Intro
| Types of Actions | Case
Studies
We've begun compiling a list of action ideas for all
types of campaigns and situations. Click on an action
for in-depth descriptions and tips! Let's make this
an even better resource -- send in your ideas for new
actions, or add to what's already here! E-mail lwac@livingwageaction.org
- Educational Tactics -
Teach-in &
Speakers
Description:
An educational event about your campaign which can
be run by students in your group or featuring invited outside
speakers. They can be as short as having a single speaker,
but can also last an entire afternoon with multiple speakers.
An interesting format is to set up a debate style teach-in,
either with your own group members filling both roles or
inviting outside speakers to speak for and against. Invite
workers after or before their shifts to come tell their
stories in a safe space. Provide translators if needed, and
translate English part of program to worker as well as
workers' stories into English for the audience.
Goal:
To provide an array of opinions about your issue. Teach-ins
are good for dispelling myths about your campaign.
Tips:
If your campus is a bit reluctant about your campaign
it helps to bring in outside speakers who may lend more
credibility to your group. Make sure you flyer like crazy
for this event, bring it up in classes, send information
out on email lists.
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Canvassing
Description:
This means going door to door to door and talking to
as many people as possible. You can do this both on campus
and off campus.
It helps to have a "rap". This is a structured,
yet flexible and open 'speech' of sorts that you say to
the people you talk to (i.e. other students). Every rap
at every door is different, but they all include the same
basic elements which include:
who you are, what your group is, discussion of your issue
as well as issues your 'door' is interested in, ask them
if they'd like to sign your petition or write a letter or
even get involved by coming to your next event or general
meeting. Have scripted talking points and responses to
questions.. UNIFY your message!!
Canvassers should go out with plenty of materials to hand
out and they should keep track of who they speak with and
what the conversation was like. It's best to have one person
bottom-line keeping track of all this info.
Goal:
Build your group by canvassing on campus, raise money
or community ties by canvassing off-campus. If you want
to ask for money, some towns might make you get a permit;
contact the town clerk.
Tips:
Its a good idea to carry a clipboard. It might be good
for new canvassers to go out paired with someone with experience.
For examples of Canvassing materials check out the Action
Resources page.
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Leaflets
Description:
Leaflets might include any of the following: information
on an issue, arguments for your position, suggestions for
action, sources, references for further reading, announcement
of a rally or event or information on when and where your
group meets.
Goals:
Leafleting gets to people who would not come to your
meetings or stop at your information table.
Tips:
Many leaflets will be thrown away immediately -- you
might be able to retrieve these and reuse them. Also, try
using recycled paper. Depending on how much you want to
say, using 1/4, 1/6 or 1/8 sized sheets works fine. Use
the backs of discarded flyers from other groups if they're
left in the recycling bin or around the copier.
At a busy time, one person can hand out several hundred
per hour. Be friendly but aggressive and people will be
more likely to take a sheet. Stand directly in their path
and give a big friendly "Hello!" to get their
attention.Have several people leafleting together to catch
people moving in all directions.
Its a good idea to have a basic leaflet with information
about your group, when and where it meets - especially in
the beginning of the year when there are new students on
campus.
Post leaflets in unusual places! Explore bathroom stalls,
make tiny slips of paper that you tape EVERYWHERE, flyer
bikes, TVs, anywhere an everywhere. Keep in mind your
campus's flyering policies and how strictly they are
enforced. If you're disciplined or fined, it might not be
worth it.
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Posters & Flyers
Description:
Posters and flyers are things that you can all over
campus.
Goal:
Announcements, wittily stated facts, information...
Tips:
Make your flyer or poster creative -- it needs to stand
out from all the others hanging on your campus. The text
should be large, clear and concise. Have an artistic
friend or activist do your posters by hand; they'll stand
out more.
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Classroom Presentations
Description: Ask your professors or progressive faculty on campus and ask them if you can give a 5-10 minute presentation on the campaign. Some groups have also had workers come in to classes to speak with a student from the campaign.
Goals: Often times groups will host a teach-in and you just don't get the numbers you were hoping for, right? So instead of waiting for folks to come to y'all, go to them. Use this time to get folks excited about the campaign and interested in getting involved. Give them a concrete thing that they can do- come to a meeting or an action, sign-up for tabling or flyering. Be creative about the ask- people will be less likely to come to a meeting.
Tips: Don't forget to pass around a sign-in sheet that asks for email and phone numbers. Make sure you have translators available if necessary.
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- Stepping Up the
Pressure -
The "Bomb" (aka
Fax Bomb, Phone Bomb, "Get Active", etc.)
