YJC Toolkit

Youth Justice Corps Toolkit

what’s in here? —

PROGRAM OVERVIEW1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What is Youth Justice Corps (YJC)?A.

Roles of Organization and Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ)B.

Peer-to-Peer Sharing and LearningC.

NUTS & BOLTS2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

BaseCamp: The place to get all your documents 3A.

Sample YJC member job description 4B.

Sample YJC interview questions 4C.

Work Plan Template 5D.

Time sheets 7E.

Six-Month Progress Report 8F.

Trainings3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Acknowledgments 9

AEJ Orientation 13A. 1

AEJ V isions & Principles 14

Political Education 193B.

Class Race 1 9

History of Public Education: Fighting For Our Minds 22C.

They Schools 2 2

The Law and Decision Makers: ESEA 101 43D. 1

AEJ 3E. Power Analysis 57

Campaign Development 73F. 3

Tactics Intensive: Get At ‘Em 83G. 2

Speaking to the Media: 3H. We Are All Messengers 95

Lobbying: Represent 3I. Us* 105

Legislative Visits 1 05

Intergenerational Organizing: Youth-Adult Partnerships 113J. 1

3K.

Building Internal Solidarity 12 9

Tranformational Movement Building 153L. 3

Supervision 193M. 3

Digital storytelling 223N. 5

Chapter 1: Program Overview 1

PROGRAM OVERVIEW1:

What is Youth Justice Corps?A.

The Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ) is

a group of 20 organizations from all over the

nation that organize youth and parents on

the educational system. AEJ aims to bring

these grassroots organizations together to

bring about changes in federal education

policy, build a national infrastructure for

the education justice sector, and build the

capacity of our organizations and our youth

leaders to sustain and grow the progressive

movement over the long haul.

AEJ’s Youth Justice Corps (YJC) will equip

each member organization to build a team of

young people that will connect local struggles

to AEJ national campaigns. YJC membership

and selection, stipends / wages, tenure,

team support and accountability will be

determined by each organization. AEJ asks

that YJC members be high school or college

aged (not necessarily enrolled in school).

Each YJC team will solidify AEJ’s national

work within member organizations by

engaging the organization’s membership

in ongoing training on federal educational

policies, political analysis, and coordinating

events on the local level. AEJ’s youth justice

corps will make our national campaigns

relevant to the communities our member

groups are a part of.

YJC Responsibilities and Roles of Member Organization & AEJB.

Member Organizations_

Recruit and train an YJC with at least 3 members to plan and implement AEJ work within 1.

your organization.

Maintain timesheets and individual work plans for YJC members. 2.

Assign at least one staff person to coordinate the YJC and develop/support the YJC 3.

members. This staff person will check in once per month with the AEJ Organizer for

discussion on progress, work planning, and troubleshooting.

Design an accountability and support system for completion of YJC work that is consistent 4.

with internal organizational approaches, policies, and procedures.

Re-grant funding in the form of stipends or wages on a regular basis to the YJC members.5.

Completing six-month progress reports that includes simple narrative section and video. 6.

Link AEJ national campaign to local work through member education, campaign planning, 7.

and mobilizations.

2 Youth Justice Corps : 2010 Toolkit

Regular accessing and updating of work plan, calendars on Basecamp, and contact 8.

information for YJC listserve.

Uploading video reports, actions, and trainings to AEJ website. Ask for AEJ mini-grant if 9.

Alliance for Educational Justice_

$20,000.00 for one year of YJC programming given in two installments of $10,000.00 to the 1.

member organization.

Provide YJC Tool Kit covering a range of topics including (but not limited to) peer mediation, 2.

federal policy, basic organizing training, evaluation tools, and youth-adult partnership.

AEJ staff (primarily the AEJ Organizer) will check in monthly with the YJC coordinator 3.

as well as provide technical assistance with implementation of the YJC program such as

support with regional meeting planning, materials production, training or workshop design,

and planning of national and local AEJ actions.

Peer modeling of training and curriculum pieces at AEJ regional meetings and other forums.4.

Peer support and communications forums through AEJ website, YJC listserve.5.

Monthly campaign updates through AEJ Delegate Call, one on ones, and updated AEJ work 6.

plan on Base Camp.

Regular YJC trainings released via Basecamp.7.

8.

Provide funds for travel to trainings, calling cards and other supplies if possible.9.

Peer-To-Peer Sharing and LearningC.

It is our hope and intention that YJCs will

build relationship across organizations and

cities to share successes, challenges, and best

practices. In addition to periodic YJC calls for

YJC coordinators, we encourage all YJCs to

use BASECAMP to share footage, curriculum,

and other aspects of your YJC activities.

BASECAMP was constructed to

accommodate sharing and learning, and AEJ

staff will provide training for YJC members

to further accommodate usage. For now,

as well as the YJC list serve to communicate

amongst each other.

Chapter 2: Nuts & Bolts 3

NUTS & BOLTS2:

Basecamp - The Place to Get All Your AEJ and YJC DocumentsA.

Basecamp – if you need any YJC documents, meeting notes, agendas,

programs, workshops, presentations or other info – it’s all there! AEJ staff will create an

creation. As YJC Coordinators send in YJC member names, accounts will be created for them

as well.

How to sign in:_

Go to 1. https://edjustice.basecamphq.

com

Enter your 2. username and password

Click 3. sign in

If you don’t have a username yet, 4.

e-mail Kimi to get signed up!

How to look at Project Files:_

On the 1. AEJ home page or “Dashboard”

On the left side in table form a. and

On the right side in list formb.

CLICK the 2. name of the project

(i.e. Policy Platform) to take you

to that project.

How to find files:_

CLICK on the desired 1. Project Name

Once on the Project page CLICK the last 2.

tab at the top titled “Files”

How to find “to do” lists:_

On the Dashboard page, CLICK 1. “To Do”

tab OR

CLICK a 2. project name

CLICK 3. “To Do” tab at the top of page.

How to send messages:_

CLICK on 1. Project Name

CLICK on 2. Messages tab at the top

CLICK add 3. “new message”

ENTER title of message4.

Add category (Optional)5.

Enter text in 6. “Message Body”

7.

CLICK 8. “Browse”

Select desired document, excel c.

spreadsheet, etc.

CHECK Participant names to send an 9.

CLICK 10. “Post Message”

How to respond to a Message:_

CLICK 1. “Add Comment”

Enter text in comment box2.

CLICK 3. Post this Comment

If you need more assistance, Basecamp

provides audio and visual instructions.

Go to www.basecamphq.com/tour


Sample YJC Member Job DescriptionB.

Are you interested in being a leader for your local organization to move a national campaign

for Quality Education for All? The Youth Justice Corps is a group of interns at Alliance for

Educational Justice (AEJ) that will help shape and lead our campaign on a local city and region.

Each YJC member will be required to do the following:

Recruitment and outreach for AEJ and their home organization

Participate in developing and implementing a six month work plan for how the AEJ national

campaign work will unfold through the YJC and member organization

Have an individual work plan

Develop and facilitate workshops on a monthly basis

Participate and facilitate national meetings including AEJ delegate calls

Work in a manner that respects and promotes AEJ’s guiding principles and national

platform

Participate in regular supervisory meetings with home organization staff

Working a minimum of 10-20 hours per week with written time sheets (as decided by the

local organization)

Sample YJC Interview & Application C.

Name: ________________________________________ Grade: _____ Age: ____________ Gender: _____________

School: __________________________ Telephone: ________________________ Email: __________________________

What kinds of leadership experiences have you had and with what groups? 1.

What are some things you plan to do to ensure the youth you will be working with are engaged in 2.

the national educational justice work?

3.

and your local organization?

What do you hope to gain from the experience of becoming a YJC leader? 4.

Please review the YJC job description. What kinds of skills do you think are needed for this job? 5.

What have you done within your local organization to demonstrate these skills?

6.

as a YJC leader?

This internship requires 10-20 hours of work per week (as decided by the local organization). What 7.

are your other commitments and how will you balance your schedule to make sure your other

commitments are met (family, job, school, friends, etc)?

Is their a role you would like to take on after you complete YJC in your local organization and in AEJ?8.


Sample YJC Work Plan TemplatesD.

The following are samples developed by some of our YJC organizations

for you to adjust and make your own!

Goals:

Launch YJC and connect local work and membership to national campaign

Recruit and engage political and institutional allies to join the national campaign, especially

groups with parents

Complete campaign activities including: meeting with Education Committee chair, 1-2

public actions, and a press conference

Month

Home

Organizational

Activities

YJC

Campaign

Meetings

Tactics

& Actions Ally Recruitment

Base

Building

Trainings

Provided /

Support Needed

APR

New Youth Orientations at the last Friday of the monthWorkshop for all sites on AEJSign youth up for action

Hold bi-weekly strategy meeting with core SBU /YJC leaders

Meeting with Chair of Senate Education Committee

Send letters to Congressman and NY State Senators to discuss NCLB reauthorizationMtg’s with large CBO’s that could support our national ed work

Conduct classroom visits at Kenney, Clinton, Morris, Ms 80Street outreach happens 2-3 times a week at each school

NCLB 101 with the Advancement projectProvide AEJ demands workshopPower analysis initial meeting to decide roles for Bronx

Support needed with AEJ demands workshop

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YJC Monthly Time SheetE.

(Please maintain these regularly and turn in with your six month progress report.)

Organization: __________________________________________________________________________________

YJC Member Name: _________________________________ Month: __________________________________

Date Hours Spent

Task Notes

TOTAL HOURS FOR MONTH


YJC 6-Month Progress ReportF.

(To be turned in six months from start of the YJC – about September 2010)

The Youth Justice Corps is a powerful group of young leaders transforming public education through

linking local and national organizing, building the base of AEJ groups, and spearheading national

educational justice campaigns.

NARRATIVE_

Please describe your successes in achieving the work plan that you set out at the beginning of the 1.

YJC program. _______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Please describe you challenges in launching the YJC program and the work plan that you set out at 2.

the beginning of the YJC program. ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What supports or activities from AEJ were least helpful? What would you suggest instead? 4. _______

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What activities has your YJC done to link your local organizing to the national AEJ work? 5. __________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What press and coverage or other media attention has your YJC or AEJ activities received? Please 6.

forward copies or links to AEJ. _______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What lessons learned do you have to offer to AEJ and to other YJC’s? 7. ____________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

VIDEO_

Please see digital storytelling workshop included in the toolkit curriculum.

Chapter 3: Trainings 9

Trainings3:

Acknowledgments

A special Acknowledgment must be given to our ancestors, who laid the foundation for the

Educational Justice movement. We hope to continue your legacy through our commitment to

developing the minds, spirits, and skills of the next generation of movement leaders.

AEJ would like to acknowledge each organization and individual who contributed, developed,

or supported the creation of any and all training materials found within the YJC toolkit. Your

commitment to Educational Justice and Youth Development are evident in the depth found

in each of the trainings. These trainings will provide Youth Justice Corps members with the

necessary skills set to effectively lead AEJ’s National Campaign for Quality Education on a local

city and regional level.

AEJ would like to acknowledge the following organizations and individuals

(listed alphabetically):

Aaron Nakai

California Fund for Youth Organizing

Californians for Justice

Charles McDonald

Coleman Advocates for Parents and Youth

California Fund for Youth Organizing

Janelle Ishida

Jeremy LaHoud

Jidan Koon

Joy Liu

Kimi Lee

Kristen Zimmerman

Movement Strategy Center

Mustafa Sullivan

Nick James

Paul Tran

Pecolia Mangio

School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL)

Youth Together



3A. AEJ Orientation workshop

Goals:_

introduce AEJ to membersA.

share AEJ’s principles and vision B.

introduce member organizations C.

review AEJ working practices D.

prepare organizations for national convening or regional activitiesE.

Agenda_

Educational Justice History 15 min 1.

AEJ Roadmap 15 min2.

Build the AEJ Bus 15 min 3.

How is My Organization Connected? 5 min 4.

Wrap up - Next Steps 10 min 5.

( if you want to incorporate more about movement building – see SOUL’s workshop also

attached )

_ Total time: 60 min

Materials Needed:_

AEJ timeline

blank timeline

AEJ road map

bus & bus parts

weather pieces

strategy stops

passengers for the bus

AEJ school house

Handout: AEJ vision and principles – 1 sheet


History timeline 15 min1.

POST BLANK TIMELINE:1. Have everyone write on to timeline how they started with the

Pick 3 stories2. that show: different paths to get to the organization, campaigns, & impact (2

mins)

POST EJ TIMELINE ON TOP OF OTHER TIMELINE3. (8 mins):

EJ ‘s timeline – make sure to talk about :

long history of the youth movement

youth organizations developed 20-30 years ago

point out different organizations

show steps to the birth of AEJ (meetings, working group, Philly meeting)

Highlight education issues and what has been happening to education over the last 20 years.

POST weather pieces above timeline (just on one side, so when road map up, it is only one side

to the left)

Private market driven system

less resources, cuts to teachers, supplies, classes

prisons more support than schools,

less choice or quality for poor people, people of color.

point out : new time/ opportunity with new administration – OBAMA

WHERE ARE WE GOING? AEJ ROADMAP 15 min2.

Attach map to the history timeline (fold history timeline over and then add roadmap) 1.

Post at end of road: Where is AEJ going? 2.

AEJ VISION & GOALS statement – read and share here

Happy school visual - see attached sheet – write inside school house

Ask if anything is missing?


Build the bus: What is our bus made of? 15 min3.

Post bus frame and wheels on the bus AEJ PRINCIPLES –- see attached sheet for list 1.

Ask if anything missing?

Place strategy pieces on road map: How do we get there? – stops to get us where we are 2.

going

youth justice corps

parents justice corps

national lobby days

policy campaigns

convenings – meet and build relationships

build grassroots power

media events

Who is on the bus? List out AEJ member organizations. (20 groups) 3.

can put each one or all in one group on the bus

HOW does my organization connect? 5 min 4.

Next steps 10 min5.

