigns and groups fall apart without
deeper into the strategy of the campaign. their leadership. It is essential to continu-
This opportunity will help new leaders ously build new leaders so the work you
develop a better understanding of how to care so deeply about continues.
create strategies, and increase their invest-
Base building and leadership development
ment in the success of the campaign.
is a continuous process that should happen
Shared ownership of aspects of the cam- throughout the campaign.
paign: It can also be helpful to partner one
18 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
ESCALATION
Claim victory in
Often we get stuck in using the same tactics a way that shows
because we are not aware of all the ways how everyone
we could use our power to create change. OF TACTICS wins.
Using Petitions to Demonstrate Support Meet with your target and outline
your demands nicely. Propose a
It is important to communicate support deadline for decision.
for your demands. You can do this through
20 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
198 METHODS OF
NON-VIOLENT ACTION
FROM GENE SHARP, ALBERT EINSTEIN INSTITUTION www.aeinstein.org
Communicate your issues to a wider them carefully. LTEs are usually very
audience short and have to be submitted very
soon after an article has been published.
Expand your base continually, and let your They provide an opposing point of view,
target know you’re working on the issue, by or shed new light on a topic of an article
taking actions that will raise awareness of that has been published.
your issue to large numbers of people.
- The Washington Post ran a profile of
" Making your demands visible through
banners or interactive displays is a
programs which provide services to
pregnant and parenting teens. Young
mom Natasha wrote a letter describ-
great way to bring new potential sup- ing how these kinds of programs had
porters into the conversation. Generally, been very helpful to her as a teen
visual displays will attract attention mother. The Post appreciated hearing
from someone who had been directly
and, if done well, will spark conversation affected by the programs, and pub-
about your issue. It is also a good idea lished her letter – giving even more
to bring along leaflets to pass out with support to the idea of programs for
teen parents.
more information about the campaign
and ways people can get involved. Visual
displays also serve to remind your target
" An op-ed is an opinion piece written by
someone who is not newspaper staff.
that you are making your demands Anyone can submit one; look for the
known to the community. Make sure newspaper’s guidelines online. An op-ed
to think through a strategic location to gives you a longer opportunity to sound
hang the banner where many people off on a topic the newspaper hasn’t paid
will see it. (You may also have to con- enough attention to. Staying on topic,
sider whether you are allowed to hang adding a personal story to help readers
displays in particular areas in your com- connect to the issue, and providing a
munity.) You will also want to make sure few key statistics are ways to get your
that your banner truly communicates op-ed accepted.
your message to the people who see
- Kate, a student at Harvard, has started
it. It makes sense to run a couple mes- a school-wide conversation about
sages by people who are not engaged in sexual assault on campus. She wrote a
the campaign to see which one reso- series of op-eds in Harvard’s newspa-
nates more with them. On any printed per. Her student group combined this
tactic with campus forums and events,
materials you hand out, also add your to pressure the administration to set
social media handles and any relevant better policies around sexual assault,
hashtags so they can continue to carry and urge the campus community to
change the culture that enables sexual
your messages online. assault.
Reaching out to media can also be a good
way to communicate your issue to a wider
" When possible, work with a reporter.
Look at local articles and blogs about
audience. You can do this by writing let- your issue to identify which reporters
ters to the editor (LTE), Op-Eds, or working and bloggers have covered them, and
directly with reporters and bloggers. There email these reporters about what’s go-
are many ways to communicate your mes- ing on. It’s that simple. You might not
sage to the media. Each approach has its always get a bite – but the more your
advantages, so you’ll want to pick the one movement grows, the more interest
that best suits your needs. Your campus media is likely to take in your issue.