Description:
Gather together various ways to contact your president
or other administrative targets including fax, telephone
and/or email. Make flyers announcing a specific day that
you intend to do the action giving out all the information
and asking folks to call throughout the day.
The president (or other targeted person) receives emails
and faxes and phone calls all day long from concerned individuals
at your school or in the community.
Context:
This action can be used on its own and during a larger more
intense action like a sit-in. You want to disturb your target
as well as make them realize how much support you have from
the student body as well as from outside groups.
Tips:
United
Students against Sweatshops (USAS) has a great resource
similar to the 'bomb' called the Get Active.
To send out a Get Active about a campaign, USAS needs:
1. Short description/call to action
2. Longer, background section - "What's at Stake"
3. Sample email to be sent to target(s)
4. Target(s) and their valid email addresses/phone #s
5. Relevant graphics or pictures
If you think your campaign is at a point that merits a Get
Active being sent to everybody in USAS, we can help facilitate
the process, or you can get in touch with USAS organize(at)usasnet.org
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Letter-Writing
Description:
This Action can go several ways. You can get people to write
letters by tabling and canvassing or you can take a few
minutes at a meeting and have everyone write one to your
target and other important administrative figures, including
the Board of Trustees. Ask supportive faculty and staff
to write letters too!
Letters to the Editor are also a good idea. Get in touch
with the editorial board of the newspapers on your campus
(see more on Media
Strategy). Generally these letters are short, so make
it exciting to read and to the point. Newspapers also print
longer opinion pieces, try and have one written every week.
If your letter or opinion piece is for a school paper you
can usually make a request that they print it on a specific
date. You can also ask faculty to write letters to campus
newspapers and local papers in your school's town or perhaps
in other publications as well.
A personally written letter is much better than a form
letter, but the latter can be useful when going for volume.
A good letter usually states its case quickly and concisely,
examples of form letters can be found in the Action
Resources page.
Context/Goal:
You want to get your message out far and wide. Your
local community can be very supportive and might not find
out about your campaign until they read about it in the
daily paper. Also, universities tend to respond when they're
getting bad press.
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Petitions
Description:
Petitions are a way to show that the public/student
body supports you. They can be a tool for introducing people
to an issue. Have petitions out when tabling, but don't
just wait for people to come to you. Stand in high-traffic
areas around campus and ask people passing by to sign on.
It's a good idea to always have a few names at the top of
the sheet, so no one is the first signer. Keep the original
petition and send copies to your target(s). Have a spot
for email address or telephone somewhere on the sheet so
you can add the signers to your general database/mailing
list.
See examples of petitions in the Action
Resources page.
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Banner Drops
Description:
Drop a banner from a high spot. Remember the writing
must be large enough to be seen from down below. Use bright
colors and keep the text to a short punchy phrase. This
is often a good photo-op.
Note: Possibility of disciplinary action or arrest (administrators
may see your beautiful banner as a defacement of university
property).
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March
coming soon
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Rally
Description:
A mass convergence of people in a central part of campus.
Rallies can include chanting, signs, banners, music, marching,
poetry, drumming, street theater, speeches, humor, singing
and anything else you like. A rally can lead to a march
which can lead to an invasion of an administrative building,
which really ups the pressure. There should be intense and
clear advertising including press releases (for how to write
a press release, see Media), announcements in classes and
to other groups, flyers and posters, chalking sidewalks
and blackboards, emails and phone calls to support base,
etc.
Choose an MC ["emcee"] for the rally and develop
an order of events. Rallies usually begin with a short introduction
by the MC and then a series of speakers, chants, songs,
skits, and/or anything else you think of!
Tips:
Keep speakers on relatively strict time limits. Have
a good diversity of speakers; don't always rely on the same
people. Get new people to speak (sing, play an instrument,
etc); empower all group members to develop their public
speaking abilities. Look out for the press and have a media
spokesperson on hand. It's good idea to have press packets
available at all times (see Media
Strategy). For good photo-ops, make the rally visually
attractive with lots of signs and banners.
Worker Involvement:
This is a good event for workers to participate. Some may
be willing to speak, others may just want to stand among
the crowd, holding signs or wearing buttons. But as always,
it is imperative to be aware of management pressure and
harassment. Prioritize workers' voices! If folks don't
feel comfortable speaking in public (make sure they know how
important it is for them to be active in the campaign,
though!) read anonymous testimonials from the stage!
Goal:
The purpose of a rally is to show your level of support
to your target, invigorate your supporters and to attract
media attention which can bring new people to the campaign.
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Guerrilla/Street Theatre
Description:
A short play or skits created for a specific issue.