Materials_

AEJ vision and principles statement

Blank AEJ Timeline

SOUL workshop on movement building (bus, map, passengers)

** weather pieces – make your own clouds, lighting and sun


Alliance for Educational Justice visions & Principles

The Alliance for Education Justice (AEJ) is a new national alliance of youth organizing

and intergenerational groups working for educational justice. AEJ aims to:

bring grassroots groups together to bring about changes in federal education policy,

build a national infrastructure for the education justice sector, and

build the capacity of our organizations and our youth leaders to sustain and grow the

progressive movement over the long haul

_ AEJ goals are:

Transforming the public education system to prepare all students for college and/or work at 1.

living wages

Creating a space for full participation in democracy regardless of race, class, legal status, 2.

gender or sexual orientation.

Building deep investment in our society for the basic human right of a free quality public 3.

education, pre-K through college.

Creating and sustaining public schools that prepare young people with the critical 4.

consciousness to reform and correct continuing injustices and barriers in our society.

Building public education as an institution based on principals of community good, not private 5.

Ending the “School to Prison Pipeline” that promotes social control of poor young people and 6.

young people of color and funnels them into the prison industrial complex.

Creating a public education system that actively includes youth and parent voice in school 7.

governance.

The principles of our work together are: _

Strengthening base-building organizing work around a national education reform agenda.1.

Promoting leadership from those directly effected, including youth and parents, with a special 2.

focus on poor youth and youth of color.

Building collective unity among parents, youth, and other stakeholders.3.

Respecting and uniting with other movement building efforts to strengthen the struggles for 4.

humanity, equality, and justice.

Building the capacity of our movement to sustain our work over the long haul.5.


Organizations involved: _

Albany Park Neighborhood Council,

Chicago

Baltimore Algebra Project

Boston Youth

Brighton Park Neighborhood Council,

Chicago

Californians for Justice

Coleman Advocates for

Children and Youth, SF, CA

Community Coalition, Los Angeles

Desis Rising Up and Moving, NY

Future of Tomorrow /

Cypress Hills Dev Corp NY

Make the Road New York

Philadelphia Student Union

Inner City Struggle

Kenwood Oakland Community

Organization, Chicago

Mothers on the Move, NY

Padres y Jovenes Unidos, Denver

Sistas and Brothas United / Northwest

Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition,

New York

Action, Kansas

Youth Together

Youth United for Change

Youth Education Alliance

Allies (not membership _

organizations) :

Annenberg Institute, NY

Movement Strategy Center

– coordinating AEJ

Urban Youth Collaborative, NY


** AEJ Timeline – look for other photos available in separate photos on basecamp




3B. Class Race Workshop

Goals and Agenda

_ Goals:

of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and citizenship status

Agenda:_

Ice breaker

Class Race

Breaking Down the Race

_ Total time: 1.5 hrs

_ Materials Needed: Reserve basketball court, or similar size space outside of classroom

Class Race 3 min1.

Students will participate in an exercise where they will be introduce to how race, class status, gender

and sexual orientation impact their personal lives and future.

Everyone (except the facilitator, you) begins the race in the middle of the court/space. Do not share

with the students it’s a race. Share with students that based on their answers to the statements they

will be either moving closer or farther from the goal line.

Statements:_

If your ancestors were forced to come to this country, or forced to relocate from where they were living, either 1.

temporarily or permanently, or restricted from living in certain areas, take one step backward.

If you feel that your primary ethnic identity is “American” take one step forward.2.

If you were ever called names or ridiculed because of your race, ethnicity, or class background take one step backward.3.

If you grew up with people of color or working class people who were servants, maids, gardeners, or baby sitters 4.

working in your house (you paid them for these services), take one step forward.

If you were ever embarrassed or ashamed of your clothes, your house, or your family car when growing up, take one 5.

step backward.

If you have immediate family members who are doctors, lawyers, or other professionals, take one step forward.6.

If pimping, prostitution, drugs, or other illegal activities were a major occupational alternative in the community where 7.

you were raised, take one step backward.


If you ever tried to change your physical appearance, mannerisms, language or behavior to avoid being judged or 8.

ridiculed, take one step backward.

If you studied the history and culture of your ethnic ancestors in elementary and secondary school take one step 9.

forward.

If you started school speaking a language other than English, take one step backward.10.

11.

If you ever skipped a meal, or were still hungry after a meal, because there wasn’t enough money for food in your 12.

family, take one step backward.

If you were taken to art galleries, museums, or plays by your parents, take one step forward.13.

If one of your parents was ever laid off, unemployed, or underemployed, not by choice, take one step backward.14.

If you ever attended a private school, or summer camp, take one step forward.15.

If you or your family ever had to move because there wasn’t enough money to pay the rent, take one step backward.16.

If your parents told you that you were beautiful, smart, and capable of achieving your dreams, take two steps forward.17.

If you were ever discouraged or prevented from pursuing academic or work goals, or tracked into a lower level because 18.

of your race, class, or ethnicity, take one step backward.

If your parent/s encouraged you to go to college, take one step forward.19.

If you grew up in a single parent household, take one step backward.20.

If prior to your 18th birthday, you took a vacation outside of your home state, take one step forward.21.

If you have a parent who did not complete high school, take one step backward.22.

If your parent owned their own house, take one step forward.23.

If you commonly see people of your race or ethnicity on television or in the movies, in roles that you consider to be 24.

degrading, take one step backward.

If you ever got a good paying job or promotion because of a friend or family member, take one step forward.25.

If you were ever denied a job, or paid less, or treated less fairly on the job because of your race or ethnicity, take one 26.

step backward.

If you ever inherited money or property, take one step forward.27.

If you were ever accused of stealing, cheating, or lying because of your race, ethnicity, or class, take one step 28.

backward.

If you primarily use public transportation to get where you need to go, take one step backward.29.

If you generally think of the police as people that you can call on for help in times of emergency, take one step forward.30.

If you or a close friends or family were ever a victim of violence, or ever felt afraid of violence directed toward you 31.

because of your race, class, or gender, take one step backward.

If you can avoid those communities or places that you consider dangerous, take one step forward.32.

If your parents told you that you could be anything you wanted to be, take one step forward.33.

After the last statement tell participants to freeze in place and to observe everyone else. Ask

participants to share what patterns do they notice? Do they notice spaces between certain individuals

and/or groups? Do they notice small spaces between other individuals and/or groups?


Disclose to students that the exercise was preparing them for the ‘Class Race.’ The positions that they

are frozen at are their starting positions. Tell participants that at the count of three, they are to run to

Breaking Down the Race 3 min2.

one another their feelings.

Ask students to discuss the following questions. Record their answers on a butcher paper.

Depending on the number of participants and time the activity can be done in small groups

Given where you ended up in the room (where you froze), how did that affect how hard you ran

What feelings or memories came up when you took steps backward or forward?

How did you feel while playing the game, listening to statements, and having to step forwards or

backwards?

making decisions, are linked to history and violence. Those everyday experiences, both, make history,

and are a product of what has happened in the past, to our families and ancestors. Understanding our

present and historical experiences with race, class, and gender is a key to understanding the roots of

violence, or why violence occurs.

Closing 3 min3.

Closing Points_

Understand that our personal and family experiences with race, class, and gender determine how hard

we have to work to overcome obstacles and achieve our goals


3c. They Schools workshop

Goals and Agenda

Goals:_

To deepen our understanding of the history of U.S. Public Education.A.

To unpack the “American Dream” and discuss institutional racism & institutional privilegeB.

To discuss the connections between schools & prisons v. schools and collegeC.

Agenda:_

Icebreaker / Check INs1.

Education History2.

The American Dream: Fact or Myth?3.

Break4.

What They Really Want - Prison V College5.

Wrap Up & Evaluation6.

_ Time: 2.5 hours

Materials Needed:_

DVD or USB port and play the video from laptop - to play clip from Dead Prez song - 1.

“They Schools” (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xf1QcHs4vGY)

Blank ½ sheets – for ed timeline2.

Handouts:3.

Educational History Timeline – cut up into piecesa.

Debate prep sheetb.

Dead Prez Lyricsc.

Butchers:1.

Blank Ed Timeline on butcher paper or a white board with the following sections: a.

Government Policy, Popular Movements, and Personal Experience.

Break the timeline into decades from 1900 to 2010.

Jefferson Quoteb.

Che Quotec.


Icebreaker / Check-in 10 min1.

Review Agenda and Goals

Check-in on announcements / schedule for this week (delegations, etc.)

_ Icebreaker: They Schools?

Students will watch and listen to the “They Schools” music video from youtube, with the lyrics to the

song. (HANDOUT 1 - Also see http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xf1QcHs4vGY).

DISCLAIMER: the language in this song is not appropriate to use in CFJ space, but it is real for the artist. His expression of what it felt like to be a young black man in the public school system, where in 2006, 11% of black men between 25-34 years were in prison (they are 41% of the prison population,

but only 13% of the US population).

After watching the video ask reactions to video:

What are your reactions from the song?

Was there anything that you connected with in this song? Why?

What do Dead Prez mean by “They Schools?”

That’s right, they were talking about the experience of being in school and feeling like an outsider, like

they aren’t wanted, that they have no control or say over their education.

How many of you have ever felt that way about school?

This is what we are trying to change thru CFJ – to reclaim public education. We are going to talk

now about Education History and how we got to this point. It is no accidents that over 50% of Latino

and African American students drop out. It’s not accident that nearly 2 out of 3 English Learners do

not pass the CAHSEE in their sophomore year. It’s something we talked about 2 weeks ago – who

remembers???

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

EDUCATION HISTORY 35 min2.

Opening: 5-10 min

What is the purpose of public education according to our teachers, administrators, your parents,


Have someone read the quote [ write on board or butcher paper ] :

Can someone put Jefferson’s quote into his or

her own words?

How is this the same or different from what’s

happening today? [Only 12% of high school

students in California go to UCs or CSU, 50%

of African American and Latino students drop

out or disappear each year] What do folks think

about this quote? Is this what your parents have

in mind when you go to school each day??

We all know that there are motives behind

every force and we just got a taste of what the

“Founding father of Education” thought of when

creating our public school system.

activity: 5-10 min

What we want to do next is break down the history of education in a timeline style looking at different

important dates as they are related to education and race.

paper) Write one memory per sheet of paper and put the year it happened on the sheet. When you’re

done, stick it on the timeline in chronological order. [5 min]

When you’re done, come up and get a historical event cutout (divide the pile up by the number of

participants) for the timeline and place them on the timeline in the correct category (government

policy or popular movement history) by the year. If you need help, ask staff / facilitators! [5 min]

timeline: 15- 20 min

All right! Now we have a complete education timeline. Let’s all stand up, and gather around so we

step to the front, explain it & then explain one of YOUR memorable moments that occurred in your

it. [ If you don’t have time to do all the historical moments, just choose at least 1 per student ]

Thomas Jefferson proposed a two-

track education system, with different

tracks in his words for,

“the laboring and the

learned.”

Scholarships would allow a very few of

the laboring to advance,

Jefferson says by

“raking a few geniuses

from the rubbish.”


Remember, we are working on your PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS!!! Remind people of 3 main tips:

Speak loudly and clearly

Make eye contact with the audience

debrief: 5-10 min

Thanks everyone, you can sit down now.

What in the timeline surprised people?

What is the relationship between government policies, people’s movements, and our personal

experiences?

Where is the education system headed?

What can we do about it?

Thank you everyone. HIStory is an important part of lives. WHY?

Yes - it’s why we do the work that we do today, and learn from victories and defeats, but most

of all to know how far we’ve come and where we’ve come from.

The quote we are going to end on for this section is from the revolutionary who died for what he

believed in [write this on butcher paper or on the board].

[ Have everyone repeat this quote - read 1 phrase at a time, and have them repeat it back. ]

This is what AEJ is about? reclaiming public education for the betterment of all people. We are

interested in taking education back for the people. Just like the Dead Prez song we are interested in

making schools more applicable to students of color, so that there are equal resources and knowledge

at ALL schools!

Che Guevara said,

“Education is the property of no one,

it belongs to people as a whole.

But if education is not given to the people

then the people must take it.”

Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1928-67), Argentine physician who joined Fidel Castro and others to overthrow US backed Cuban dictator Batista in the only successful socialist revolution in the Americas.

CIA backed forces later executed Che.


THE AMERICAN DREAM: FACT OR MYTH? 35 min3.

OK, so we just talked about the real HISTORY of Education. Let’s go back to what people said

SHOULD be the purpose of education – to learn, to improve your lives, prepare for the future...

get ahead...

Who’s heard of the “the American Dream.” What does that mean?

The American Dream – immigrant stories, how to get ahead, bootstraps, hardwork, determination,

“if you work hard enough, you can do anything”

That’s right, a big part of the AMERICAN DREAM is education. It’s seen by many in our communities

as a ticket out – a way to get ahead. But the truth is that the American Dream is a false promise.

(write this on the board)

How would you explain this man’s life thru the lens of the American Dream?

American

Dream LensRacial Justice Lens

INDIVIDUAL

analysis:

He worked

hard, played by

the rules, got

ahead.

He’s making

money and

living the good

INSTITUTIONAL analysis: Manuel’s father immigrated from Mexico

thanks to the Bracero Program – which allowed many Mexican immigrants to

legally enter the US.

Enlisted in the US Army.

Got money for trade school thru the GI Bill after serving in the military.

Became a metal worker. Joined a union – earned a living wage.

teachers. (in 1970 CA was in the top 5 – before Prop 13 passed, now we

are #47 in funding)

of Latinos in schools)

“Working class, immigrant Latino becomes first in his family

to graduate from college, and goes on to get his PhD

and become a professor at UC Santa Cruz”

– Manuel Pastor


In the AMERICAN DREAM lens, basically he was an INDIVIDUAL who worked hard, played by the rules

and got ahead. But the truth is, that none of us live, work, or learn in a vacuum. We are all impacted

by the institutions in our community – what INSTITUTIONS helped Manuel and his family?

Government – immigration laws

Military – GI bill

Unions – living wages

Schools – well funded in the 70’s

Privilege walk: 20 min

So basically, the American Dream really boils down to the way that different people – based on their

race, gender, class, immigration status, and neighborhood are treated by INSTITUTIONS.

Let’s do an activity to demonstrate this: privilege walk

Have everyone stand in a line in the center of the room.

_ Say: I will read a series of sentences. If the sentence applies to you, step in the direction indicated.