newspaper, local newspaper, or blogs that
speak to your community or topic can all - Lizzie and Chelsea at Boston College
were a part of a student group that
provide great media opportunities. distributes condoms –at a campus
that doesn’t allow condoms. The Col-
" An LTE is written in response to a news-
paper article. Look for the newspaper’s
lege’s administration threatened them
with disciplinary action. The group be-
LTE guidelines on its website and follow gan a media blitz, contacting reporters
at their campus paper and at local and
VII. USING OUR POWER 23
national papers. They received a huge - In the spring of 2012, Advocates for
amount of media coverage, including Youth along with other organizations
being profiled in the New York Times. decided to put pressure on Congress
The media attention put the spotlight to support birth control coverage
on the campus’ bad policies around under the Affordable Care Act. We
condoms and sexual health. utilized a social media strategy asking
youth activists to take pictures with
" Blogging/Vlogging is a great way for
you to report on your own issue and
Valentines’ reading “Congress, listen
up or we’re breaking up, birth con-
trol matters”. These valentines were
ensure your voice is heard. Blog posts, tweeted at members of congress with
like articles in newspapers take a more the hashtag #bc4us. Over 1600 people
in-depth look at your issue, but tend to took pictures and tweeted them at
Congress, to demonstrate young peo-
be more personal and less formal. Vlogs ple’s support for no cost birth control.
are great to convey emotion, and give The collection of valentines was later
a face to the issue. Either type of post complied in a book and presented to
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,
will be stronger if they are engaging to further extend the campaign and
and passionate and have an authentic bring even more attention to the issue.
voice and style. Even if you are dealing This form of social media pressure on
with a complicated issue, make sure to members of congress helped to show
them that their constituents were
connect it to people by sharing stories. watching and wanted them to take ac-
One person’s story moves people more tion to ensure birth control coverage
effectively than pages of statistics. Cre- under the Affordable Care Act.
ate a username and password at www. Remember, online actions should connect
amplifyyourvoice.org and start writing. with on the ground actions, and vice versa.
Social Media If you collect petition signatures online,
deliver them to your target in person and
Social media is an essential tool for commu- take a picture that can be posted on Face-
nicating about your issue with a larger audi- book. Try to find ways to integrate social
ence. When your supporters communicate media into all your on-the-ground actions,
about the campaign on social media, they so those that can’t attend can participate.
can reach a wider audience of friends and Remember, you won’t win your issue be-
contacts who already know and trust them, cause of social media alone, but you can’t
vs. an audience of strangers – making it win without it.
more likely that your message will be heard
and not ignored.
HERE’S HOW JAMES FROM TEXAS COMBINED SOCIAL MEDIA
Visuals are ideal for communicating on AND ON THE GROUND ACTION
social media – make them easy and fun to In 2013, a lawmaker in Texas introduced legislation that would ban funding
to LGBT Resource Centers and Women’s Centers on college campuses.
share. These centers provide much-needed, even lifesaving resources and
support to thousands every year.
" Connect “memes” or popular pictures
with funny or timely captions with is- James went to work to stop this bill. Naming his campaign, “Get off Our
Backpacks,” he collected signatures, both online and in person, asking for
sues and events. You can add words to the “Zedler Amendment” to be withdrawn.
pictures with tools like PowerPoint, Pixlr
James assigned the campaign a hashtag, and disseminated it on a
or Photoshop. shareable graphic for social media.
" Inbegan
July of 2013, young people in Florida
a sit-in at the State House to call
for reform after the verdict in the Tray-
von Martin murder case. In August of
2013 they were still there, their protest
having lasted a month and counting.
Activists and media outlets around the
country have publicized their actions.
They’ve made it clear they won’t be
deterred.
VII. Winning
Campaigns are rarely won overnight. Many select leaders from your group to be part
campaigns last for years and involve the of the implementation process. If the
use of a variety of strategies and tactics to person in power starts to slip and the de-
ultimately win and create lasting change mands are not being implemented, you
in one’s community. If you do not win at need someone ready to blow the whistle
first, do not lose sight of your end goal. You and put pressure on them to live up to
will want to regroup to build more power their agreements.
and develop some new tactics to move you
closer to achieving victory. What is essential " Set your next goal: One of the best
results of a campaign is not only the
is that your community remains dedicated
demand being met, but the fact that you
to the cause both during the campaign
have built a dedicated community of
itself, through the victory and throughout
folks who are not only passionate but
the implementation process.
know how to win campaigns. This is a
great moment to keep people engaged
Tips about winning: and start to outline the next set of de-
mands you will work towards.
