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When you see something you don't like and you want to change it, what do you do? Successful activism depends on getting others involved through effective organizing strategies. How can you work with people-of any age -to move them from inaction to action, to get them involved in an issue you care about, and to create social change? Here's an example of an issue that might get youth motivated:
Scenario: You are part of a group of youth who live in the same neighborhood. Every day as you and your friends walk to school, you notice the garbage and litter in the gutters, mostly consisting of empty alcohol containers and brown paper bags. Why is it always such a mess? You start paying attention to the neighborhood, and you realize that the litter is concentrated around two or three liquor stores you pass on the way to school. Upon further investigation, you learn that the liquor stores sell cheap, ready to drink, single containers of alcohol (40 oz bottles, 22 and 12 oz cans), in small, brown paper bags. Most of the people hanging out on the sidewalk are holding these paper bags. You and your friends conclude that the types of products sold in these stores are a major contributor to the dirty sidewalks and gutters. Interested in having a cleaner, safer neighborhood, your group wants to get the liquor stores to stop selling these single containers of alcohol.
- GET OTHERS INVOLVED
- PLAN FOR ACTION
- SEE HOW IT'S DONE
GET OTHERS INVOLVED
WHERE?
The basic truth about getting others involved is that you can never do too much outreach. Be as complete and inclusive as possible when you are thinking about where to conduct outreach efforts. Be resourceful, and brainstorm as many different places as possible, with input from as many people as possible. If you have access to a youth organization, ask the staff where and how they recruit youth. Here are some great places to reach young people:
- Local high schools and middle schools (public, private, alternative and charter schools). Try to reach more than one or two people at each school. Find them through student clubs, counselors and peer resource coordinators, health educators, and government, history, and other social science teachers.
- Community-based organizations that work with or provide services to youth.
- Local teen centers.
- Teen health, community health or prevention organizations.
- Community centers or local Parks and Recreation Departments.
- Home-schooling organizations.
- Faith-based organizations.
- The local Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
- School-to-career partnerships.
- The Internet: chat rooms, community home pages, youth listserves, and community calendars.
- Non-traditional places such as group homes for foster youth, the local youth probation department's intervention or diversion division, or continuation schools.
- Social circles: friends, classmates, teammates, siblings, co-workers (youth and adult), and anyone else you encounter.
WHAT?
Outreach Content: Appealing to self-interest is a good way to get people-young and older-motivated and involved in what you are doing. If you want young people to join your effort, don't just tell them about your project and what you want to accomplish. Let them know how it relates to their lives, experiences, and interests:
Describe past projects your group has done that relate to youth; talk about your own personal experiences and why you liked being involved.
Talk about how youth voices, ideas, and participation can and will bring about positive change.
Discuss skill building-how youth can build on the skills they already have and learn new things.
HOW?
There are countless ways to reach people, from one-on-one contacts, to group presentations, to news coverage and more. Consider these ideas for getting your message out:
- Make presentations to interested groups
- Send pamphlets and flyers to schools and organizations; ask administrators to post materials around campus
- Advertise in the school and local papers, as well as any local youth zines. Also ask these papers to include your project in their community calendar or news sections, which are often free.
- Attend school and community fairs; these are often about health, jobs, services, etc. School fairs are usually held at the beginning of the school year.
- If you already have some young people signed up, ask them to recruit their friends; recruit your own friends too!
- Contact popular radio stations; ask if they have "public service announcement" or "community calendar" spots available.
PLAN FOR ACTION
Planning for social change projects takes time and energy. The more planning you do, the more prepared you'll be, and the better your chances for success. Here are some key steps to take you through the process.
1. Bring people together. Reach out to as many people as possible using the tips on outreach above.
2. Identify problems in your community. There are (at least) two ways do this. You can start by brainstorming problems you witness in your community that you'd like to fix. Or you can start with a positive vision of your community, a picture of what you'd like to see in the future. Either way, encourage group members to generate as many ideas as possible.
EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY PROBLEMS
My neighborhood has too many liquor stores and no supermarket.
Less than 40% of students are graduating from my high school.
Our city is cutting funding for recreation programs.
EXAMPLES OF POSITIVE COMMUNITY VISIONS
My vision is of a community where young people are supported and provided with opportunities to succeed.
My vision is of a school where all students are engaged, and where people feel safe when they walk down the halls.
3. Choose the problem you want to address. After you've developed a good list of potential issues to address, ask these questions for each issue to help narrow down your choices.
- Is it an issue that all of our group members care about? Is it more or less important than the other issues we are considering?
- Is it an issue that affects our group directly? If it does, you'll be more motivated to look into it.
- Does the issue impact large numbers of people, especially young people?
4. Research the issue. Once you've selected the problem or issue you want to address, work together to look into the issue more deeply. The goal is to get to the root cause of the problem, learn from other people's perspectives, and identify solutions that might be effective in solving the problem.
Here are three good ways to start:
- Talk about it with your group. Find out what you already know and what questions you need answered. Think about who can help you find the answers.
- Talk to people who are affected by the problem. Get their insights. Ask them what they think needs to be done to solve the problem.
- Talk to people who are trying to address the problem, or who study the problem. Ask for the big picture so that you can understand as much as possible about this issue.
- The more you talk about the issue, the better. Use the following questions as a guide for your group to think critically about how to address the problem:
- Who are your allies or potential allies? How will you recruit them? What can they contribute to your campaign? What do they risk by joining you?
- Who are your targets? Who has the power to give you what you want?
- Who are your potential opponents? Why are they opposed? What will they do to oppose you?
- What steps will you take to carry out your plan (such as research, media events, public hearings, or negotiations)?
- How will issues/concerns of race, class or other "isms" play out in this campaign? How will your group address them?
5. Come up with a goal to solve the problem or address the issue. Develop statements that describe the issue, your overall goal (what you want to achieve in the long run), and your project idea (what you hope to accomplish in a specific project). A good project idea should:
- Be achievable in a certain amount of time;
- Describe who will benefit from the project;
- Help you reach your goal.
- Issues, goals, and project ideas are distinct things-spend some time developing language that clearly states each one.
EXAMPLES OF ISSUES, GOALS, AND PROJECT IDEAS
OUR ISSUE: The problem we want to address is that youth have easy access to alcohol from liquor stores. We found that many stores don't check ID's; often there are adults who hang out in front and offer to buy for underage youth.
OUR GOAL: Liquor stores in our community will stop selling alcohol to minors.
OUR PROJECT IDEA: We will get two liquor stores in our neighborhood to stop selling to minors by the end of this year. We will do this by getting these businesses to sign pledges to (1) check ID's and (2) install video cameras outside to prevent adults from buying for youth. We will also develop a compliance check system to ensure that businesses fulfill these pledges over time.
6. Develop your Action Plan. Sounds like a big process, but you can start by answering three questions:
How are you going to make this happen? This is your To Do list, of everything that needs to happen in order for your project to succeed.
When are you going to do each activity? This is your timeline.
Who will do each activity? These are your assignments; spread the wealth and make sure that everyone gets involved.
Action Planning is, of course, a whole lot more than this; go to See How It's Done for more information.
7. Take Action! Dive in and start doing all of the things on your To Do list. Use your Action Plan as a guide to go step-by-step through every stage of your project.
8. Evaluate and celebrate. Talk about what worked and what you'll do differently next time; document these lists in writing so you can refer to them at a later date. Celebrate your successes, even unanticipated ones. Remember, even if you don't reach your goal, you may have succeeded in other ways, such as developing a network of concerned citizens, learning new skills for the future and meeting policy-makers.