This activity should be done in SILENCE.

_ Read the following sentences:

Birth Privilege:1.

If your ancestors were forced to come to the U.S.A., not by choice, take one step back.a.

If your primary ethnic identity is American, take one step forward.b.

If your parents did not grow up in the United States, take one step back.c.

Childhood Home:2.

If you’ve ever tried to change your appearance, mannerisms, or behavior to avoid being a.

judged or ridiculed, take one step back.

If you’ve ever had to skip a meal, or were hungry because there was not enough money to b.

buy food while you were growing up, take one step back.

If one of your parents was unemployed or laid off, not by choice, take one step back.c.

If your parents were white-collar professionals -- doctors, lawyers, etc. -- take one step d.

forward.

If your family owned the house where you grew up, or land of any description, take one step e.

forward.

If you were raised in a two-parent household, take one step forward.f.

If you ever had to share your house/apartment with more than 1 family, take one step back.g.

Childhood Community:3.

If you lived in an area where you had access to parks, grassy areas to play, take one step a.

forward.

If you had to rely primarily on public transportation, take one step back.b.

If you were raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, or regular violence, c.

take one step back.


Learning Experience:1.

If you studied the culture of your ancestors in elementary school, take one step forward.a.

If you took private classes, lessons, or summer camp, take one step forward.b.

If you were encouraged to attend college by your parents, take one step forward.c.

If you saw members of your race, class, gender or sexual orientation portrayed on television d.

in degrading roles, take one step back.

Beyond Work:2.

If you were ever afraid of, or the victim of, violence because of your race, class, gender or a.

sexual orientation, take one step back.

If a chronic health issue has limited your opportunities, take one step back.b.

If you or your family has ever been without health insurance, take one step back. c.

Follow-Up for the Exercise

Take a moment to look around the room. Notice where you are, notice who is around you, and notice

how you feel right now standing in this place. None of these questions concerned things within your

personal control. As we stand now, we are a map of the social, political, economic and environmental

circumstances into which we were born and raised.

Stay where you are standing – (debrief) – call on different people to answer the following Q’s

What do you notice about the room?1.

How did it feel to go through the process? 2.

Any surprises with where you ended up? 3.

(someone in the back) – how does it feel to be where you’re standing? What do you notice 4.

about it?

(someone in the front) – how does it feel to be where you are standing? Can people in the front 5.

see folks behind them? (not unless they turn around and look).

What does that tell you about PRIVILEGE?6.

If we had a race – to the “American Dream” here at the front of the room, who would win? 7.

That is the point, to talk about PRIVILEGE and understand how it operates everyday in our 8.

lives.

Though we did not create the circumstances of our birth, once we are aware of them, we gain wisdom

and responsibility about how we use our privilege and our experience in this work for justice. And this

is why AEJ exists – community organizing is trying to change the face of who makes these decisions

about your schools.

BREAK! 5 min4.


WHAT THEY WANT - PRISONS V COLLEGE 35 min5.

Frontload & Prep: 15 Min

We just did the privilege walk to talk about access in our communities, and the power of institutions

in shaping people’s lives. Now we are going to look at one institution in particular, that has a lot of

power over the lives of young people. What’s your guess? ...SCHOOLS that’s right.

What were the 2 quotes we read at the beginning of today’s workshop? 1 was from Thomas Jefferson,

and 1 was from Che Guevarra. What was the difference between how they thought about education?

(tracking students v. education for liberation)

Right, so now we are gonna have a Che v. Jefferson throw down! We’re dividing into 2 teams – 1

team is going to debate the Jefferson angle on schools and the other get’s Che. We’ll give each team

15 minutes to prep for the debate, and each team member should be prepped to go head to head

against the opposing team.

Count off! [ give each team member a debate prep sheet] – 15 min

OK! Time for the debate!

Send 1 person (or you can send em up in pairs) to the debate table. You will have 3 minutes to go

head to head with your opponents. Teammates cannot talk, but you can hold up signs, or other visual

clues to help your team. The judge, AKA Board President Numero Uno, will award 1 point to the team

debate: 15 min

Thank you everyone for your great debating skills. The winning team is ___ here’s a prize...

Debrief: 5 min

What were the most convincing arguments you heard from the Jefferson team?

How did the Che team counter them?

What were the most convincing arguments you heard from the Che team?

How did the Jefferson team counter them?

If this were a real live debate – and a decision that our Board Members had to make, what do you think

would convince them to support the Che platform – essentially the need for ALL students to succeed,

to be prepared for their futures – college, careers & community?

Thank everyone!


WRAP UP 5 min6.

Now to wrap up our day, we’re going to do a personal check out, to connect the dots on all the

ground we covered today. Let’s all get up – and tour our workshop.

Start in 1 corner of room – we started with breaking down a Dead Prez song: They Schools – 1.

can 1 or 2 people share what they got out of that?

Move to the next corner – then we went to our Education History. Can 1 or 2 people share 2.

their highlights from that section?

Move to the next corner – American Dream – breaking that down, doing the privilege walk – 3.

what were your take-always?

Move to the next corner – Che v. Jefferson debate! – What did you learn from that?4.

Thanks everyone!

SOURCE: Adapted from CFJ’s Summer Youth Leadership Academy’s “They Schools” curriculum


Handout 1: Lyrics for the Dead Prez Song, “They School”

DISCLAIMER: the language in this song is not appropriate to use in AEJ space,but it is real for the

artist & his expression of what it felt like to be a young black man in the public school system.

[ intro ]

Why haven’t you learned anything?

Man that school sh*t is a joke

The same people who control the school system

control

The prison system, and the whole social system

Ever since slavery, nawsayin?

[ Verse 1 ]

I went to school with some redneck crackers

Right around the time 3rd Bass dropped the cactus

album

But I was readin Malcolm

I changed my name in ‘89 cleaning parts of my brain

Like a baby nine

I took a history class serious

Front row, every day of the week, 3rd period

F*ckin with the teachers had, callin em racist

I tried to show them crackers some light,

they couldn’t face it

I got my diploma from a school called Rickers

Full of, teenage mothers, and drug dealin n*ggas

In the hallways, the popo was always present

Searchin through n*ggas possessions

Lookin for, dope and weapons, get your lessons

That’s why my moms kept stressin

I tried to pay attention but they classes wasn’t

interestin

They seemed to only glorify the Europeans

being

[ HOOK ]

They schools can’t teach us sh*t

My people need freedom,

we tryin to get all we can get

All my high school teachers can suck my d*ck

Tellin me white man lies straight bullsh*t (echoes)

They schools aint teachin us,

what we need to know to survive

(Say what, say what)

They schools don’t educate,

all they teach the people is lies

You see dog, you see how quick these motherf*ckers

be to like

Be tellin n*ggas get a diploma so you can get a job

Knowwhatimsayin but they don’t never tell you how

the job

Gonna exploit you every time knowwhatimsayin

that’s why I be like

F*ck they schools!

[Verse 2]

School is like a 12 step brainwash camp

They make you think if you drop out you aint got a

chance

To advance in life, they try to make you pull your

pants up

handcuffs

And if that wasn’t enough, then they expel y’all

Your peoples understand it but to them, you a failure


Observation and participation, my favorite teachers

When they beat us in the head with them books, it

don’t reach us

Whether you breakdance or rock suede addidas

Or be in the bathroom with your clique, smokin

reefer

Then you know they math class aint important ‘less

you addin up cash

In multiples, unemployment aint rewardin

They may as well teach us extortion

You either get paid or locked up, the pricipal is like a

warden

But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t be a doctor or a

dentist

[HOOK: first part of hook twice]

Cuz for real, a mind is a terrible thing to waste

And all y’all high class n*ggas with y’all nose up

Cuz we droppin this sh*t on this joint, f*ck y’all

We gon speak for ourselves

Knowhatimsayin? Cuz see the schools aint teachin us

nothin

They aint teachin us nothin but how to be slaves and

hardworkers

For white people to build up they sh*t

Make they businesses successful while it’s exploitin

us

Knowhatimsayin? And they aint teachin us nothin

related to

Solvin our own problems, knowhatimsayin?

Aint teachin us how to get crack out the ghetto

They aint teachin us how to stop the police from

murdering us

And brutalizing us, they aint teachin us how to get

our rent paid

Knowhatimsayin? They aint teachin our families how

to interact

Better with each other, knowhatimsayin? They just

teachin us

How to build they sh*t up, knowhatimsayin? That’s

why my n*ggas

Got a problem with this sh*t, that’s why n*ggas be

droppin out that

Sh*t cuz it don’t relate, you go to school the f*ckin

police

Searchin you you walkin in your sh*t like this a

military compound

Knowhatimsayin? So school don’t even relate to us

Until we have some sh*t where we control the f*ckin

school system

problems

Them n*ggas aint gon relate to school, sh*t that just

how it is

Knowhatimsayin? And I love education,

knowhatimsayin?

But if education aint elevatin me, then you

knowhatimsayin it aint

Takin me where I need to go on some bullsh*t, then

f*ck education

Knowhatimsayin? At least they sh*t, matter of fact

my n*gga

this whole school system can suck my d*ck,

BEEYOTCH!!

SOURCE: http://www.actionext.com/names_d/dead_prez_lyrics.html


team Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson proposed a two track education system, with different tracks in his words for,

“the laboring and the learned.”

Scholarships would allow a very few of the laboring to advance, Jefferson says by,

“raking a few geniuses from the rubbish.”

Argue that tracking is the best way to educate students. It’s only natural that some students dropout,

do low wage work or go to prison, and that others go on to college and meaningful careers – it’s really

about the individual and their determination to succeed.

Each group will have 15 min to prepare for a debate.

Your audience are School Board members.

Each member of your team should prepare a 1 min argument, and rebuttal.

team Che Guevara

Che Guevara said,

“Education is the property of no one,

it belongs to people as a whole.

But if education is not given to the people

then the people must take it.”

Argue that students and parents need to be at the center of making decisions about their schools.

Schools should support ALL students to prepare for college, careers, and community engagement.

Each group will have 15 min to prepare for a debate.

Your audience are School Board members.

Each member of your team should prepare a 1 min argument, and rebuttal.


DEBATE OUTLINE

State your position: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

State the problem: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Present the facts: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How your proposal is a solution to the problem: _____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Restate your position: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEBATE OUTLINE

State your position: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

State the problem: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Present the facts: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How your proposal is a solution to the problem: _____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Restate your position: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Education Timeline for students in groups

Education History Timeline cutout slips

1900 By 1900, 32 states have compulsory education laws – mostly in the North and West. By 1950,

racist fears push the passage of compulsory laws in the South, so control can be established over

how children, particularly Black children, are socialized for the workforce and society.

1900 - 1915 Differentiated schooling” is put into affect in both Northern and Southern schools. At the same

school, wealthy children would be

pushed onto a “college prep” track

and low-income children pushed

onto an “industrial” track, consisting

of vocational classes. In the South,

differentiated schooling not only

separated children across class lines,

but along racial lines, so whites would

be assured not to have the most

menial jobs upon graduation.

1905 The US Supreme Court requires California to extend public education to the children of Chinese

immigrants.

1910 A committee on urban conditions among African Americans, the National Urban League, is

adjust to city life in the North.

1916 A small group of teachers meet in Winnetka, IL, leading to the creation of the American

Federation of Teachers – a union that still exists today.

1920s In the 1900s, 40% of all elementary schools students were receiving all or part of their

instruction in the German language. But by the 1920s, bilingual education becomes rare except

1963.


1930 - 1950 The NAACP brings a series of suits over unequal

teachers’ pay for Blacks and whites in southern

states. Southern states realize they are losing

African American labor to northern cities. These

two sources of pressure result in some increase in

spending on Black schools in the South.

1932 A survey of 150 school districts reveal

that three quarters of them are using

so-called “intelligence” testing to

place students in different academic

tracks.


1954 Brown v Board of Education of

Topeka decision. The Supreme

Court unanimously agrees

that segregated schools are

“inherently unequal” and must

be abolished. Almost 45 years

later in 1998, schools, especially

in the North, are as segregated

as ever. First used in southern

states, vouchers are used to

circumvent the Brown decision

and avoid desegregation.

1961 The Student Nonviolent Coordinating

Committee (SNCC) forms in Atlanta.

1964 – Mississippi Freedom Summer is

organized by SNCC, CORE and other

national civil rights organizations.

Freedom Schools teach African American

youth and adults basic reading, writing,

and math skills, as well as about the

movement.

1966 The Rough Rock School is established on the Navajo reservation and controlled by Native

Americans. This is a victory following long struggles by Native Americans for control over their

children’s education. At Rough Rock, Navajo children learn English as a second language and

study their own culture and traditions.

1973 Keyes v Denver School District No. 1 decision. The Supreme Court makes school districts in

the North and West accountable for policies that have resulted in racial segregation (creating

schools in racially segregated neighborhoods, etc.) and declares that the whole school district

will be considered segregated and ordered to desegregate, based on results rather than intent.

The decision recognizes the validity of Latino segregation claims as well as Black segregation.


1980 Sexual harassment in schools is

found to violate Title IX of the

Education Act Amendments.

Schools receiving federal

funding are required to have

grievance procedures to address

sexual harassment.

1995 Federal money spent on prisons ($20 billion per year) is greater than the amount of money spent

on elementary education, secondary education, and job training combined (only $16 billion.


1999 “Zero Tolerance” policies adopted by public schools in the wake of in-school violence are proven

to be racially discriminatory. Comparing the number of suspensions and expulsions between

Black and white students shows that Black students are expelled or suspended as much as 3 to 5

times the rate of their white peers. Despite these inequities, the policies continue.

2002 President Bush signs the No Child

Left Behind act into law. In the

name of greater “accountability”

and “school choice,” NCLB

ends up punishing low-income

schools and students of color by

imposing unattainable goals for

standardized tests. The policy

also advances the privatization

and militarization of public

education.



3D. The Law and Decision Makers: ESEA 101

workshop

Goals and Agenda

Goals:_

Develop an understanding of who makes decisions about our Education in Washington D.C.A.

Brainstorm ideas of how youth leaders can help reshape the National education systemB.

Create a shared youth led vision for education on a national levelC.