" Don’t rub your victory in your oppo-
nents’ faces. Remember you are fighting
for a cause that will benefit your entire
community - you must frame your vic- That’s a Wrap:
tory to your community and to the press
in terms of how your entire community We hope this toolkit has sparked some new
wins from this change. There should be ideas and provided a clear framework that
no losers in the fight for social justice. you can apply to making change in your
community. Best of luck as you get started.
" Celebrate your victories. You have
worked very hard. Take time to acknowl-
And remember, you can always reach out to
staff at Advocates for Youth to support you
edge what you have accomplished. and your efforts.
Resources
The Midwest Academy is a national train- New Organizing Institute trains organizers
ing institute committed to advancing the by integrating on-the-ground organizing
struggle for social, economic, and racial and online organizing. They offer a variety
justice. From local neighborhood groups of free tools and support for organizers.
to statewide and national organizations,
Midwest Academy has trained over twenty-
The 1 in 3 Campaign
five thousand grassroots activists from
Campus Activist Toolkit
hundreds of organizations and coalitions.
www.1in3campaign.org/resources
Worksheets
STRATEGY CHART
CURRENT POTENTIAL
DEMANDS TARGETS RESOURCES SUPPORTERS TACTICS
Demands are specific Primary target: What we have: Who cares about this Tactics are actions taken
measurable things we issue enough to join or to move your target to
want to WIN! help us? give you what you want
(your demands).
Understanding your
target:
What we need: How will you reach out to
potential supporters?
Secondary target:
YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
See page 8 for the full instructions for filling out this chart. Adapted from Midwest Academy
32
ON
ESCALATIC
OF TACTI S
WORKSHEETS
33
My Vision for Sex Education! Pass the Real
I support the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, a sex education vision that outlines what young people truly
need. The bill not only authorizes funding for comprehensive sex education directed towards adolescents and Education
for Healthy
college students, but also prioritizes teacher training so that our nation’s educators have the tools they need to be
effective in the classroom.
Let’s work to ensure that our vision of young people receiving the sex education they need in order to lead healthy
lives and have healthy relationships. We owe it to them to provide them honest sexual health education. With the
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act we can start bringing our vision for sex ed to life!
Youth Act!
FIRST NAME LAST NAME STATE ZIP EMAIL MY VISION IS:
YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
2000 M STREET NW, SUITE 750 WASHINGTON DC 20036 USA
34
T:202.419.3420 F:202.419.1448 www.advocatesforyouth.org
LADDER OF
ENGAGEMENT
WORKSHEETS
35
36 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
PROBLEM TREE
UNDERSTANDING
YOUR TARGET
Write in some of the people or
YER
INF
groups of people that influence
PLA
LUE
your base.
NC
ING
ING
NC
PLA
LUE
YER
INF
IN E R
FL
UE AY
NC G PL
IN IN
GP C
LA UEN
YE FL
R IN
PRIMARY TARGET
YER
INF
LUE
PLA
N
ING
CIN
ENC
GP
LAY
LU
INF
ER
IN E R
FL
UE AY
NC PL
IN G
GP CIN
LA UEN
YE FL
R IN
SECONDARY TARGET
38 YOUTH ACTIVIST’S TOOLKIT
BUILDING
As a means of envisioning your own base, fill in the diagram with the names
of your leaders, members, and supporters. On the outside of your diagram,
POWER: you will want to think of new individuals and groups you could reach out to
bring in new supporters and widen your base.
Simultaneously, you will want to circle the names of some of your members
who you identify as potential leaders.
For each key player, you will rate their level of support for your demands on the
POWER MAP: horizontal axis and their level of decision making power on the vertical axis.
DECISIVE DECISION
MAKING POWER
OR INFLUENCE
ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN
DECISION MAKING
TAKEN INTO
ACCOUNT
LEVEL OF POWER
CAN GET
ATTENTION
NOT ON RADAR
LEVEL OF OPPOSITION
WORKSHEETS
39