Strategies for Social Change

Choose the kinds of action strategies that you think will best achieve your goals.

Strategies are the types of activities groups use to achieve their goals. Goals are the end products your group wants to achieve. Short term goals are things which you can do within a matter of weeks, such as responding to a hate crime or giving material aid to a country experiencing an earthquake or flood. Long term goals may take a long time to accomplish, such as include eliminating racism in your community or ending the military draft.

Groups use one or more kinds of strategies to achieve their goals. These include: (a) Education; (b) Elections, Legislation, and the Legal System, (c) Alternative Institutions; and (d) Direct Action.

Education

Use one or more of the many methods available for changing public attitudes.

Achieving a group's goals nearly always requires a change in public attitudes about a problem or how it can be solved. That's where education comes in. Some educational tactics we mention elsewhere in this guide include: tabling, demonstrations, film showings, forums, concerts (if the performance carries a message), postering, leafleting, press releases and press conferences, and media stories. Other possible educational strategies are: speeches or other presentations, study circles, training sessions, teach-ins and conferences, publishing educational materials, speakouts, informational fairs, and canvassing. All of these bring new ideas or new points of view to the public with the hope of changing their thinking in some way.

• Speeches or other presentations may be made to the public, in schools or to religious groups, with community organizations, on the radio or TV, or through a video. Whenever possible try to arrange for a "captive" audience, such as at a church or in a classroom.
• Study circles are set up using written, audio or visual materials that are available on many current issues. They are usually a set number of sessions. Participants read about an issue and discuss it, often with someone assigned to facilitate the process.
• Training sessions prepare people for an event or to do things like public speaking or tabling or direct action. They may also teach a skill such as collecting and testing water samples.
• Conferences and Teach-ins are organized on a particular topic or situation. They may include many different workshops and presenters. Usually literature is available to pass out.
• Educational materials published by your group may include books, pamphlets, or reports with information not otherwise available or easily accessible. It's important to do press work about your publications and to have them available at events connected with the issue. Groups may also sell them as a way to raise funds.
• Informational fairs involve many groups coming together in one place around a particular event or time on the calendar (Earth Day, Labor Day or Indigenous People's Day) or around a particular theme. The groups have tables, literature, and resource people who can talk about their work. The fair may also have presentations, music, and children's programs.
• Canvassing is going door to door to talk with people. Bring materials about the group's issue and/or come prepared with questions to ask about it. In some cases groups also ask for financial support while canvassing.
• Arts and cultural presentations - such as music, theater, comedy, dance, and fine arts (painting, photography, cartoons, etc.) - can be very effective opportunities to change public views and policies. Their entertainment value makes them appear less threatening while having a subtle but effective influence on those who experience them.

Elections, Legislation, and the Legal System

Change laws and/or elect sympathetic people to public office; use the courts to challenge or uphold existing laws.

Law-making, initiatives, referenda, bond issues, constitutional amendments, and law suits may not only change public policy but public opinion as well. Changes in legislation may, for example, offer civil rights protections, adequate funding for important programs, or pollution controls that reduce environmental damage.

Electing people who are more sympathetic to or supportive of social change makes this process easier, whether they are candidates for the school board, union offices, town/city councils, the state legislature, or Congress. Our current governmental system puts much power in the hands of a few who are supposed to represent all the people. When those individuals primarily represent big business, or certain powerful people, or campaign contributors, they leave out those who need government protection the most. When social change groups throw their weight behind certain candidates, those who win are more likely to ally themselves with the group's issues and with what will benefit the whole community.

Finding candidates and political parties worth supporting has been a dilemma for decades within the organizing community. Some see the two traditional parties--Democrats and Republicans--as non-choices and have joined "third" parties such as the Greens, the Labor Party, the Socialist Party, and others. Simply getting access to the ballot has been a major struggle for most "third" parties. Other groups have ignored party labels and focused on supporting individual progressive candidates or on developing a party platform that candidates will agree to follow. This difference in electoral strategy has sometimes caused separations within the organizing community and made coalition work more difficult.