Agenda:_

Ice Breaker 10 min1.

Who Makes National Level Decisions? 20 min2.

Group Breakout 20 min3.

Visioning 30 min4.

Closing 10 min5.

_ Total time: 90 min / 1.5 hrs

_ Materials Needed: Butchers, handouts

Icebreaker 10 min1.

Who Makes National Level Decisions? 20 min2.

Hand out the History of the ESEA timeline as well as the ESEA handout.

_ Say: “We are going to explore a brief timeline of the Federal Government’s involvement in major

decisions around education. We are going to begin by learning about Brown v Board of Education and

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. These are two of the most important education

laws in the history of the United States. Then we are going to spend some time talking about the

impact of these laws on public education, and how these extremely important decisions get made.”

“Can I get a volunteer to read aloud from the ESEA Handout, please?”

[ Have volunteers read aloud - Brown v Board, ESEA 1965 and ESEA 2001-2008 (NCLB).

After a volunteer reads each section ask for reactions and questions from participants. ]


“These policies have a profound impact on how

each state and school district prioritizing your

Public Education. Although it is really important

for us to know what type of impact these policies

have on our Public Education system, it is also

important for us to know how these decisions are

made. Why do you think this is important?”

“Exactly, if we know how decisions get

made then we know who to target, who to

hold accountable, and how to move our own

progressive policies on a national level!

let’s set the foundation. Everyone look take a look at the Education Flow Chart. Beginning at the top

we have President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. In an ideal world decision-making

would work something like this”:

[ Butcher Before Hand ]

Voters elect President Obama and demand quality education for all public school children in the

United States that prepares them for college and career upon graduation from high school

President Obama appoints Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to implement the voter’s vision for

quality education.

The Secretary of Education makes education policy recommendations and works with the United

States Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The policies and ESEA pass through the Congress and are signed into law by the President.

States and School Districts across the country support and implement the policies, and students of

color and low-income students everywhere celebrate an enormous victory!

“Sounds easy enough, right? Do you think that’s how the process works? What do you think the

explosion marks around the pictures are? “

(Explain they are special interest groups that have a particular agenda around education)

groups. Teachers unions, conservative think tanks, billionaires like Bill Gates and Eli Broad, and even

“What are AEJ’s special interests?” (Youth voice in policy decisions, keeping public schools public and

well funded, etc.) (Hand out ESEA Recommendations)

“Now we are going to spend some time in small groups learning a bit more in detail on the role of

the Federal Government and just exactly who these special interest groups are. We are also going to

answer some questions around how we can strategize ways to ally, neutralize, and build relationships

with folks on a national level. After our time is up you all will report back what you found out, and also

what your group came up with.”


Group Breakout 20 min3.

Break participants into three groups: Federal Decision Makers, Opposition, and Allies.

Pass out worksheet and correlating document (Federal Decision Makers, Opposition and Allies), and

have group members review instructions

each group.

Visioning 30 min4.

_ Say: “It’s pretty clear that there are many competing beliefs on the purpose of public education

in the United States. Clearly it is very important how for us to know the national education decision

makers and what decisions they are making for low-income students of color. But it is also critically

important for us to develop a collective understanding of what public education means to us and

represent that vision from here on out!”

“We are going to break out into small groups. Each group is going to get a question to answer that

will help build our collective youth led vision on education. Then we will close out with a large group

discussion.”

Break into small groups of 4 and handout the Visioning Question and Answer Sheet and assign one

question. Give each group 15 minutes to answer the question. (Assign someone to take notes, and

another to report back)

5 minutes to report back. Take notes on butchers.

10 minute large group discussion on the last two questions on the worksheet.

Closing 10 min5.

Thank you all for participating. Let’s review what we were able to accomplish today:

The role of the Federal Government on Public Education1.

AEJ ESEA Recommendations2.

Federal Decision makers, Allies, and Opposition3.

Collective Vision on Education4.

This is a great start for our alliance and an important step in the right direction towards a youth led

vision on education!

Let’s evaluate the workshop! (Facilitator should butcher pluses and deltas)


Visioning Questions

What should the purpose of public education be in the United States? 1.

(Education for democracy, international competition? Both or none?) ____________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you measure quality public education?2. (Test scores or something else?) _______________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you achieve a quality public education? 3. (Does the process matter or only the product?) _________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is it important to create space for communities to envision what education should like?4. ______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who has the right to answer these questions?5. (Federal Decision makers, Old white men, People of Color,

youth?) ____________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who can help us make this vision a reality?6. _________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________


Ally & Opposition Worksheet

In your small group, take turns reading aloud the information on your paper, and answer the following

back to the larger group the key points.

What is the major role of these individuals and organizations?1. What is their philosophy on public

education?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who are some of the key decision makers?2. What do they look like? Are any of them youth? Do you agree

with any of their policies? If so, which ones? Which ones don’t you agree with? __________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are some ways AEJ could engage these organizations?3. ________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do AEJ’s Policy Recommendations align with these organizations / individuals?4. If so, why? If no, why

not? ______________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

In your opinion, is it important for AEJ to engage with these organizations / individuals?5. _____________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________


Federal Decision-Makers worksheet

In your small group, take turns reading aloud the information on your paper, and answer the following

back to the larger group the key points.

What is the major role of the Federal Government in the public education system? 1. ___________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who are some of the key decision makers within the Federal Government? 2. What do they look like?

Are any of them youth? Do you agree with any of their policies? If so, which ones? Which ones don’t you

agree with? ________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are some ways AEJ could engage the Federal Government so that youth voice is involved in 3.

decisions being made? _____________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do AEJ’s Policy Recommendations align with Federal Policy?4. If so, why? If no, why not? _______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

In your opinion, is it important for AEJ to engage with Federal lawmakers? 5. __________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________



National Education

Association (NEA), the nation’s largest professional employee

organization, represents 3.2 million members at every level of education, from pre-school to university graduate programs. According to their values, the NEA believes that all students have the human and civil right to a quality public education. The NEA lobbies to increase funding for education, make high school graduation a national priority by investing $10 billion over the next 10 years to support dropout prevention programs, and improve achievement for all students and close the achievement gaps, particularly for low-income students of color.

American Federation

of Teachers (AFT), an

union o f the AFL-CIO, represents the economic,

social and professional interests of 1.4 million ed ucators. Some of the issues that AFT advances include challenging the privatization of public sch ools, promoting educational excellence and equity for English language learners, and supporting well-

The Broader and Bolder Approach to Education was developed as a statement for public education reform during the initial timeline to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. It argues for a more holistic approach that asserts that school improvement, to be full y effective, must be complemented by a broader

social and economic circumstances of disadvantaged

youth. Co-signers include Pedro Noguera, a noted education policy expert and New York University professor, and Linda Darling-Hammond.

The Campaign for

High School Equity is an alliance of the major national civil rights organizations, including the

NAACP, MALDEF, National Urban League, National Council of La Raza, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education, LULAC, National Association of

Fund, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Indian Education Association, and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. The CHSE’s mission is to ensure that high schools prepare every student for graduation, college, work, and life. CHSE policy priorities include high school redesign, aligning high school curriculum with college and career readiness, and equitable funding and resources for low-income students, students of color, and English Language Learners.

The Education Trust is a national policy advocacy and research organization that works for the high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten through college, and closing the achievement gaps that separate low-income students and students of color from other youth. Ed Trust focuses on closing the achievement gap promoting policies that close opportunity gaps,

teachers, promoting high expectations and access to

Progressive Forces (Individual & Organizational Allies / Potential Allies)



ESEA Timeline

Brown v Topeka Board of Education (1954 Supreme Court Decision)

Brown v Topeka Board of Education was a landmark Supreme Court decision

that overruled state laws that established separate public schools for black

and white children. The Court unanimously decided, “Separate educational

facilities are inherently unequal.” This decision opened the door for people

of color to gain equal access to public education, and also helped lead to the

passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964, 1965) and the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, 1965. Unfortunately, some 50 plus years after

the passage of Brown v Board American schools are more racially and

economically segregated than ever! Critics believe there was such a severe

backlash from conservative whites that Brown v Board was never fully

capable of being enacted. Some politicians, including President Richard

Nixon made promises to go to great lengths to stop desegregation in

exchange for votes for his Presidency in 1972 (The Southern Strategy).

ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965)

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is a United States

federal statute enacted April 11, 1965. The Act funds primary and secondary

education, while explicitly forbidding the establishment of a national

curriculum. As mandated in the Act, the funds are authorized for

professional development, instructional materials, and resources to support

educational programs, and parental involvement promotion. The ESEA was

the most comprehensive federal education bill ever passed and was inspired

by President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” the Civil Rights Movement

and Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the United States government need for a

thriving technology industry that could compete with Cold War Soviet

Russia.

Sections of the statute:

Title I—Financial Assistance To Local Educational Agencies For The Education

Of Children Of Low-Income Families


Title II—School Library Resources, Textbooks, and other Instructional

Materials

Title III—Supplementary Educational Centers and Services

Title IV—Educational Research And Training

Title V—Grants To Strengthen State Departments Of Education

Title VI—General Provisions

The ESEA was initially authorized through 1970, but every 5 years the ESEA is

reauthorized. The most recent reauthorization took place when President George

W. Bush authorized the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001.

No Child Left Behind (2001-2008)

Punitive!

Implemented High Stakes Testing

Took away support from “failing” public schools and pushed a national

agenda for school privatization and charter schools

Narrow Curriculum (Does not allow for relevant curriculum. Also

places an emphasis on Math and Sciences)

Narrow Research (NCLB excludes important education predicators

such as race and class in research methods)

Opens Campuses to Military Recruiters







Power AnalysisGame

BUTCHER #1

Goals of Session: _

To develop a basic power analysis for your local organizing campaign. A.

To develop campaign strategy skills by playing an interactive board game.B.

Agenda: _

Icebreaker & Goals 10 min 1.

Campaigns & Power 15 min2.

Setting-Up the Board Game 20 min3.

Who’s Got the Power? - Interactive Board Game 45 min 4.

Break 10 min 5.

Debrief & Evaluation 20 min6.

_ Total Time: 2 hrs.

Materials Checklist: _

Blank butcher paper, markers, tape

Prepped Butcher papers

Goals & Agenda

Organizations local campaign players

Organizations local campaign demands

For the Board Game:

Four game pieces for the Board Game: Our Organization, Allies, Opposition, and The

Target. These can be made out of cardboard cutouts or actual props, such as action

An enlarged copy of “Who’s Got the Power Game Board” (either enlarge it at Kinko’s

or make a nice game board out of 4 butcher papers or poster boards taped into a large

rectangle).

Cutouts of the Board Game challenge scenarios for each team and each round.


Icebreaker, review CRAFT goals 10 min 1.

quick icebreaker/energizer: 7 min

_SAY: can someone read the goals & agenda of this session?

Campaigns & Power 10 min 2.

_SAY: Today’s session will help us understand the power dynamics in our local district and how that

relates to our campaign strategy. In some ways, a campaign strategy is like a game of chess. Does

anybody here like to play chess? If you do, you know that in chess you need to think several moves

ahead in order to beat your opponent. In campaigns, we also need to think ahead and have a well-

things can change. So, we’re actually going to play a board game called “Who’s Got the Power” to

help us think about our campaign strategy.

_SAY: Who can tell me what are some of the reasons that OUR organization runs local campaigns?

To make positive changes in our schools and communities

To develop leadership of our members

To build POWER for our communities

_ASK: What kind of power are we talking about building for our communities?

The power to change conditions, policies, and institutions to make life better for our

communities.

Social and political power.

BUTCHER #2

To paraphrase Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party:

_ASK: Why is it important for communities of color, low-income folks, and young people to build this

kind of power?

Because racism and oppression have left us out of the political process.

Because this kind of power will help us create a more just society.

_SAY: Without building power we wouldn’t be able to change any of the conditions or policies in our

local schools, districts, or the State and National Policies.


Setting-Up the Board Game 20 min 3.

_SAY: The game we’re going to play will show how our strategy combines to power of our BASE and

our ALLIES to challenge the power of our TARGET and the folks who may be against us, also known

as the OPPOSITION. To set-up this game we need to know who the different players are. There are

going to be four different teams in the game representing these different players:

AEJ and our BASE

Our ALLIES

The TARGET

The OPPOSITION

_SAY:

of these players. (Take notes on butcher paper.)

Who did we say was our BASE? (Low-income students of color who are members – list the

schools our members attend. Parents who are members)

Who are some of our ALLIES? (Have folks list the names of ally groups.)

Who is the TARGET of our campaign? Who did we say has the power to meet our

demands?

Who is the OPPOSITION - the people or organizations that might be against us or our

demands? (Have folks brainstorm potential opposition groups or people. Offer some

suggestions if you know folks who are opposed. It could include secondary targets who

you’ve met with who don’t support the campaign.)

BUTCHER #4

Local Campaign Players

BASE: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

ALLIES: __________________________________________________________________________________________________

TARGET: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

OPPOSITION: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

SAY: Let’s count off by fours and divide into four teams.

Team #1 represents our TARGET.

Team #2 is Our organization and our BASE.

Team #3 represents our ALLIES.

Team #4 represents the OPPOSITION.

Have each team get into a group. Give each team their game piece and unveil the Game Board. Have

the teams make a circle around the Game Board.


_SAY: We’re gonna play “Who’s Got the Power,” which is set-up like a chessboard, but it really

represents power related to our local campaign issue. Some of you may have seen something like this,

if you’ve ever done a campaign power analysis before. Along the left side of the game board there’s a

scale that represents how much power each player has in the local school district. Along the bottom,

there’s a scale that shows how much each player agrees with or opposes OUR organization and our

demands. The upper left hand corner represents the goal for OUR organizaion and our ALLIES. It’s

where we need to move our TARGET and build our POWER to win our campaign demands.

_SAY: Let’s start off by placing each of the player’s game pieces on the board. Let’s imagine OUR

organization is just getting started on our organizing and we haven’t launched our campaign yet, but

we have our demands and we’re ready to get kickin’. (See the sample set-up as a guide.)

_Ask: If the TARGET is the person or group of people who have the power to meet our demands,

but they haven’t heard of our demands yet, where should we place the TARGET on the game board?

