What are some examples of advocacy, activist, and awareness-raising activities?
- Read-ins
- Protests
- Lobbying days
- Voter registration
- Information tables
- Direct action
- Exposé journalism
- Community organizing
- Marches
- Surveys
- Read-outs
- Petitions
- Letters to the editor
- Boycotts
- Teach-ins
- Speak outs
- Parades / walks
- Street theater
- Action research
- Counter-advertising
- Postering
- Letter campaigns
- Read-a-thons
- Storytelling / public testimonials
- Banned-book reading
- Clothesline campaign
- Staffing booths at street fairs
- Door-to-door canvassing
- Panel Discussion
- Contact Elected Officials
There are many activities you can choose from for your campus NLAW program. SCALE wants to encourage you to use direct action and activism.
To determine what program would best suit your campus, we suggest you ask the following guiding questions. They are adapted from the work of the Midwest Academy (http://www.midwestacademy.com/), an organization that trains activists in how to develop successful direct action campaigns. Like the Midwest Academy, SCALE believes that an activist event should not be an isolated act, but instead should fit within a larger, overall, ongoing strategy to create change. The context of these questions, therefore, is that of a long-term, ongoing strategy.
- What is the problem your program is going to address?
- Who cares about this problem?
- What are your long- and short-term goals?
- Who are your allies?
- How are they already organized (or not)?
- What power do they have?
- Who has the power to give you what you want?
- What other targets are involved?
- What are your organizational strengths and weaknesses?
- What resources can your organization contribute?
- How will this action help to build the organization?
- What tactics can you use to apply your power (e.g. media coverage, petitions, direct actions, boycotts, elections)?
- What internal obstacles are in the way?