Legislation can be an effective strategy for social change, whether or not it is enacted. Organizing around the law-making process can include: (1) drafting legislation; (2) lobbying; (3) testifying on proposed bills; (4) getting out the vote; (5) public education and action around legislative issues; (6) using the media. If passed, legislation can change public attitudes about an issue, such as the civil rights laws passed in the 1960's.

Some states also allow initiatives and referenda, which means the public can initiate and gain a public vote on crucial legislation that state legislatures or city councils won't address. A public policy question is written up, then enough petition signatures are collected to bring the question to a public vote. The initiative or referendum question, like the legislative process, provides opportunities for getting out the vote, public education, and media work. Bond issues and constitutional amendments can also, in some cases, be opportunities to organize.

Court challenges to existing laws, as well as other court cases, can dramatically influence public attitudes. Civil disobedience is one effective way to dramatize the wrongness of a particular law or government policy, both through violating the law and through publicizing the resulting court case. Individual law suits and class action suits can offer legal protection to those who are being denied it, such as immigrants or disabled persons. Even the threat of legal action can sometimes change minds and enforcement of laws. In each case, the legal system can be used by organizers as a tool to change public policies and opinion.

Alternative Institutions

Instead of changing the existing system, create a new one!

Whatever the problem facing a community, part of the solution may be to create alternatives to the current systems of education, economics, technology, justice, military defense, etc. Alternative institutions motivate people by giving them something to work for, not just against. Hopefully, over time, such alternatives will take the place of more oppressive systems. Look for groups or businesses in your community that may be engaged in the kinds of efforts listed below:

Education - Many people are creating alternatives to the current educational system, with projects such as homeschooling, private schools, and folk schools. With homeschooling, parents are teaching their children in their own home. Although many parents homeschool for fundamentalist religious reasons, there is a growing number of parents choosing to homeschool as an alternative to what they perceive as oppressive public school education. Often homeschoolers meet together to support one another and share resources. Some parents and children choose to form an alternative school to carry out the educational principles they believe in. When people get together to teach and learn from their own life experiences, it is called a folk school. For example, poor people may get together to share their insights about the economic system and learn from each other. People who do not have access to established educational institutions often use this model.

Economics - Cooperatives, barter networks, local money systems, direct marketing groups, and voluntary simplicity provide alternatives to "business as usual." Cooperatives are businesses that are owned and controlled either by the workers or the customers. A worker co-op may consist of farmers who join together to market and sell food. A consumer co-op could be a food buying club or storefront food co-op. A credit union is an example of a consumer cooperative formed to provide financial services.

Barter networks can meet basic needs outside of the usual money system by exchanging labor or goods directly with other people. Local money projects develop alternative currency and encourage its use in a particular geographic area, in order to support local businesses and workers. Direct marketing groups provide the opportunity to buy and sell goods directly with workers in a way that prevents their exploitation.

Voluntary simplicity is a movement to consume less and live more lightly and sustainably on the earth. People who wish to live more simply often get together for mutual support, to share a piece of land or cars or farm machinery, or to educate others about the value of simple living.

Appropriate technology - Scientists, engineers, technicians, business people and consumers have come together in many areas to develop technology that is sustainable for people and the earth. They produce the technology, distribute it, and promote it in the marketplace. Some of this alternative technology is in the area of energy. It enables many people to "get off the grid," meaning to disconnect from the usual electric power sources.

Justice - People looking for alternatives to the criminal justice system have developed programs in mediation, conflict resolution, and restitution. Some groups in other countries have developed parallel police departments to meet the needs of groups not served well by the established police force, such as women or poor people. Places like battered women's shelters provide havens for victims of domestic violence who are not adequately protected by the legal system.

Military defense - At least one organization in the U.S. has been working for years on civilian-based defense, an alternative to military defense. They promote the use of nonviolent methods of resistance to physical force and armed invasion. Other groups may organize civilian exchanges between conflicting groups, send unarmed individuals to serve as observers and escorts in war zones, or organize material aid to the victims of violence, as ways to encourage nonviolent alternatives to military action.