Let’s put the TARGET in the upper right hand corner. If we picked the right TARGET, we know

bunch of youth making demands, so they’re starting out as DIE HARD OPPOSITION.

_Ask: If OUR organization hasn’t really built much power yet, where should we put OUR

organizations game piece?

Let’s put OUR organization on the lower left hand corner. We know that we support our own

demands 100%, but let’s imagine that nobody in the local school district really knows OUR

organization, so in terms of power, we’re NOT ON THE RADAR.

_Ask: If we haven’t launched our campaign yet, where should we put our ALLIES?

Let’s put them in the bottom row right above INCLINED TO SUPPORT, because we maybe

haven’t met with them yet and they haven’t agreed to support our campaign, but they’re allies.

Also, let’s assume they haven’t done a lot of campaigns in the local school district, so our allies

aren’t on the radar either.

_Ask: Finally, where should we put the OPPOSITION?

Let’s put them on the right hand side of the game board as DIE HARD OPPOSITION and at

LEVEL 6 in terms of power: MAJOR INFLUENCE ON DECISION-MAKERS.

_Ask: Why should the OPPOSITION start out at LEVEL 6?

The OPPOSITION represents the people who have an interest in keeping the system the way

it is. They already have power because they’re opposing groups like ours who represent

communities that have been kept out of power for years and years.


_Ask: If OUR organization wants to win our campaign and get the TARGET to agree to our

DEMANDS, what needs to happen to the pieces on this game board?

#1: Our organization and our ALLIES

need to MOVE UP in POWER.

_Ask: How can we build more power for our BASE and our ALLIANCE?

We need to recruit more members to build our BASE.

We need to recruit more ALLIES to be actively involved in our campaign. We can also support

ALLIES when they have campaigns to help build their power.

#2: The TARGET needs to move over to our side

and agree to our DEMANDS?

_Ask: How can we get the TARGET to move over to our side?

We need to organize CAMPAIGN actions that put pressure on our targets to meet our

demands and get media coverage for our issues.

We can use other TACTICS like delegation visits with the TARGET and meetings with

#3: The OPPOSITION needs to move down in power or be

neutralized by moving closer to our side.

We can create MEDIA MESSAGES that argue against the OPPOSITION’s ideas.

We can do RESEARCH to counter the OPPOSITION’s arguments.

We might actually meet with some of the OPPOSITION to bring them closer to our side.

Who’s Got the Power? – Interactive Board Game 45 min4.

_Say: The object of the game is for OUR organization and our ALLIES to win a CAMPAIGN VICTORY

by moving your game pieces up in power and moving the TARGET over to our side. The TARGET and

OPPOSITION teams can decide to help or hurt the campaign based on how well OUR organization and

our ALLIES play the game. During each round of the game, I will give each team a different scenario.

Your team will have 3 minutes to read the scenario and agree on your response. Your team should

respond based on the facts of the scenario.

_Say: After you come up with your response, each team will read your scenario out loud and present

your response (in voice/character of their role). Be sure to have a different member present each

round. Each team will be allowed to say 1 counterargument to any of the other teams’ response.

(Reality check: Is that really how they would respond???) Depending on how your team responds &


how convincing your presentation is, different game pieces will move on the game board.

to help you guide the game play. Start out with Team #1 (the Target) and play for three rounds (three

scenarios per team).


SCENARIO #1A

(for TEAM #1 – the TARGET): A group of high

school students called ________________ has

just launched a campaign in your District around

the issue of college access. They show up to

a School Board meeting with more than 30

students to talk about how the District is not

providing low-income students of color with the

opportunity to go to college. Several TV stations

show up to report on their rally and the issue.

You’re okay with the fact that students want to

go to college, but you don’t like them saying that

the District is unfair towards students of color.

You especially don’t like the media coverage

making you look racist. The students make very

strong speeches at the School Board meeting

and demand things like more counselors and

by requesting a meeting with you.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #1 (the TARGET,

Superintendent or School Board members), you

have 3 minutes to come up with your response to

____ and their request for a meeting.

[If the TARGET agrees to meet with _____, the

TARGET should move their game piece 1 space

closer to ____’s side and ___ should move up one

space in power. If the TARGET refuses to meet

with ______, they all stay in the same place.]

SCENARIO #2A

(for TEAM #2 – OUR organization): You just

had a great campaign kickoff for your college

access campaign. Your leaders are really

pumped up to go home to watch the local TV

news coverage of the event. One of your media

spokespeople has a pretty good interview on

the news. But after OUR organization’s piece,

the news station interviews someone from an

opposition group called CIRCLE, which stands for

Citizens for Responsible Career & Life Education.

CIRCLE says that high school students don’t

need more college opportunities, because most

students don’t want to go to college. “What

they need is good career training so they can get

jobs after high school. If students really want

to go to college, their parents should motivate

them to get the right classes and get ahead.”

They say all students have equal opportunities,

regardless of their race or income. Because the

CIRCLE interview comes after OUR organization’s

student, it looks the news is supporting the

OPPOSITION!

ASSIGNMENT: Team #2 (OUR organization),

you have 3 minutes to come up with a strategy

to respond the news coverage of CIRCLE, the

opposition group.

[If Team OUR organization comes up with a

good strategy to respond to the negative media

spin, then you should have the OPPOSITION

team move down on the game board. If Team

OUR Organization doesn’t come up with a

good strategy to respond, you should move the

OPPOSITION team up on the game board.]

“Who’s Got the Power?” Game Scenarios & Facilitator’s Guide

ROUND #1


SCENARIO #3A

(for TEAM #3 – the ALLIES): You are members of

a community organization made up of parents

and other community members. You’ve done

organizing around immigrant rights and a

living wage for workers. A group of students

called _____________ approaches you about

supporting their campaign for college access in

the local School District. You know that higher

education is important to your members, but a

lot of your children are undocumented, so they’re

not sure they can even pay for college. _______

asks you to mobilize some of your members

to support their rally next week. You are busy

working on a campaign to help pass Immigration

Reform in the United States, but you know that

education issues are also important to your base.

You have a big march coming up in two weeks

and you need lots of people to turnout.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #3 (ALLIES), you have 3

minutes to come up with a response to _____’s

request for support of their campaign.

[If the ALLIES come up with a response that will

Immigrant Rights march, the ALLIES should move

one space left to ACTIVE SUPPORT. If they

cannot support the CFJ rally, they should stay

where they are.]

SCENARIO #4A

(for TEAM #4 – the OPPOSITION): You are

members of an organization made up of business

owners, some teachers and other educators, and

community members called CIRCLE. Your goal

is to make sure that schools are teaching lots of

students about careers and jobs, so that there

are young people ready to work for businesses

and companies. You think all this fuss about

college access is silly. Most students don’t want

to go to college; they want jobs after high school.

But a research group at the University a just

came out with a study that shows 75% of high

school students, including students of color, do

want to go to college. 80% of parents of color

expect their children to graduate with at least a

Bachelor’s Degree. The study also shows that

African American, Latino, and Native American

students don’t receive the same opportunities to

be prepared for college as white students.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #4 (OPPOSITION), you have

3 minutes to come up with a response to the

research report.

[If the OPPOSITION comes up with a strong

response to the research report, they should stay

in the same place. If they don’t come up with

a good response, move their piece down one

space.]


SCENARIO #1B

(for TEAM #1 – the TARGET): You’ve noticed

on the issue of college access. They’ve actually

expanded their base to some new schools and

recently met with School Board Vice President

Garcia. The Vice President is very impressed

with the OUR organization’s leaders and feels

like their campaign demands are right on point.

The Vice President has openly supported the

OUR organization’s leaders and has signed on to

endorse the campaign. Garcia comes to you to

ask the District to support OUR organization and

their campaign demands. They want to know

what action steps you will take to help make sure

OUR organization’s leaders’ demands are met.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #1 (the TARGET), you

have 3 minutes to come up with a response to

the SB member’s request for support of OUR

organization. Are you willing to take any action

steps?

[If the TARGET decides to take action to respond

positively to OUR organization’s demands, have

the TARGET move 1 more space closer to OUR

organization’s side. If the TARGET refuses to

take any steps to support OUR organization,

have them move 1 space to the right.]

SCENARIO #2B

(for TEAM #2 – OUR organization): You’ve just

had a great meeting with one of the local School

Board members who pledges great support

for your campaign. Unfortunately, one of your

parents picks up the local newspaper and shows

you the bad news. The School Board Vice

President just got accused of taking bribes from

of having the District sign contracts with the

will be arrested and there may be evidence that

the charges are true. Already, two of the other

School Board members have called for VP Garcia

to resign.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #2 (OUR organization),

you have 3 minutes to come up with a strategy

to deal with the bad news about your biggest

supporter on the School Board.

[If Team OUR organization comes up with a fairly

good strategy to respond to the issue, then let

them stay where they are. If they don’t, have

them move down one space.]

ROUND #2


SCENARIO #3B

(for TEAM #3 – ALLIES): You also heard the news

that School Board Vice President Garcia is being

accused of taking bribes. But you have some

evidence that the accusations are false. One of

your Immigrant Rights Coalition actually tried

to bribe Garcia to vote in favor of their contract

with the District. But Garcia refused to take

the bribe. This other organization doesn’t like

Garcia, so they made up the story and went to

the news. You could go to the media and expose

the lie, but it wouldn’t look very good for your

Immigrant Rights Coalition.


minutes to decide what you will do about the

issue.

[If the ALLIES decide to expose the lie to the

media, they should move one space closer to

OUR organization’s side. If they decide to keep

quiet, they should move one space to the right.]

SCENARIO #4B

(for TEAM #4 – the OPPOSITION): A student

representative from OUR organization recently

called your organization. You were surprised,

because OUR organization is focused on making

sure students have all the classes to go to

college and CIRCLE focuses on career education

in high school. She said that some of the

student leaders with OUR organization wanted

to meet with your organization to talk about a

new approach to high school called “Multiple

Pathways.” She said that Multiple Pathways

combines Career & Technical Education with the

College curriculum, so students are prepared for

both careers and college.


3 minutes to come up with a response to OUR

organization. Will you meet with the student

leaders?

[If the OPPOSITION decides to meet with OUR

organization, move their piece one space closer

to OUR organization’s agenda and move OUR

organization up one space. If they don’t decide

to meet with OUR organization, move their piece

one space away from the OUR organization

agenda.]


SCENARIO #1C

(for TEAM #1 – the TARGET): As the

Superintendent of the School District, you found

out from one of the principals at a local high

school that OUR organization is planning a big

rally for college access at the next School Board

meeting. You have just formed an Academic

Planning Committee that will address issues such

as high school curriculum and college access

issues. You would much rather have a couple of

OUR organization student members participate

in the committee meetings than have them

organize protests at the School Board.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #1 (the TARGET), you have

3 minutes to come up with a plan to convince

OUR organization to join the committee and

cancel their rally. How will you convince them to

take the “friendly” approach and not the direct

action approach?

[If the TARGET comes up with a good plan to

convince OUR organization to join the committee

and cancel their protest, then OUR organization

should move one space down in power. If the

TARGET doesn’t come up with a good plan, all

pieces should stay in the same place.]

SCENARIO #2C

(for TEAM #2 – OUR organization): One of the

OUR organization staff members receives a call

from the Superintendent of the District. The

Superintendent sets up a meeting with the staff

member to talk about your local campaign. The

Superintendent requests that OUR organization

join the District’s Academic Planning Committee

instead of having a rally at the School Board

meeting to demand more college access

opportunities.

ASSIGNMENT: Team #2 (OUR organization), you

have 3 minutes to come up with a response to

the Superintendent’s request that you join the

Academic Planning Committee and cancel your

rally.

[If OUR organization comes up with a response

that allows them to join the Committee and

continue with their rally, they should move up

one space. If OUR organization cancels their

rally, they should move down on space. If they

to join the committee, they should stay in the

same place.]

ROUND #3


SCENARIO #3C

(for TEAM #3 – ALLIES): You just met with a

group of OUR organization student leaders to

talk about how their campaign is going. One

of the main challenges they have is getting the

local Teachers’ Union to endorse their campaign.

Some of the teachers in the union feel that

creating a college-going culture for all students

doesn’t make sense. These teachers say that

not all students want to go to college and many

of them wouldn’t be motivated to take college

prep classes. Two of the top leaders from

the Teachers’ Union are also on the Advisory

Committee for your Immigrant Rights Coalition,

so you have a close relationship with them. OUR

organization has asked to you talk to these union

leaders to help convince the Teachers’ Union to

endorse the OUR organization campaign.


minutes to come up with a plan to convince the

Teachers’ Union to endorse OUR organization’s

campaign. How will you use your relationship

with the union leaders to get their support?

What arguments will you use to convince them

that a college-going culture is good for all

students?

[If the ALLIES come up with a good plan and

good arguments, have them move one space

up in power and one space closer to OUR

organization’s agenda. If they don’t have a

strong plan, have them stay in the same space.]

SCENARIO #4C

(for TEAM #4 – OPPOSITION): You just found

out that the School District is about to receive

millions of dollars from the State to hire more

teachers and counselors. Your members are

planning to go to the next School Board meeting

to talk about how you think the District should

spend the money. Some of your members think

that the funds should be spent to create more

Career Tech classes, like cosmetology and auto

technician classes, and to hire Career Counselors

for every high school. Some other members are

interested in the idea of using the money for

“Multiple Pathways” classes that teach students

about careers but also meet the College

Curriculum requirements.


3 minutes to decide what your message will be

for the School Board. Should the School District

use the money for regular Career Tech classes

or should they create new classes that prepare

students for careers and college?


Break 10 min5.

Debrief and Evaluation 20 min6.

_ SAY: Obviously, we could go on playing a game about our local campaigns for a long time. You can

see with the scenarios how complicated a strategy can be and how running a campaign is like a game

of chess. Let’s take a look at the game board and where the pieces are.

Ask OUR organization team: What tactics did OUR organization use during the game to move

our campaign forward? (rallies, meetings with target(s), allies, and opposition, media messages,

research, etc.)

Ask ally team: Have our allies gotten more powerful and moved closer to our agenda? Why or

why not?

Ask target team: Has our target moved closer to our agenda? Why or why not?

