So You Think You Want To Be An Activist: A Tip Sheet

Have you ever seem something on the news that just gets you fired up? New legislation? A violation of human rights? Feel like your freedoms are being restricted? Do something about it!

I know from personal experience that activism can seem tricky. How do you do it? Why does anyone care what you have to say? Can you make a difference?

Really, you won't know unless you try. 

Activism is kind of an all encompassing term. My strengths are in blogging, promotional materials, and emailing. If you notice, those are all forms of advocacy writing. Coincidence? I think not. Even if you aren't a writing person, there are tons of ways to be involved. Because I do live in Arkansas, this information will probably be most relevant to my fellow Arkansans, but the basic ideas are the same no matter your location.

Step 1:  Research

This can be tricky if you don't know where to look. Theoretically, all of the information about the Arkansas Legislature can be found on their website. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to navigate. Openstates.org features a much more user friendly interface that allows you to look up different legislators and different legislation. Research the bills, research voting records, and then go over to Google and research the issue as a whole. If you support something, know why. If you oppose something, know why.

Step 2:  Vote

Simple. Make sure you're voting, for a couple of different reasons. Voting is great because it gives you input in who has political power. Voting is also great because legislators care a whole lot more about phone calls and emails from their voting constituents than they do any Jane Doe. And voting is fun! At least for political nerds.

Step 3:  Organize

This process is so much easier with some back up. Is there a local organization that feels the same way you do? Maybe even just your neighbor. Social media is a great tool for finding those allies. Facebook is great because you can form groups and events about the issue and share information and updates!

Step 4:  Advocate!

Here is where you have some freedom. My advice is to always start by going back to your research. Clearly summarize the issue/bill/legislator that you're focusing on and then outline the reasons that you are for/against it. Then decide what you want to do about it. Are you going to work solo? Or recruit some allies? My advice is to use that social media and find some allies. Even email writing is more fun with a friend! I use my personal Facebook page to raise awareness about important issues all the time. Then, when I get ready to take some real action, I know who to call (or message) for back up!

Advocacy is best accomplished with at least some writing. If you're making a phone call, have an outline ready for your talking points. If you're writing an email or a blog post, be aware of how you're representing your cause. You absolutely want to use reason, but it doesn't hurt to use some emotional appeals too. I strongly caution against exaggeration, but if you just list some facts, you won't be persuasive. By the way, never underestimate the power of a good, old-fashioned protest. The media loves them!

Pro Tip:  Think of a friend who has either a neutral or opposing stance on this issue. Would your writing or action persuade them? If so, great job! If not, is there a way you could improve it so that it would?

How YOU Can Help!

I've talked a lot about how El Zócalo helps people and vaguely hinted about how they use volunteers, but I haven't talked about how you might be one of those volunteers!

There are a variety of volunteer opportunities for Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers alike. This is totally not a comprehensive list. If you have an idea for a way to help, contact Sara Mullally or anyone else involved (including me--I'm easy to contact! Just leave a comment)! There are a ton of ways to help El Zócalo!

Because most of people (including myself) are not fluent in English and Spanish, I'll start with the opportunities for non-Spanish speakers!

• Represent El Zócalo in the community

Market and Media Outreach

Photography and Social Media

Organize a Community Event, Fundraiser, or Outreach Presentation

Visit a Detainee**

Food Pantry Volunteer

Work on Advocacy, Public Policy, Education, or Research

Grant Writing

For you rare bilingual folk out there, you can help with all of those things and more!

• Interpretation at Local Charity Clinics
• Help with Case Management and Medical Referral System
• Direct Service with Immigrant Families

**In Central Arkansas, there are detainees that speak English, Spanish, and Arabic.

This is such a simplified list. El Zocalo is a grassroots organization, so all of the important work that they do is accomplished by volunteers! Think about working with El Zocalo the next time that you are bitten by that community service bug!

Arkansas Dream Act

For those who don't know, the Arkansas Dream Act (SB915) is a bill that would allow immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition. It doesn't cost the state anything, the undocumented immigrants still can't qualify for the state funded scholarships, and it actually increases potential profits for the universities because they have a pool of potential customers students.

To help ensure that this bipartisan piece of common sense legislation is passed, El Zocalo is asking YOU for help! If you have a moment and feel led by your conscience to do so, please take a few minutes and make a quick phone call, or type up an email asking your legislator to support this bill. Although it'd be great if you used personal stories, we've got a sample script for you if you aren't sure what to say! 

“My name is ________ and I am from _________. I am calling Senator ________ urging him/her to vote YES on SB915. It only makes sense to invest in future productive citizens. This bill will not cost the state any money, and it will actually allow us to capitalize in an investment that we have already made. These students will NOT be able to apply for scholarship or loans, including the Lottery Scholarship. In-state tuition is good for Arkansas. Please vote YES to SB915. Thank you.” 

 If you're not one for phone calls (lookin' at you, everyone my age), we also have an email template you can use! 

 Dear State Senator: 

As a constituent of your district, I would appreciate your support for "The Postsecondary Education and Economic Development Act of 2013", which would allow undocumented students to use their own money to pay tuition at the in-state rate. We, as your district, look forward to your support, and helping our community acheive its education and economic potential.  

Sincerely,

Name

Address

And finally, for those of you who don't make a habit of hitting up your legislator for some quality legal chat, you can use this link to quickly look up your representative's contact information.

