We are just getting started: send us your ideas and remembrances of past activism. We will give credit to your group and to the activists who made it happen. Some of the visual art tactics are designed to be conducted in sets: A banner drop, and strategic wheat pasting, and flyering, for example.

Public Policy

A Grassroots Advocates Guide to Participating in the Local Government Budget Process

by Darold Johnson and Makani Themba

(Thanks to the Praxis Project)

Media

How to Talk to Reporters: A Guide for New Activists
by Katie Krauss

Organizing and Coalitions

The Midwest Academy is a boot camp for activists and organizers. They hold workshops throughout the country that are invaluable in teaching people basic skills, like how to pick a target (not always so obvious), or the difference between a strategy and tactics. Their workshops can save you a LOT of time and a lot of pain. They also sell the Midwest Academy Manual through their web site. Buy it. http://www.midwestacademy.com/

Two ideas from Mass PIRG activist on passage of the Massachusetts Gay Rights bill:

1. We did letter writing campaigns to legislators THROUGHOUT the state, including the most remote districts by going to gay and lesbian bars and events, BRINGING A VARIETY OF PENS and STATIONARY with us, and giving people a chance to sit down right at that minute and write a letter to their particular rep.  We would then take the letters and envelops and make copies for our files and mail them from different parts of the state.  This made a HUGE difference in getting us support from rural legislators who previously had said that they didn't have any gay people in their district.

2. A different group did a NIGHTLY demonstration on the state house steps for a gay rights bill for like 11 months.  They/we were there EVERY BUSINESS DAY at 5:00.  Some days it was only 3-4 people and other days there would be special speakers or issues and there would be 150 people.  But it was a very social thing, the demo was for 1 hour, 5-6pm , then people would hook up or go out.  I probably walked over from my office about 25% of the time at least for 10-15 minutes.  When the issue was in the news because the legislature had done something to kill the bill yet again, the demonstration got automatic news coverage and almost automatically would swell to 100 people.  Part of why we got the bill was because the legislature just got tired of seeing us out there everyday for a year.