Ask opposition team: Has our opposition lost power or moved closer to our agenda? Why or

why not?

Ask everyone: Has OUR organization moved closer to our goal of campaign victory?

Ask everyone: Have we increased our power?

_ ASK: How would the game/power analysis look if we were talking about where our local campaign

is right now?

Where should our target be on the game board based on where our campaign is right now?

How close is the target to our side/agenda? Do they have 100% of the decision-making power?

[Move the TARGET to its actual place on the game board.]

Where should OUR organization be on the power analysis? How much power have we built so

far? [Move the OUR organization to its actual place on the game board.]

Who are some of our real allies locally? Where do they fall on the power analysis. [If you have

time make post-it notes of some of the key allies and put them on the game board.]

Who are some of the groups or individuals opposed to our campaign or goals? Where do they

fall on the power analysis? [If you have time make post-it notes of some of the key opposition

groups and put them on the game board.]

WRAP-UP: A power analysis like this is a living document, so we would update it as our campaign

moves ahead and as we learn knew things about the different players.

EVALUATION: Let’s do a quick evaluation about today’s workshop. Each person turn to your neighbor

and one thing they liked or learned about from the workshop and one thing they would change.

ADAPTED FROM CFJ’S SYLA 2008: Power Analysis


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3F. Campaign Development Workshop

Goals and Agenda

Goals:_

A.

To have participants begin to develop a basic strategy by identifying different elements for B.

their campaign.

Agenda:_

1.

Small Group Exercise: Developing an Initial Campaign Strategy2.

_ Time: 50 min

Materials Needed:_

Strategy handout and worksheet

Butcher paper, tape, and markers

Defining Strategy Terms 20 min1.

Instructions:_

At the beginning of the session, give 5 of the participants each one of the cutouts of the key words

with each of the words. If you don’t have 10 participants you can give some of them more than one

SAY: Today we’re going to be talking about our strategy for our national campaign around the

reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or No Child Left Behind. But

organizing words. Some of you have words related to a campaign strategy. Some of you have the

start!


DEMANDS

(“The Goods”)=

issue.

BASE

(“Our Crew”)=

The people most directly affected by the problem or

oppressed by the institution.

ALLIES

(“Our Friends”)=

Other people who would be down to help us or want to see

the problem solved.

TARGET

(“The Man”)=

The person who has the power to give us what we want and

TACTICS

(“Action”)=

Things we can do with our power as everyday people to force

the “Man” to give us what we want.

_ sAY:

examples.

ASK:_

In your local campaigns last year, what were some examples of demands that your organization

made?

Who was the base of your campaign? Who is most directly affected?

In the local campaign, who was your target?

signatures, phone jams, press coverage.)

_ sAY:

Give each slip to a different participant.)

_ sAY:


_ ASK:

campaign can actually make positive changes in our schools or communities. As young people and

parents, our action as a group can force the school system to meet our demands, but we can’t just

take action without having a plan.

_ ASK: Why is it important to have a plan before we try to organize actions and rallies? (Answers

include: Because we need to know what we’re talking about when we confront people in power;

because we need to be organized and disciplined in how we conduct our actions; because we need

to make sure we know who the right person or people are who really have the power to meet our

demands, etc.)

Small Group Exercise: 2. Developing an Initial Campaign Strategy 30 min

_ SAY: Now we’re going to break into 2 small groups to answer a few questions about AEJ’s Nation

Campaign for Quality Education campaign strategy. In your small groups, you’re going to have a

worksheet to answer some strategy questions. Make sure each group picks a note taker to write on

butcher paper and a person to report back.

Break people into 2 small groups and have a facilitator work with each group. Give each group the

Strategy Handout and Worksheet. Give each team about 15 minutes to answer the questions and

pick a person for report back. Be clear that the target should be a person or group of people that we

can name. For example, the “School District” is not a clear target, but “Superintendent Steinhauser”

“Requiring all students to pass College Prep courses to graduate” are clear demands.

_ SAY: Now that we’ve had a chance to brainstorm an initial campaign strategy, let’s have one group

any gaps.)


A STRATEGY is a PLAN to organize our CREW and our FRIENDS to

take ACTION and force the MAN to give us the GOODS.DEM

ANDS

“The Goods”

Specific things that we want

to solve a problem

or resolve an issue.

BASE

“Our Crew”

The people most directly

affected by the problem or

oppressed by the institution.

ALLIES

“Our Friends”

Other people who are down

to help us or who want to see

the problem solved.

TARG

ET

“The Man”

The person who has the power

to give us what we want

and fix the problem.

TACTICS

“Action”

Things we can do with our

power as everyday people

to force the “Man”

to give us what we want.

(Strategy Handout adapted from SOUL’s Political Education Workshop Manual. Props to the “Boondocks”.)


THE PROBLEM:

DEMANDS

do we want to solve

this problem?

BASE

Who are the people

most directly

affected by the

problem?

ALLIES

What other people

are down to help us

or want to see the

problem solved?

TARGET

Who has the power

to give us what we

problem?

TACTICS

What actions can

we do with our

power as everyday

people to force the

“Man” to give us

what we want?”

(Strategy Handout adapted from SOUL’s Political Education Workshop Manual. Props to the “Boondocks”.)


DEMANDS

aka “The Goods”

Specific things

that we want to

solve a problem

or resolve an

issue.

BASE

aka “Our Crew”

The people

most directly

affected by the

problem or

oppressed by the

institution.


ALLIES

aka “Our Friends”

Other people

who are down to

help us or who

want to see the

problem solved.

TARGET

aka “The Man”

The person who

has the power to

give us what we

want and fix the

problem.


TACTICS

aka “Action”

Things we can do

with our power

as everyday

people to force

the “Man” to give

us what we want.


A STRATEGY is a

to organize

PLAN

to give us the GOODS.

our CREW and

and force the MAN

our FRIENDS

to take ACTION


3G. Tactics Intensive Workshop

Goals and Agenda 3 min1.

Goals:_

Know the use of tactics as part of a larger strategy to win a campaignA.

Understand tactics escalation B.

Identify various kinds of tactics and considerations for when to use different kinds of tacticsC.

Agenda:_

Goals and Agenda 3 min1.

Campaign and Strategy Development Review 15 min2.

Tactics are activities / steps in a a.

larger campaign and strategy

Brainstorm Good Tactics Listb.

Tactics Taboo 20 min3.

Tactics Escalation 35 min4.

Brainstorm Tactics 10 minc.

Categorize in escalating order 15 mind.

Debrief 10 mine.

School Games (Optional) 40 min5.

Check Out 5 min6.

_ Total Time: 1 hr, 55 min

Materials Needed:_

Appendix A: Student Rights Group Quiz

Appendix B: Top Five Tips

Appendix C: The School Game Scenarios

NOTE: This session should happen after a session on Campaign and Strategy Development

Get at ‘em —


Campaign Development and Strategy Review 15 min2.

Goals_ :

Review basic concepts from campaign development and strategy reviewA.

Drill home that tactics are part of a larger campaign and strategyB.

Materials Needed: _

Copies of Good Tactics (Appendix A)1.

Butcher paper with the following vocabulary:2.

The Goods (demands)

Your Folks (base)

Your Friends (allies)

The Man (target)

Tactics

Tactics are the steps that you are going to take to build power

for your folks and force “the man” to give us what we want.

Step By Step

Ask youth who attended the campaign development and strategy workshop.1.

2.

vocabulary word.

3.

4.

larger strategy. Explain that today we are going to get deeper with tactics and when to use

different kinds of tactics.


Explain that a common mistake that organizers make is to pick and do tactics before they have 5.

created a strategy. Ask, “What happens when people use tactics without a strategy?”

Take several answers, emphasize the following:

Tactics without a strategy could lead to doing an action without having a target. So,

you bring all this attention to an issue but no one knows who is responsible for making it

right – or equally bad, you could have the wrong target.

Tactics without a strategy could lead to doing an action without having demands. So

you picket the Superintendent’s house and she comes out, ready to negotiate and the

organizers say, “We want better education.” Yeah, well – what exactly do you want the

Superintendent to do to make education better?

Tactics without a strategy could lead to doing an action that is not productive for what

you are trying to get. You might throw pies at the Superintendent as a tactic and really

piss him off when all you really needed to do was have a public accountability meeting

with him. He might have been more supportive of your demands than you thought.

Brainstorm

Ask youth to brainstorm 6. “What makes a tactic good?” Write their responses on butcher

paper. Pass out the Good Tactic hand out and link their answers to the hand out.

Tactics Taboo 20 min3.

Goals: _

Have fun and have youth explain different kinds of tactics that they know ofA.

Materials:_

Appendix B: 1. Tactics Taboo cards copied on card stock and cut out

Step By Step

to campaign work.

Explain that since staying in school is part of each of our personal acts of resistance; we need to

approach advocating for our personal educational needs as a campaign. We use the same principles

of campaign work in our efforts to advocate for ourselves.

Go over the Top Five Tips handout


The School Game (Optional) 45 min4.

Goals: _

Have youth get some experience in advocating for themselvesA.

Have youth practice using campaign strategy for meeting personal advocacy needsB.

Materials:_

Copies of different policy handbooks or brochures for your local school district (To Be 1.

Index cards with the following phrases – one on each separate card: Good GPA, no 2.

suspensions, College Prep class, free time to do AEJ, friends, attendance, family, college, more

free time, trust, power, scholarship, discipline, ally, SAT.

Step By Step

Take one volunteer to be the individual around which the game centers. The goal of the whole 1.

group is get this person (“Mac Dre” for example) to graduate high school.

Mac Dre can choose a best friend who helps him/her to get through high school. The best friend 2.

will be his/her policy advisor and researcher on his/her personal campaign to complete high

school. These two people sit at the center of the room. Give Mac Dre’s best friend the brochures

on your school district’s policy.

Give Mac Dre a set of cards with these words only: Good GPA, AP class, free time to do YMAC, 3.

friends, attendance, family, college. Mac Dre must have the GPA and attendance cards at the

end of the game to graduate high school. If he has 5 cards at the end of the game, he can go to

college. He can also get more cards if he picks the right answers.

Read the scenarios on Appendix C: The School Game Scenarios. After each scenario, give the 4.

options.

Ask youth to stand in different corners of the room depending on which option you feel Mac Dre

should pick. Each group has a chance to explain why Mac Dre should choose their option.

Give Mac Dre and his/her best friend time to confer if they need it. The best friend should consult

the brochures for any policies or rules relating to the issue at hand. Give Mac Dre 2 minute’s tops to

decide.

After Mac Dre chooses an option, follow the instructions next to the option.

Proceed to the next scenario.


The facilitator may give cards back in order to be less harsh (ie: “If you could go back in time, which

card would you want to have back?”)

At the end of the game, congratulate them for getting Mac Dre through high school.

Discuss

What did you learn about student rights in school?

What did you learn about advocating for yourself?

Check Out 5 min5.

Goals:_

Have youth draw a personal lesson from the workshop

Step By Step

What is one thing from this workshop that you could see yourself using in the future?1.


Appendix A

Student Rights Group Quiz

Statement Answer

A teacher can suspend you from class T – but only for up to __days

You have the right to meet with your counselor at

least once a semester

If you are sick from school for a number of days, you

have the right to make up the work

If you are suspended from school, the teacher is not

required to give you all the work that you missed

If you or parent has complained about something to

the school several times and don’t get a satisfactory

answer, there’s nothing more you can do

You can be barred from going to activities due to

suspensions

contact you within ___ days

The district won’t tell you the contact information

of different staff who supervise the principals – it is

considered private information

You can be suspended for too many tardies or cuts

You can make up credits at Community College

If you are in Special Education, you have the right to

ask the school for a tutor or more time to complete

tests

When you ask for a meeting with the principal, the law

says that they have to respond to you within 3 days

Teachers are required to notify you of their grading

policies and have to be able to show you why you got

a certain grade

You can be forced to transfer to another school if you

are absent too much


Appendix B

Top Five Tips

TO ORGANIZE FOR YOUR RIGHT TO GRADUATE!

What you have learned about making change through campaigns applies to making changes in

your life! Apply campaign methods to getting what you want out of school and make sure you

graduate.

TIP ONE – DO YOUR RESEARCH

the Education Code of your state. Sometime schools act according to the law and sometimes they

the thing you’re trying to change.

_ Example: You want to dispute your suspension. You look at the Student and Parent Handbook

TIP TWO – KNOW YOUR TARGET

Know who your target is. Find out who can give you what you want by asking around or researching

_ Example:

power to erase the suspension. By law, it is the administrator or your dean of discipline. This is the

to complain to if you don’t get what you want. In most cases, the principal is the supervisor of the

scare them.

TIP THREE – INVOLVE YOUR ALLIES

Get your allies involved! With school related complaints, your most powerful ally is/are your parents/

what adult will go with you to school (your aunt, cousin, grandpa).

_ Example: You want to dispute your suspension. Have your parent/guardian or other adult call

the dean or come to the school to demand a meeting with the dean.


TIP FOUR –

HAVE DEMANDS AND ALTERNATIVES

Have demands! You have to know what you are asking for as well as an idea of alternatives that you

would be willing to negotiate on. Have ideas and be pro-active to solve your problem.

_ Example: You want to dispute your suspension and your aunt got a meeting with the dean.

During the meeting you tell the dean how you felt really disrespected by your teacher and provoked.

You explain that you want to go to college and are afraid that the suspension will affect your ability

from your records. When the principal doesn’t budge, you start to offer some other alternatives. You

offer to write a letter of apology to your teacher and serve lunch detention for a week in exchange for

getting the suspension erased.

TIP FIVE – ESCALATE YOUR TACTICS

Just like any other campaign – you need to decide on some tactics to use. Do not loose your temper

because that takes away your power. You need to speak through your actions/tactics and not through

raising your voice, cursing people out, etc (that doesn’t work in a campaign either!).

Decide on several tactics and escalate when you need to. Usually for schools, it means going up the

“chain of command” and talking to your target’s supervisors. The last strategy, when you are totally

or contacting the press.

Keep records of all your tactics so when you contact the supervisor, you can tell them exactly all the

trouble you have already had to go through and how unresponsive your target has been.