Other alternatives: Land trusts, shelters for homeless people, organic agriculture, sister city projects, community arts events and celebrations, and alternative media, to name a few.

Maine's pro-choice organizations, women's groups, and other progressive organizations out-organized pro-life groups and religious conservatives in 1999 to handily defeat a referendum question which, if passed, would have banned so-called "partial birth abortion" and threatened the legal right to abortion in the state.

One key to victory was early organizational preparation well before the November vote to insure that voters would support the "No on 1 Campaign." A strong and active steering committee was formed over a year in advance of the vote. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) lent the campaign an organizer, several months before the campaign was formed, to mobilize grassroots opposition to the referendum and begin phone banking. Additional organizers were hired a few months before the vote as well. A Grassroots Network was formed early to do self education of volunteer organizers, who became speakers, coordinated letter-to-the-editor campaigns, recruited other activists, and worked on voter education and get-out-the-vote drives.

By Labor Day, PPNNE's Grassroots Network and supporters were already at work as "phone captains" coordinating nightly teams of volunteer phone bankers--supervising volunteer callers, organizing calls sheets, supplying, and generating an atmosphere of camradarie and intensity. By the election, volunteers had made over 32,000 Get Out the Vote phone calls, a time-consuming but effective way to insure success at the polls.
--Sarah Standiford, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

Direct Action

Confront injustice directly, with legal or illegal actions, as a way to focus public attention.

What is "direct action"? Direct action is defined by its confrontive, public, disruptive, nonviolent, and sometimes illegal nature. Activists have used direct action to create significant social change, such as the lunch counter occupations and the Montgomery bus boycott of the civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam and Gulf War protests, and the American Indian Movement occupation of Wounded Knee. These actions have brought attention to injustice and led to the growth of progressive movements. Direct action can sometimes build an organization and accomplish goals faster than any other tactic. It is most effective when it is carefully planned, when it focuses public attention on injustice in a compelling way, and when other avenues for change have been exhausted.

Some types of confrontive direct action include sit-ins, street protests, barrier or border crossings, and marches. Political and economic noncooperation actions ask the larger population to cease supporting "business as usual," with tactics such as war tax resistance, draft resistance, boycotts, strikes, and refusal to obey unjust laws. Street theater, skits, parades, puppets, and other creative public scenes draw attention to an issue, while demonstrations and protests cover everything from singing, chanting, speech making, and stopping traffic, to pouring blood on nuclear warships.

Before your group engages in direct action, carefully consider: Will an action help or hurt your cause? Will you have broad support? Can you convince others that it is necessary? Are you ready to handle the difficulties of your opposition striking back? Let everyone talk about their ideas, fears, and past experiences.

1. Figure out where you wish to focus public attention and highlight that aspect of the issue in your action.
2. Time your action for maximum effectiveness.
3. Compile facts on your opposition and your issue.
4. Know your legal rights and possible penalties.
5. Plan and prepare your action carefully.
6. Network with other organizations who support your work and who may join your action.
7. Promote your action with the media.
8. Once you have organized a plan, stick to it!
9. Plan for problems that may arise.
10. Insure follow-up by appointing people to specific follow-up tasks.

Public Events

Use public events as part of your strategy for change.

Public events are one way to educate people about a specific issue, state your opposition to a government or corporate policy, recruit new members, or raise money. While there are many kinds of events, such as the ones described below, they all demand the same general principles of planning.

Public Forums are an excellent way to get people talking about a specific issue. A panel of knowledgeable speakers each makes a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic, then takes questions from each other and the audience. You may want to invite people from all sides of an issue and, if one side refuses to come, leave an empty chair as a symbol of their lack of willingness to address the public. An experienced moderator is essential to run a panel of people who have strongly opposing views.

Film Showings are a great educational opportunity. Political documentaries or feature films with a socially-conscious theme can be shown on a VCR or at a sympathetic movie theater. Choose films that illustrate the goals of your group. The film could be used as a build-up to a larger action and/or as a fundraiser. Guest speakers can be invited to hold a discussion with the audience afterwards. Many groups give monthly film showings at regular times as an ongoing project to educate the community on a broad number of related subjects.