The message should be simple and clear, and mostly visual-
thus creative costumes, props and signs are quite important.
Perform it in your campus black box and/or in front of the
president's office or in a high-traffic area of campus.
Goal:
Street Theater can do a lot. By using a new medium,
your group can reach out to new people on campus. Get in
touch with student theater groups and see if they'd like
to work on a play about your issue. Theater is also great
because its exciting, fun and as a visually attractive medium
will attract people normally not drawn to your other events.
Invite workers to come see it.
For an example of a living wage play see Action
Resources.
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Caroling and Singing
Description: Appropriate pop culture! Singing and
caroling is a creative way to get your message across in a
catchy, familiar fashion. Pull together an instrument or two
and rewrite songs everyone knows. Around holidays deck
yourself out in costumes and carol campus. Try serenading
administrators during important meetings or outside their
offices, or form a roving choir at strategic times in the
day. Have fun.
See Harvard's living wage songs
here!
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Radical Cheerleading
Description:
Cheerleading squad pumped up and yelling and chanting about
your campaign and your issue. You can get new folks involved
this way. Come up with outfits, cheers and moves/routines.
Perform anywhere you want. (For cheers and moves, check
out Action
Resources).
Goal:
A new fun way of getting your message out and getting new
cheery people involved.
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Buttons/T-shirts
Description:
Find someone artistic to design a logo for your group
or your campaign and plaster it on whatever you want. Silkscreen
T-shirts, make buttons, print stickers, stencils (for more
on all of these things, check out Action
Resources). You can then sell these things while you're
tabling. Have group members wear buttons as much as possible.
Goal:
This is a great low-commitment way to bring people
into the campaign. No matter how busy folks are, they can
wear your t-shirt or armband and feel like they're part
of your coalition. Also, this can be a great way to show
student support and make your campaign seem omnipresent
on campus.
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Vigils
Description:
Vigils are a great way to gather people in a relaxed
atmosphere to reflect upon the struggle that you're engaged
in. Vigils may or may not be faith-based. Vigils are a time.
They are good at night time, especially with candles. Gather
folks in a circle and ask people to speak or contribute
however they like (song, poetry, reading). All-night vigils
also send powerful messages to the rest of the student body
and the administration -- you might link an over-night visual
to the workers who clean buildings all night on your campus.
Goal:
You want to make it clear that you're dealing with
a serious issue. Vigils can create a safe space to share
personal experiences, thoughts and feelings related to your
campaign. If you choose to have a faith-based vigil, this
can help your group reach out to religious organizations
or congregations.
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Classroom Invasions & other
uninvited publicity stunts
Description:
Speak out wherever your target goes and whenever the public
will listen! You might interrupt a lecture given by a university
administrator, or you might storm the stage when a famous
speaker comes to campus and ask the speaker to demand a
living wage.
Note: Risk of disciplinary action or arrest (don't be afraid,
but be aware!).
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- Direct Action
-
Student Strike
Description:
A very powerful tactic specifically among administrators
is for students to not attend class. This removes all legitimacy
from the administrative bureaucracy and places it in the
hands of the students who can now use their time to organize.
Many things can be happening during a strike including teach-ins,
rallies, marches and other events to mobilize people. A
student strike requires a very high level of support, as
you want the majority of students to walk out. This is possible,
but hard.
Goal:
Disrupt the status quo of your school, so that the
power is in the hands of the students and the administration
becomes desperate and is more apt to listen to you and take
your campaign seriously.
Tips:
Get supportive professors involved, signing on to say
they refuse to teach classes until the demands are met.
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Sit-In
Description:
Sit-ins are a tactic that first gained popularity in
the thirties in the labor movement, then in the sixties
in the civil rights movement. They have recently been used
again on college campuses in the anti-sweatshop movement.
Occupying a building is a very strong non-violent form of
action that your group can take. By sitting in your school
president's office, or an important part of the administration
building, you exert power over your target by reducing its
ability to operate. When you directly attack and challenge
an institution's control system, the result can be anything
from confusion, to intense hostility, to defeat. You risk
punishment and arrest, but with a good strategy and tactics,
you greatly increase the chance of negotiations and success.
You need a core group of people to start the effort. Organize
a series of meetings over the course of which you introduce
the sit-in option, and start MONTHS in advance. This takes
serious planning. Don't force reluctant people to commit,
but over a couple of weeks build up a list of people willing
to do so. Members who do not want to sit-in will hopefully
be supportive of those who do, and you need some activists
on the outside to organize rallies and do the work behind
the scenes. It is extremely imperative to work out various
contingency plans in case things don't go exactly as planned.