_ Example: You are still disputing your suspension. The dean has not gotten back to you. You

decide that the next tactic is to send a send an email to the principal and the principal’s supervisor.

provoked by the teacher who disrespected me in front of the class and violated my privacy by sharing that

nd and no one would schedule

an appointment for her. Then we were able to get a meeting with the dean on May 15 and he said he

would give us an answer by the end of the week. It is now June and we still haven’t taken care of my issue.

If it’s your job to help me be academically successful and I’m just trying to go to college and erase my

suspension – why won’t anybody help me?”


Appendix C

School Game Scenarios

Scenario 1

Part 1A.

even though you go to class and pay attention, you just don’t understand material and most of your

classmates don’t either. What are you going to do?

Start cutting class because going to class is waste of time.a.

Complain to other people in your class about how the teacher sucks. Do it so loud that the b.

Try talking to the teacher during lunch and see if s/he’ll give you more help or explain the c.

unit to you.

Outcomes:_

You start cutting class – Math is 4d. th period so it’s cool getting out for lunch early. After 2

marking periods, you realize you are not going to pass the class. Oh well, you weren’t going

to pass it anyways. You get your “College” card taken from you because Math is a required

course for college entry. (Go to Scenario 2)

You are complaining so loud that the teacher starts to get mad. When you try to ask for e.

help later, s/he doesn’t want to even talk to you. You get your “Good GPA” card taken from

you because you end up with a C- in the class. (Go to Scenario 2)

The teacher says s/he doesn’t have time to help you because s/he has to correct papers f.

during lunch and after school. Things go on as they were. (Go onto Part 1B)

Part 1B. You already feel like you tried to get more help but didn’t come up with anything. Plus you

turned down a lunch invitation from your crush to go talk to that teacher - damn it! Now what do you

do?

Start cutting class because you know you aren’t going to do well and the teacher won’t help a.

you.

Try to get transferred out of the class.b.

Talk to the parent liaison at the school to see if there is tutoring offered at school.c.

Outcomes_

You start cutting class – Math is 4d. th period so it’s cool getting out for lunch early. After 2

marking periods, you realize you are not going to pass the class. Oh well, you weren’t going

to pass it anyways. You get your “College” card taken from you because Math is a required

course for college entry and your “Free time” card because you are grounded once your

attendance report comes home. (Go to Scenario 2)


You talk to your counselor about getting transferred out of the class but it’s already passed e.

to tutor you. You get your “Free time” card taken away because there’s no more time

to do other things for the next month as you catch up. But at least this new teacher makes

sense to you.

You talk to the parent liaison at your school and she says that there is a long waiting line for f.

tutoring. You ask where it is and decide to go anyways. The coordinator happens to be

your older brother’s friend so they let you in! You get your “Free time” card taken from

you because you’ll be in tutoring for the rest of the semester.

Scenario 2

Part 2A. You have a really big project that is due in a week in for History class. Problem is, you

don’t have a computer at home. You feel like there’s no way you can get all the research, writing,

and printing out of stuff done in a week. Plus, it is really classist for the teacher to assign something

that requires a piece of equipment that wealthier students have and low-income students don’t have.

What do you do?

Talk to the teacher about your problem and see if you can do another version of the project.a.

Be pissed off about the classist nature of the assignment and don’t say anything until the b.

project is due and you don’t have it done.

Try to go to the library and use the computer there.c.

Outcomes_

You tell the teacher that it is unfair that low income students like yourself don’t have d.

computers. The teacher says it’s not her/his problem that you don’t have a computer at

home. S/he has to be “fair” to everyone and can’t give you a computer-free assignment.

S/he has heard about a free computer give away program at the Parent Center. You get a

“Power” card for speaking up. (Go Part 2B)

On the due date, the teacher asks you where your assignment is. You explain that you don’t e.

You

get your “AP class” card taken from you because you were hoping to take AP History

next year but you won’t get in now.

You go to the library and it only lets you use the computer once per day and only 30 f.

minutes each time! Doh! You work your butt off and have a mediocre project because

you didn’t have enough time on the computer. You get a “discipline” card for sticking it

through. (Go to Part 2B)


Part 2B. You decide that you will check out the Parent Center because you heard there was a free

don’t get the computer until next semester. What do you do?

It’s an old refurbished computer and doesn’t even get Internet! It’s not worth the bother. a.

b.

c.

Outcomes_

You keep having problems with not having a computer and eventually it catches up to you. d.

You get your “Free time” or “Good GPA” card taken from you.

You are able to at least write essays and reports at home for the next several years that e.

make your writing skills improve. You get a “scholarship” card because you have more

likelihood of getting scholarship now.

f.

You don’t gain a card but you don’t loose one either.

Scenario 3

Part 3A.

upset at being sent out that you were talking loud and trying to explain how stupid it was. The dean

got offended when you wouldn’t quiet down and sent you home for the day. Your parent wasn’t

What do you

do?

Ask your guardian to come in for a parent-teacher conference.a.

Stay at home a couple days, you need a break anyways.b.

This sounds suspicious – how can you be sent home without any paper work? Do some c.

research.

Outcomes_

Your guardian is upset that you are in trouble and doesn’t understand why you got sent a.

home since there is no paperwork. For good measure, s/he takes your phone and going out

privileges. S/he has a very hard time getting off of work so s/he can’t go to the school until

Friday. You end up being out of class for 4 days waiting on your guardian to come in. You

get your “Attendance” card taken from you but you get a “Trust” card for telling your

guardian.

You come back to school after 3 days out and the teacher won’t let you back into class. b.


rest of the period. You get your “Attendance” card taken from you.

c.

home without suspension paperwork AND notifying their parent. So this wasn’t a legal

suspension anyways. You tell all this to your guardian and have him/her write you a note

requesting that you be let back into the class. You go back to school the next day and show

the dean the Student and Parent Handbook and the note from your guardian. Afraid that

Scenario 4

Part 4A. You are almost out of high school! It’s the end of your junior year and you have

advocated for yourself so you can graduate and be a part time organizer. You can’t wait to be a

to be in your grade. And since its so late in your high school career, its impossible for you to catch

up during your senior year. Bottom line – you just can’t graduate. Your counselor encourages you to

enroll in a continuation school where you can make up credits more easily and graduate on time. You

are devastated and shocked. What do you do?

a.

credits fast and come back to walk the stage with the rest of your friends.

You are pissed off – both at yourself but also at the counselor for telling you so late in the b.

game. You ask for some advice from an adult that you feel knows about schools.

You go home early and cry. How could this happen after so much work? Maybe if you c.

sleep on it, an idea will come to you later.

Outcomes_

You make up your credits and graduate from the continuation school. You have to make a d.

whole new set of friends and your whole family is disappointed. As a result, you loose your

“Friends” card and your “Family” card.

You ask your adult ally about whether continuation school is your only option. The adult e.

tells you that you can catch up on credit by taking the District’s night school and go to

summer school. You can also take classes at Community College as long as they are

equivalent to the high school classes. You decide to research these options. You lose your

“Free time” and “Friends” cards because you’ll be at school all summer and at night! But

you’ll graduate with them at the end of the year!

You wake up the next morning and go about life like before. You do this until the end of f.

school (3 more weeks). Then over the summer, you forget all about it. When you return to

You give up and decide to transfer. You lose your “Friends” and one other card because

you will be going to whole other school.



3H. WE ARE ALL MESSENGERS workshop

Goals and Agenda

Goals_

CFJ students will have a basic understanding of media literacy and A.

messaging as it relates to AEJ’s organizing work and mission

Students will identify their own personal educational story and B.

incorporate those stories into AEJ’s organizing work and mission

Students will be exposed to the basic Do’s and Don’t’s of Media Interviews and C.

have the opportunity to practice formal and informal messaging opportunities

AGENDA_

Game Show 10 min1.

Review Agenda 5 min2.

Messaging 101 35 min3.

Break 5 min4.

Finding Your Story 25 min5.

Modeling 10 min6.

Role Play Messaging Opportunities 25 min7.

Closing 5 min8.

_Total Time: 2 hrs

Materials Needed:_

Butchers:1.

Goals a.

Agendab.

“What is a message and What is Messaging?”c.

Blank butcher to brainstorm “Interview Do’s”d.

Blank butcher to brainstorm “Interview Don’t’s”e.

9 sheets of paper with the Game Show Questions printed on them1.

A microphone or prop to use as one for interviews2.

Handouts:3.

“Finding Your Story”a.

“We are all Messengers”b.


Game show 10 min1.

Divide the students into three teams by counting off by 3.

_SAY: Welcome to AEJ’s newest game show, “How to be a Media Player!” I’m your host ______.

Today, we’ll be learning about being a messenger, no, not delivering mail on a bicycle, but HOW we

talk about CFJ, WHO we talk to, and WHY it’s important. If you like talking to people, great, this is

right up your alley and we’ll build on that. If you’re NOT comfortable talking to people, that’s okay

too. CFJ is all about empowering students, and learning what it takes to talk to people is an important

life skill, and you can start slow and practice here in a safe environment, whether that be one-on-one

or on TV or to a whole room of parents and teachers.

Okay, now let’s begin the game. We’ll be asking each team a question of their own. You don’t have to

buzz in, but you’ll only be allowed 30 seconds to come up with an answer.

Form 3 teams – just group them by where they are seated. If a team answers correctly, give them a

point. If a team answers incorrectly, do not give a point and do not give them an answer – let other

teams get a chance to steal a point.

Questions Answers

Team 1: What is the name of a local newspaper?

Team 2: What is the name of a local TV reporter?

Team 3: What is the name of an internet news site? CNN, Fox, New America Media, ABC, NBC, CBS

Team 1: How is the News made? When it is covered by a news outlet.

Team 2: Who owns the San Jose Mercury News / Long Beach Press Telegram and LA Times / Fresno Bee / Oakland Tribune and SF Chronicle? (choose your local paper)

A corporation, a company that has the rights of a person

the shareholders.

Team 3: How do newspapers make money? By selling advertising for homes, cars, clothes, etc. The more people read the paper, the more they charge for the ads.

Team 1: What is the goal of AEJ? To empower

Team 2: How does AEJ try to achieve its goals? Through People Power, by organizing students and parents, and empowering them with knowledge, skills, and resources to make change in their communities

Team 3: What is public opinion? Public Opinion is the general opinion of the people in a place, like a city or state. Usually every year, there is an election and politicians can see Public Opinion when people vote. But now a days, polls also known as phone surverys are taken all the time and politicians can know how people feel about issues any time they want.

their hand will be called on.


Bonus Question: What is the weather generally like in Alaska?

I use this question a lot. Since most of us haven’t been to Alaska, we do not have direct knowledge

that it is cold there. So how do we know it is cold? From different forms of media: school books,

and how it shapes what we know, think, see, and how we act.


AGENDA

Game Show 10 min1.



Break 5 min4.


Modeling 10 min6.


Closing 5 min8.


Why are Messages or Messaging important?

Because getting media coverage and placing our Messages can:

policies (which can result in better schools, more A-G classes, better teachers, safer and cleaner

schools, more counselors, etc.)

Ex: Butcher #1 What is a

Message?

What is a MESSGAGE?

A message is your side of the story. It covers WHO you are, WHAT you want, and WHY it is

important that you get it

What is MESSAGING?

MESSAGING is getting your MESSAGE out to people both through word of mouth like

phone calls and door knocking, but also through the mass media like TV and newspapers


services or money to CFJ

How do you Message? How do you get your Messages heard?

Prepare your message ahead of time.1.

Keep your message simple and under 30 seconds 2.

(Remember the basics: Who? What? and Why? Who you are / What you want / Why is it

important)

Stick to your message.3.

Answer the question and then transition back into your message.4.

Use “Marking” Statements to let reporters and editors know when your message is coming: 5.

“The reason why I’m here is…”

“What’s really important is that…”

“We want people to know…”

6.

your message.

“But more than that, I want to add…”

“To expand on your question, we should look at…”

“In addition to that point, what we’d like to see is…”

The Message Challenge Exercise

20 min

_SAY: Now, we’re going to have a chance to practice messaging. We’re going to divide into two

groups. Each group will be given a Mission and will have to develop a message for it. An

interviewer will ask the group questions and your goal is to 1) Stick to your message; 2) Say

your message in as many different ways as possible; and, 3) Not repeat yourself. The goal of

the other group is to guess what the other group’s Mission is.

Give students 10 and minutes to prepare their messages for their silly answer and their

serious answer. Remind students that messages are usually 30 seconds or less. Each student

should just have one message for each Mission. Give another 10 minutes for the actual

question and answer message exercise.

Here the interviewer is going to ask a series of questions, both silly and realistic. The goal of

the group is to constantly revert back to their Message in order to achieve their Mission.


Round 1: Silly

Team 1: We think that all students at our school should wear their clothes inside out.

Team 2:

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

What is your name?

Where city are you from?

What school do you go to?

What’s happening right

now?

What did you see?

Why are you here today?

Have the other team guess what the Mission was.

Round 2: Serious

Team 1: We’re asking the governor for more college prep classes in our school.

Team 2: We want the superintendent of the _________ school district to have more college

counselors at our school.

Once that exercise is done, review basic AEJ messaging.

What are AEJ’s basic messages?

5 MIN

As part of AEJ, you will be always be an ambassador for AEJ, representing who we are and what we

do. It may seem like a scary or intimidating thing, but it’s not. AEJ is all about people like you, you’re

the reason why we exist and we couldn’t do what we do with out. Second, there are only three basic

messages you need to know and two of them are always the SAME.

What is AEJ?

Who are you and what do you hope to do in life?

Why are you here today / tonight?

This last one regularly changes based on what event you are at. You might be at a local rally to

prevent dropouts. Or you might be in D.C. to learn leadership skills and talk to legislators.

Or you might be marching to prevent budget cuts. Or you might be tabling at a fair to get the

word out.

We are always representing AEJ. We are always spokespeople. We are always messengers and

always messaging.

Break 5 min4.



Handout: “Finding Your Story”

_SAY: This year at CFJ we are making an effort to highlight the people of CFJ. Why? Because CFJ

is made up by real people, with real lives, real dreams, and real challenges. It is easy for politicians

to dismiss a cause or an organization, especially when you don’t know it or them, and because there

are often so many out there that it becomes confusing. BUT, when a person learns about a person,

there is a greater chance they will care or become involved, and what is a cause or an organization but

the people who make it up. And who makes up CFJ? Who are our most critical member? YOU, the

students.