Pro-Tip for Conway kids:  We're represented by Jason Rapert. His phone number is 501-336-0918 and his email address is Jason.Rapert@senate.ar.gov.

The legislature especially needs to hear from non-Latinos. If they know that a diverse group of Arkansans are supporting this, they're more likely to vote for it! Latinos (actually, all minorities) are marginalized. Marginalized populations aren't disadvantaged because people in power listened when they spoke alone. Women didn't get the right to vote working alone! These students need our support to create a loud voice advocating for their right to an affordable education.

If you're interested in tracking the progress of this specific legislation or helping out the immigrant community as a whole, I encourage you to "Like" our Facebook page.

And while you have your activism shoes on, go show SB33 some love. You can find out more about that bill and its progress here. Both bills are sponsored by Joyce Elliot and would absolutely be positive steps toward improving education in Arkansas.

"Lost In Detention"

Immigrant detention centers are a major blight in our immigration system. I've posted before about the horrible atrocities immigrants may face in these centers, from being relocated to a state hours away from their families to being sexually assaulted by guards. Our system is flawed.

PBS Frontline recently produced a documentary called Lost In Detention that highlights some of these injustices and the legislation at the root of them. It is about an hour long, but well worth your time. Even if you just watch the first 15 minutes, you will be more informed than you were before! Some of these families may not have another voice. Some may not have another chance to speak to you. Please, watch. Even if it's only for a few minutes.

Watch Lost in Detention on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Technology is not the best

Usually I consider myself pretty tech-savvy!

I can make minor adjustments to html tags, I can operate Adobe Photoshop with competency, and Microsoft Office with ease. I'm a regular, and enthusiastic, user of social media.

Even with all of those things in my favor, sometimes even my interactions with technology go... awry. There are so many different web applications and mobile versions of this application or that! And some interface more effectively than others.

Blogger, for example, has a mobile app. Last Saturday, I tried to upload my blog post from the Blogger mobile app. The app gave me a message that said it had posted, then I went to type a post today and found my post from last week in my drafts!

Obviously, I'm not as tech-savvy as I think I am.

Technology is something than many non-profit organizations are struggling to utilize well! It can be difficult keeping up with the best way to get new followers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or that new blog you've started to get publicity. There are tips and tricks to each different medium and it can basically be a full time job to successfully use all available

What I think might work best is for organizations to start out with one or two media outlets. Then, as they build a base, add one or two more. This spreads out the amount of time spent learning the "tricks" to getting followers and gives the writer time to acclimate to each platform.

Maybe I'm just oversimplifying! Or maybe my plan moves too slowly and results in missing out on some early involvement. Opinions?

My Non-Profit Is The Best.

I am so glad that I have chosen El Zócalo to work with for this class!

Today I had the opportunity to talk to Sarah Mullaly, the director, on the phone. She seems like she will be really great to work with. Since their formation, she's been the main driving force for the organization. Other people come and go, adding their expertise and time, but then moving on to other things. As a result, she's thrilled to have more help!

In case you're not a faithful reader, or you've simply forgotten, El Zócalo is a local organization that works to provide assistance and resources to immigrants in the central Arkansas area. They've only been around about a year and a half, so they are still very much in the growing stages!

I'm so excited to get started on a project to help this organization! There are, of course, challenges. El Zócalo isn't a registered 501c3, so donations aren't tax deductible. It also means that to apply for grants we have to apply as a part of another organization. Luckily, they've already done some applications and things so we have a basis! Seriously, they're fantastic. I hope this project is the start of an ongoing relationship!

Fundraising??

The last couple of weeks in class, we've been discussing fundraising. As in, how to do it.

If you've never attempted fundraising before, you may not understand how ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING it can be.

Luckily, we've got our awesome textbook (The Grant Writing Toolkit) that gives us the technical parts of each step and guides us through the different aspects of creating a budget and all that jazz. The book goes in to all of the stuff that anyone who has tried to do a fundraiser for a church youth room renovation would have given their left arm to know. The business theories, the marketing strategies, all of the basic rules of what works and why.

It can't convey, however, that extra bit of personability and spark that really make or break a fundraiser. That's the part the church fundraiser usually nails. Our instructor made up for that by bringing in two great guest speakers! One was a grant writer for Bethlehem House, a local homeless shelter, and the other is an experienced grant writer now on a committee that approves grants for the City of Little Rock.

Unfortunately, what they had to add was basically "this is just as hard as you think it is, probably even harder." Jill Imboden, the representative from Bethlehem House, stressed the need for good marketing materials and personal contact in fundraising. And connections. Connections were the worst because what undergrad has connections to millionaires? Basically none. One bit of advice she had to add (that wasn't wholly disheartening) was that we should be aware of our audience and match our marketing materials to our target audience. For example, young professionals like YouTube videos, but older supporters may still prefer receiving tri-fold pamphlets in the mail.

Marq Golden, the representative from the City of Little Rock, talked more about grants. He's not only written many grants, but also been on committees judging the grants. His advice was fantastic, but also daunting for an undergrad partnering with a small non-profit. He shared that government grants are really looking to fund cooperative efforts. For example, if someone is applying for a grant for a community center, they would want to see a local educational non-profit pairing with a local sports league to provide activities for at risk youth. Things like that.

That's all totally easy to pull out of a hat, right?

And that's not even getting to the budget. Sheesh. Well, hopefully this secret insider advice is as interesting to you as it was to me and my classmates!

...still daunted...