Benefit concerts are a good way to reach out to new groups but can be difficult to pull off as effective fundraisers. Try to get everything donated: performance space, sound equipment, bands/performers, food. Explain to club owners and musicians why the work that you are doing is important and why it needs funding. Be sure to schedule short and punchy political speeches during the show and make a pitch for money, but also remember that people are there to have fun. If you can, display a large banner on stage that advertises the name of your group and the issue you are raising money for. Be sure to put up tables with information on the issue and your organization, as well as petitions, sign-up sheets, etc. You can also make money on the refreshments, especially if they are donated by members.

In 1985, in Corvallis, Oregon, the Forest Service had reserved an auditorium for a huge Smokey the Bear birthday party for elementary school children. Earth First! decided to crash the party. They printed a leaflet (in big letters so a child could read it) saying that it was 10 times more likely that Smokey's favorite forest would be destroyed by logging than by a forest fire. One Earth First! member dressed up in a Smokey the Bear costume (the Forest Service's own Smokey the Bear costume had been destroyed in the wash) and walked into the party. He was immediately surrounded by a sea of adoring kids and started giving out flyers.

The rangers tried to forcibly eject Smokey from the premises without letting on to the kids that anything was wrong, eventually knocking his costume head off. The next day it was logging, not careless use of matches, that dominated the front page of the paper.

--The Activist Cookbook: Creative Actions for a Fair Economy. Reprinted with permission of United for a Fair Economy--see http://www.ufenet.org

Pickets or vigils can be used to keep an issue in the news, pressure top-level administrators or CEO's, and reach out to people involved in a particular institution or business. Pickets and vigils can be low-input, high return activities. All you need is 5-10 or more people with signs and leaflets who are willing to stand quietly or walk in circles for an hour, two hours, or all day. If the number of picketers or vigilers is expected to be small, schedule it for the busiest traffic hours for either pedestrians or cars and when you know the press can make it. Contact town officials or experienced activists to find out the local laws that regulate it. Talk to passersby in a non-threatening and informative manner. Work on a simple phrase or two that will get their attention ("have you heard about...?" "help stop ...."), and hand them some literature with a "please read this and think about it" or simply a thank-you.

Demonstrations can get considerable media attention, recruit new people, and empower those already involved in an issue. A large demonstration can make the powers-that-be very nervous and therefore more accountable to the public and your organization. All you need to organize a demonstration is a few people (though more is obviously better) who have something meaningful to say and a microphone or bullhorn. In some locations, you may need to get a permit; get one well in advance. Demonstrations work best if you can mix speeches with music and chants to loosen up the crowd ("What do we want?" "A livable wage!" "When do we want it?" "Now!"). You can schedule and advertise several speakers in advance, or you can have one speaker scheduled and follow with an open-microphone for others to speak. Remember to circulate a sign-up sheet for your mailing list and be sure to announce your next meeting more than once!

Tabling is helpful when you have something for passersby to do, such as sign a petition, send a postcard to their Congresspersons, buy a ticket for a fundraiser, write a letter, or sign up to work on a campaign. Always be sure to have a sign-up sheet available to build membership. Make the table attractive with posters and banners, and look at people as they walk by or say something to them to catch their attention. Try to table where there will be a large concentration of people and where you will be tolerated by surrounding stores, offices, etc. Malls, downtowns, events such as concerts, sports, or film-showings, and schools are good locations. To develop recognition, display a banner with your organization's name, plus a sign and flyers advertising upcoming events. Tabling in the community will put you in touch with a wide range of people and views and expose people in the community to ideas they won't normally hear in the mainstream media.

It's a good idea to form a Planning Committee to coordinate the event and report back to the larger group. The rest of the membership can serve as worker-bees, ready, willing and able to pitch in for specific tasks. The first two of the following steps are especially important; don't skip them!