Take Action Tool Kit
Published on November, 56 2016
Earth Democracy & Women, Money & Democracy
Issue Committees of WILPF US
Tools for Education
(more Tools for Education will be posted as compiled)
At present we are focusing on two major campaigns –
The Human Right to Health & Safe Food and Climate Justice+Women+Peace
The website for each campaign has fully developed campaign materials for education and taking action. Please visit these websites and get involved as an at-large member or as a Branch. We welcome your engagement and commitment to these important issues and through our campaigns we CAN and WILL make a difference.
Please let us know how you are implementing aspects of these campaigns in your local community and what has worked for you. It is important to us that we all share stories of success, and ideas on how to better reach out to community members, to city government and to potential allies and partners, and to those corporations and business whose policies and practices we are working to change.
Let us know your questions and suggestions for additional content and actions.
Let us know about the films, books and other materials that you have found particularly useful.
Please contact Marybeth Gardam - mbgardam@gmail.com or Nancy Price - nancytprice39@gmail.com
Human Right to Health & Safe Food Campaign
To print out a 8.5 x 11 card click here
And, don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and “leave a reply.”
Climate Justice+Women+Peace Campaign
To print out a 8.5 x 11 card click here
To print out 11 x 17 card click here
Education on Fracking
The Earth Democracy Group of the Fresno Branch has produced “Crude Beyond Belief” – a 40 minute DVD documenting fracking in Kern County, located in California’s Central Valley. Jean Hays organized the fracking tour that was led by Kern County water and air expert Tom Frantz and filmed by the Fresno local Community Media Access Collaborative. Despite California’s reputation has a climate leader, Kern County is the nation’s third largest oil-producing state trailing only Texas and North Dakota. Almost 75% of the oil extracted in California comes from Kern County and the county is home to 95% of the fracking that occurs in the state
Please show “Crude Beyond Belief” at a house party or local public event. For more information, actions to take and how to order the DVD click here
Be creative and well-prepared. Actions can be just as creative, colorful, attention-getting for press coverage and as effective for education and mobilization as you make them. Depending on what you are attempting to accomplish, your choice of actions will vary, but the key is to create an action that will have the impact you seek to achieve and create mobilization around and support for the issue you are working on.
Actions can be small or large, quiet or noisy, depending on the kind of visibility and reaction you seek from local elected representatives, from the general public, and from the focus of your action or campaign. Actions can be as simple as holding signs in a public place, handing out literature at events or demonstrations, along a march route or at your Farmers Market.
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To order the Human Right to Health & Safe Food Card, click here
To order the Climate Justice+Women+Peace Card, contact Marybeth Gardam at mbgardam@gmail.com stating the number of cards desired and your mailing address. WILPF members can order bulk quantities for free; branches and members only pay for mailing costs.
Select Your Audience for an Action.
Actions can take place in many different kinds of venues: at city council, town or county meetings or local or county government commission meetings; at your state legislature; at special events that your WILPF Branch sponsors or at other kinds meetings where you wish to show support or opposition. You can stage actions at your elected Congress Member’s district office, or at specifically targeted commercial business, bank or other offices whose policies and actions you wish to highlight, bring attention to and protest
Or, you can hold a silent vigil at the same time and place every week or month with signs and handouts to let people know what you are standing for. Keep in mind that making your chants, slogans and messages cleaver, imaginative and fresh, and artistic with bright colors and images gives you a better chance of having media coverage/photos.
Have someone assigned to take photos or videos of your event to share on social media and with WILPF US. Keep us informed so we can use your work to inspire others.
Need some resources for how to frame you topic and campaign?
Center for Story-Based Strategy
Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change to learn about strategy and campaigns
Be sure you know what is permitted and not permitted in your community and if necessary for the type and size of the action you are planning proceed accordingly. If you are engaging in non-violent civil disobedience, you may wish to have proper training and adequate legal support and representation if needed. Be sure to know your rights. You may want to have bail money arranged and someone designated to bail you out. Here are some sources:
Civil Liberties Defense Center and click on Resources and “Know Your Rights” for a video presentation.
Know Your Rights – National Lawyers Guild
American Civil Liberties Union
Tools for Being Your Own Media
One of the best ways to build public awareness about WILPF and WILPF US’s mission and program is to be your own media – to engage with various medial platforms and to create your own media. Here are some examples. Everyone has skills, but not everyone has the same skills. Most of all, it is just important to engage at the level you are most comfortable with and where you know you can and will be most effective.
Social Media – Raise awareness about the issues you care about or that your Branch is working on through all social media.
Facebook: Like, Comment, and Share from the WILPF US and Branch pages. Create a Branch Facebook group page and keep it up to-date with lively information and photos.
Twitter:
The @ sign sends your twitter message to the WILPF Twitter page
What is the hashtag # sign used for? It is used to categorize Tweets by a keyword or word sequence. People use the hashtag # symbol before a relevant keyword or phrase in the Tweet to categorize these Tweets and help them show up more easily in a Twitter search.
Clicking on a hash-tagged item in any message shows you all the other Tweets that include that hashtag. Using a # helps to lead individuals to conversations and discussions pertaining to that specific topic or theme. Using a hashtag helps to build up interest in the specific topic and attracts twitter readers to it. The more hashtags you use in your tweet the more people will be made aware of our campaigns, materials and Infographic Cards
Here are some hashtags to use for the Climate Justice+Women+Peace Campaign:
#ClimateJustice #ClimateJusticeWomen #ClimateJusticeWomenPeace
Here’s are some hashtags to use for the Human Right to Health & Safe Food Campaign
#HumanRights #HumanRightsViolations #HumanRight2SafeFood #NoGMOs #GMWatch #BoycottGlyphosate
Op-Ed: Write and submit an opinion piece to your local and regional newspapers. Be sure to identify yourself as a WILPF member and with your specific Branch affiliation. You may wish to collaborate with a member of an Issue Group Leadership Team member on a specific topic.
Tips for writing an Op-Ed (To be posted)
Letters to the Editor: Submit a Letter to the Editor to your local newspaper. This is an important way to reach possible new members and local allies to build support for the issue you are working on. Furthermore it lets your Congressional Representative know what you are concerned about locally and what WILPF US’s position is on specific issues in relation to both local and Congressional policy. You Congress Member’s District staff do keep track of local issues and brewing policy controversies and advocacy.
Tips for writing a Letter to the Editor (To be posted)
