Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Time to give a damn: lessons in life and making change

Options
  • 26-05-2010 3:03am
    #1
    nominal_outlier
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭


    Dear all,


    I am interested in creating a group with the aim of teaching skills for the modern activist.

    This time like any other needs people who are effective observers, tacticians, negotiators, and motivators. We need people that will act with energy and commitment to create a system that has people genuinely in mind.

    In Ireland right now we are at a crossroads; we have passed through a time of previously unknown prosperity for a majority of the population and now are experiencing a painful ‘fall back to earth’.

    Now is a chance to take this country on a course that could see it acting more sensibly, with long term vision and care.


    How to do this:

    Bring together people with different skills and aptitudes.

    Begin workshops/courses with the aim of creating effective organisers/citizens.

    Develop programs that can be replicated around the country.


    Group dynamic

    This group is not about taking a particular position on the political spectrum. I think it should be about people, communities, lives and our efforts should be made with these in mind. We all have a wide range of experiences so let us use them to build bridges rather than walls.


    What’s next?

    Get in touch and we will take it from there.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    nominal_outlier
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭nominal_outlier


    Well the idea is not far removed from any sort of training. whether
    you want to be a musician in a band or study Law. The idea is to
    provide people an outlet to discuss and act on what they learn.

    In almost every other walk of life people receive training in order to
    perform a certain role. So why would it be different for people
    seeking to address issues in their communities and the wider world?



    Imagine a classroom where students are being taught a step by step
    approach to campaigning.


    They discuss meeting management and consensus building.

    They try to determine the sort of people they will need to work with
    and anticipate problems that might arise.

    They get into groups and brainstorm fundraising options and lobbying techniques.

    They evaluate research methods and sources of information from think
    tanks and government policy papers to newspapers and corporate
    publications.

    They discuss their homework for the next class: critique a campaign in
    the recent past that failed or succeeded in its objectives and the
    circumstances surrounding it (i.e. the recent campaign to stop
    proposed cuts in health benefits to older people or the efforts by
    communities to rid their areas of drugs in the mid 90s).

    Later the class debates the effectiveness of NGOs, universities,
    non-profits and global political institutes in bringing about changes
    to legislation and the lives of people.

    On the weekends the participants work on campaigns they are involved
    in through various groups: governmental, non-governmental, corporate
    etc.

    Facilitators help the students with a variety of skills; IT,
    Promotion, Public Speaking, Information gathering, media management,
    Event organising

    The students and their facilitators have film nights, guest speakers,
    field trips and workshops on effective campaigning techniques or
    rights in enshrined in the law books etc.

    The students could take classes in economics, society and cultural
    studies, geography and climate, (whatever would be deemed
    appropriate).


    The idea is to prepare people for some of the challenges they may come
    up against and give them a support network. People will come to focus
    on different things but a certain common foundation is probably
    applicable and useful.


    There are university programs that go some way to dealing with
    activism etc but I find they are for post graduates and I don't think
    it should be encouraged only for university students, anyone with the
    motivation, cop on and drive should be involved. How could you create
    change if you leave it solely to a few privileged long term academics,
    where is the equality there? The programs need to be broadly based.


Advertisement