There are many roles in any direct action. Roles for
folks to bottomline (keep in mind that bottomlining doesn't
mean DOING everything the role entails, but just making sure
it all gets done. Be the point person. Roles might include
media, negotiation, student/faculty/faith/community
outreach, health, rallies, finances, legal, parent/family
contact, web, supplies, vigils, events, escalation, flyering,
and so on.
Context/Goal:
You've worked on an issue for a substantial period
and you feel like you are hitting an administrative brick
wall thus you want to exert your power over your target
by making it difficult for them to continue with business
as usual. The sit-in may lead to press coverage, increased
community and campus support and ultimately to negotiations.
But don't let the administration trick you with setting
up new meetings; look for something that proves that they
are committed to your issue and to meeting your demands.
Tips:
You should not hold a sit-in until you have worked
through the initial stages of educating people and building
momentum on your campus.
Rely on word of mouth, avoid listservs and school email
accounts (you should always be careful using online communication).
message this action as a last resort. as it is, make sure
everyone knows why and what brought you to this point. use
positive messaging whenever possible.
Risk:
This is a high-risk action. The administration can
call the police and you can be forced (dragged) out of the
building and possibly to jail. Knowing that this is an arrestable
action, be aware that it will be even more difficult and
dangerous for some folks to be involved because of race,
sexuality, gender, visa status, etc.
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Hunger Strike/Fast
Description:
Students involved in a campaign who fast or go on a hunger
strike refuse to eat for set amounts of time (fasts) or
refuse to eat until their demands are met. The two can happen
simultaneously by different people involved allowing for
varied personal needs. (For a specific example, see the
Georgetown hunger strike case
study). Most people can go without food for several
days without major consequences however for longer periods
of time, it can become dangerous. (Everyone is different
and reactions will vary, please be sure to spend adequate
time discussing this strategy and consult a nurse or doctor
if you decide to do anything which limits your daily food
intake) Fasting is a traditional non-violent tactic that
has been used by women suffragists, Gandhi, Dorothy Day,
Cesar Chavez, political prisoners and others. If you are
going on a prolonged hunger strike, read up on it first,
so you know what you're doing.
Goal:
Refusing to eat may not directly exert power over your
target, but hunger strikes can be useful by demonstrating
your commitment and will cause inactive people to join in
on your side. It will very often get you media coverage
(but don't count on this for the first few days). Hopefully,
your target will accept your demand rather than see people
suffer and risk their health.
Tips:
READ THE GEORGETOWN CASE
STUDY!!!
If members of your group are going on an unlimited
hunger strike, make sure that other members are eating so
that they have the energy to organize support behind your
struggle. You will need negotiators, media contacts, health
coordinators, campus outreach people, etc.
Remember, many people deprive themselves of food because
of eating disorders, especially on college campuses. Thus,
it is imperative that you are cautious not to promote this.
It is also important that potential strikers who may have
or have had an eating disorder think about their role in
this action.
If you are striking, make sure to be drinking lots of water
as well as consuming 1-2 teaspoons of salt daily. This is
by no means exhaustive advice- please talk about this action
extensively within your group and with a supportive health
professional.
Risk:
This action is very high-risk for health, both
physical and psychological. If your group is thinking
about this action, all members must read about the health/emotional
issues around fasting, and you should coordinate a medical
team long before the action begins.
This action is usually not illegal (depending on the specifics
of the hunger strike) but be aware that the university can
take action against you or might make academic threats (read
about what Georgetown administrators did).
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Hacktivism (aka Electronic
Civil Disobedience)
Description:
In recent years, "hacktivists" have used the internet
as new medium for classic activist tactics. For example,
you can stage a "virtual sit-in" whereby you shut
down a target's website. We don't fully understand these
techniques ourselves yet, so check out the links below and
let
us know if you can help us elaborate!
"Hacktivism" on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacktivism
"Denial-of-Service Attack": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack
the electrohippie collective: http://www.fraw.org.uk/ehippies/tools.shtml
Risk:
Many hackivist tactics are illegal, and use of your school's
network to do anything related will definitely be against
some rule or another.
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Building Invasion
Description:
Related to a sit-in, a building invasion might be a
complement to any other action. For example, you may begin
with a rally that leads to a march that leads to a building
invasion, which could even lead to a extended sit-in. Ah,
the possibilities!
Goal:
Demonstrate your support and ability to disrupt -- if you
can stop the university from operating normally, the administration
will have to take you seriously.
Risk:
Just like an extended sit-in, this action may end in you
being dragged away by cops. As with any arrestable action,
you need to be sensitive to the higher risk levels for people
of color, queers, women, and others.