The point of this exercise is to get you to focus on YOUR story. Your story, your experiences in life and

school are one of the most powerful tools you have, and also that CFJ has. When you talk about the

things that worked for you, we can ask for them to be continued. When you talk about the problems

in your school and your communities, we can demand that they be changed.

Now remember, we are not just doing this an exercise or homework. We are doing this activity for a

ourselves be MINDFUL that we are talking about ourselves to ACHIEVE our goal of making our schools

better and improving our education. That means, when we are talking to reporters or legislators, we

are CONVERSATIONAL (because that makes people comfortable and comfortable people are always

more receptive) but also STRATEGIC, because trust me, everyone we talk to is also being strategic.

What do politicians want?

What do reporters want? (To get scoops, to get the best quotes from the hardest to reach

people, to see their name in print, to win awards, to get promoted, to go to a better paper or TV

station)

What do we / CFJ want? Better schools for our communities because a better education means

a better future, we want to build power in our communities, we want to be heard, yes, but then we

want ACTION.

_SAY: Break out into pairs with a person that you don’t know so well or want to know better.

Worksheet: 10 min

First part is a worksheet. You will have 10 minutes to answer in whatever form you like: sentences,

notes, memos, scribbles, etc.


Pair & Share: 6 Mins

You have 6 minutes to share your answers, 3 minutes each. This is to get familiar with their answers, to

share in a smaller environment, and to get to know your fellow YJC members.

_SAY: This activity is designed to get comfortable speaking about your story. Take it seriously,

because we will eventually be sharing in front of a bigger group, and next year with reporters and

this, you can study it in college and do it for a living!

Once the pair share is done, ask for 3 highlights from the students to begin and prepare students to

share stories in a larger setting.

_SAY: Who would like to share one interesting thing they learned about their partner in this activity?

Or one new thing you didn’t know from before that surprised or impressed you?

Modeling Interview Do’s and Don’ts 10 min6.

Model Don’ts: 5 MIN

Long-winded, rambling, mumbling answer1.

Acting unprofessional, mugging for camera person2.

Lying, making up answers, statistics3.

A sample poor interview of an AEJ student.

_SAY: “This is from ABC News and we’re at the last school board meeting of the year

where students are holding a rally. I’m here with .”

“Why are you here today?” (Pause and give Interviewee a chance to give poor responses)

“What is the name of the organization?”

“How much funding is going to be cut from the budget?”

“Is it true that students in this neighborhood don’t really need more funding because they don’t

care about school and just want to skip school and do drugs?

Quickly identify the +’s and -‘s of each modeling on a butcher paper.

Roles: Interviewer _________________ , interviewee _____________________ , scribe ____________________


Model Do’s: 5 MIN

Identify your name, age, school, and CFJ1.

Knowledgeable about issue2.

A poised speaker, good posture, looks camera or interviewer in the eye3.

When you don’t know answer, say “I don’t have that information, I can get it for you later or put 4.

you in touch with someone who can. But what I do know is...”

A sample good interview of a AEJ student.

_SAY: “This is from ABC News and we’re at the last school board meeting of the year

where students are holding a rally. I’m here with .”

“Why are you here today?”

“What is the name of the organization?”

“How much funding is going to be cut from the budget?”

“Is it true that students in this neighborhood don’t really need more funding because

they don’t care about school and just want to skip school and do drugs?

Roles: Interviewer _________________ , interviewee _____________________ , scribe ____________________

Quickly identify the +’s and -‘s of each modeling on a butcher paper.


Video Record students role-playing interviews with the media.

Afterwards review the recording and have the students evaluate their performance.

Closing 5 min8.


FINDING YOUR STORY= FINDING YOUR POWER

worksheet

media, legislators, funders, and other groups CFJ works with.

be SPECIFIC. (Example: “I want my school to have a college

counselor that visits classrooms, sets up college tours, and invites college recruiters to campus,” is a

much clearer request than “I want help to go to college.”)

Who are you? 1. (Basic info: name, age, grade, school you attend, city you live in)

What are your educational goals?2.

What do you want to be or do in the future?3.

Who are you?4.

immigrants? Is English your second language? What do your parents do for a living?)

What are the strengths of your school and community?5.

What are the challenges of your school and community?6.

What resources do you need to succeed? 7. What are you asking for? What are

you demanding? How have you kept up your end of the bargain?

NOTE:

agreement that if students study hard, work to support their families, take care of their siblings,

aspire to college, and dream of a successful, engaged life, that the RESOURCES will be there.

Well, we’re holding down our end of the deal. Where are you? Do you believe in me?

And if you do, how will you support me and my dreams????

Please keep this hand-out in your folder. If you are ever interviewed or on a delegation visit, feel free

story (you are in fact, the expert, right?), and other public speaking skills, you eventually won’t need

the sheet and can speak without it.


What is a Message? handout

What is a MESSGAGE?

A message is your side of the story. It covers WHO you are, WHAT you want, and WHY it is

important that you get it

What is MESSAGING?

MESSAGING is getting your MESSAGE out to people both through word of mouth like phone calls

and door knocking, but also through the mass media like TV and newspapers

Why are Messages or Messaging important?

Because getting media coverage and placing our Messages can:

policies (which can result in better schools, more A-G classes, better teachers, safer and cleaner

schools, more counselors, etc.)

services or money to CFJ

How do you Message? How do you get your Messages heard?

Prepare your message ahead of time.2.

Keep your message simple and under 30 seconds 3.

(Remember the basics: Who? What? and Why? Who you are / What you want / Why is it important)

Stick to your message.4.

Answer the question and then transition back into your message.5.

Use “Marking” Statements to let reporters and editors know when your message is coming: 6.

“The reason why I’m here is…”a.

“What’s really important is that…”b.

“We want people to know…”c.

7.

message.

“But more than that, I want to add…”a.

“To expand on your question, we should look at…”b.

“In addition to that point, what we’d like to see is…”c.

CREDITS: Adapted From CFJ SYLA: Week 5, Day 2: Media and Messaging Training (Yvonne Tran), 2009


3I: Legislative Visit Workshop

Goals and Agenda

Goals:_

A.

To allow students and parents the opportunity to generate their own stories for legislative visitsB.

To practice the legislative visit agenda in teamsC.

Agenda:_

Opening & Icebreaker 5 min1.

Overview of Lobby Day 10 min2.

Story Prep for Legislative Visits 15 min3.

Legislative Visit Role Plays 30 min4.

Wrap-Up 10 min5.

_ Total Time: 70 min

Materials:_

Blank paper and pens / markers for all participants1.

Handouts for all participants:2.

Personal Stories worksheeta.

Tips for Legislative Visit Teamsb.

Legislative Visit Agendac.

Legislative Visit FAQ sheetd.

Handout for all team leaders: 1. Legislative Visit Report Form for team leaders

Butcher Papers:2.

Session Goals & Agendaa.

Icebreaker Questionsb.

Targets and Goals for May 11thc.

represent —

US*


Opening & Icebreaker 5 min1.

_ sAY: Today we’re going to prepare for the meetings that we will be having with Congress

members in July to get their support for the National Campaign for Quality Education and AEJ’s

recommendations for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These

meetings are known as “legislative visits” because they provide a chance for you, the constituents, to

visit with the legislators and their staff who represent you and talk about your issues and experiences

so they can understand how their decisions are helping or hurting you.

_sAY: Before we get started we’re going to do a quick icebreaker. I want you to break into pairs.

Each of you should ask your partner two questions. While your partner is answering the questions,

you should draw a picture that represents their answers or right down key ideas they talk about. You

have 2 minutes each to tell your answers to your partner.

Give people 5 minutes in pairs to discuss their answers with each other. After 5 minutes, ask a few

pairs to share their drawings and highlights about what their partner said.

The questions are:

What is one thing you are angry or worried about regarding the nation’s public education system, and why? 1.

(Drop out rates, Budget cuts, etc?) ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is one reason you are excited to go to D.C. in July? 2. ______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________


Overview of D.C. Lobby Visit 10 min2.

_ASK: So who knows why we’re going to D.C. in July? Take a few responses.

_ASK: Who knows who our main targets are in July?

reauthorization of ESEA.

Our secondary targets are Congress people who will vote on our priority legislation.

_ASK: What are our goals for ESEA? What do we want? (Review AEJ’S ESEA recommendations)

Story Prep for Legislative Visits 15 min3.

_ASK: Why do we use legislative visits as a tool for change? Get a couple of answers.

_Say: We use legislative visits as a way to bring the people who are directly affected by the issue

–in this case students, parents, and teachers––into direct conversation with the legislative decision-

to help shape the opinions of lawmakers on the issue of the state budget. Finally, it’s an opportunity

for you to tell your story and share your experiences. Too many times, legislators make decisions

without even hearing or understanding the experiences of the people who are directly affected by

those decisions, especially when it comes to young people.

[How will you give personal stories that are related or relevant to the policies we’re trying to

_SAY: We’re going to spend some time right now letting you get your personal story together, one

that is related to the issues and policies we will be talking about with legislators and their staff. Each

of you will be on a legislative team with 3 students and one staff team leader. We want to make sure

that you have a chance to prepare your stories for the legislative visits. I want people to get back into

the pairs you had for the icebreaker. Each of you is going to get a worksheet to write down your ideas

or two highlights from their stories.


Legislative Visit Role Plays 30 min4.

_SAY: Next we’re going to break into our teams for the legislative visits to actually practice the

legislative visit agenda. Before we get into teams, let’s review the “Tips for the Legislative Visit

Team.”

_ Review: “Tips for the Legislative Visit Team”

NOTE: If you have extra participants who aren’t going to be part of a legislative team, then ask each

of them to join a team and play the role of the legislator or legislative staff member. If you don’t have

extra participants, ask the staff team leader to play both their role and the role of the legislator.

During the practice, the mock legislator should ask some of the challenging questions on the F.A.Q.

sheet. Team leaders and students can feel free to answer

challenging questions if they feel comfortable.

_SAY:

role-play the legislator). The staff person will play the role of the Team Leader and students should

pick the other speaker roles. If one of you doesn’t have an assigned role, you should share your

personal experiences during the role-play. Make sure that all of you use the real stories that you

just developed during the legislative visit role-play. You should take a few minutes in your group

to read over the Agenda and then pick roles. You should also review the Frequently Asked Question

sheet to be prepared for questions that legislators or their staff may ask. On May 11th, some of our

meetings will be with actual legislators and some will be with the legislative staff members that help

them make decisions. (Make sure each participant gets a full packet of the materials for the legislative

visits.)

Give each team 5-10 minutes to review the legislative visit agendas and FAQs. Go around to answer

any questions they have. Then give them 15-20 minutes to role-play the legislative visit

Wrap-Up 10 min5.

WRAP-UP QUESTIONS:

How did your legislative visit role-plays go?2.

Do you have any questions about the 3.

process?

Was anything unclear?4.

What was challenging? What was easy?5.

Does anyone have any good tips or ideas to 6.

share?

_SAY: Thanks everyone for taking the time

to prepare for your legislative visits. Your

voices should be the most important when our

Lawmakers and President Obama make their

decisions about the reauthorization of ESEA.

Practice your personal story, and review the tip

sheet with your team members. Good luck!


Legislative Visit Personal Stories

Worksheet

Name: _______________________________________________ City: __________________________________________

Please use this sheet to prepare your personal stories for your legislative visits. Hold onto it and use it

to create notes or bullet points for your legislative visits.

Why are you here today in D.C., taking time away from school/work, to talk about education issues? 1. _______

(30 seconds) _______________________________________________________________________________________

What are the challenges that students and parents face in education in your region? (30 seconds) 2.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your own individual challenges in reaching your academic goals? 3. ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

How could your school or district help you to overcome them? 4. _________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you know how your school or district spends its money? 5. ___________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What would you spend it on if you made the decision? 6. _________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. How have students and parents in your region organized to successfully transform and improve 7.

education? (2 minutes, including one good campaign story) ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________


Tipsfor the Legislative Visit Team

Team Leader (Staff): Your role is to facilitate the meeting – kick things off, remind people when

to speak, make sure that the key questions are asked of the legislator or legislative staff person, and

Form.

Note Taker: You will record responses and other important things that come up during the visit.

Pay attention to the legislator’s or staff’s opinion & take notes on their position.

Everyone: Tips to remember:

especially if the legislator or the legislative staff person is from your region. Share personal stories

/ experiences!

Practice as much as you can and relax! It gets easier and more fun as you go along!

Be friendly! Look directly at the person, smile, and act naturally.

your community.

Tell your own story, using vivid examples.

Ask them direct questions about what they think.


3J. Intergenerational OrganizingYouth-Adult Partnerships

workshop

Goals and Agenda 15 Min1.

Goals:_

Understand the critical importance of creating multigenerational alliances in building a A.

grounded and sustainable Movement as well as the unique strengths that youth and adults

bring

Understand the various roles for youth and adults in youth leadership programsB.

Assess where our program is and where you would like for it go in terms of youth engagementC.

Begin an organizational dialogue about how to create a stronger youth-adult partnershipD.

Agenda:_

Welcome, Review of Agenda & Goals 15 min1.

Context 20 min2.

Assessing Youth Leadership 3.

In Your Organization 30 min

4.

Building On Our Strengths – 5.

Models of Youth-Adult Partnership 20 min

Creating a Youth-Adult Partnership Manifesto 50 min6.

Closing 10 min7.

_ Total time: 190 min / 3.2 hrs

Materials Needed:_ Appendices

Appendix A: Ladder of Youth Engagement

Appendix B: Effective and Ineffective Youth-Adult Partnership Skits

Appendix C: Elements of Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships

Appendix D: Southern Echo: Model of Intergenerational Organizing

Appendix E: Sample Manifesto Format

Appendix F: Tips for Youth Adult Partnerships (extra hand out)


Context - Why Youth - Adult Partnership 20 min2.

Why do it?

Connect personal experience of being in the age continuum in a family with youth being in an

age continuum in the Movement

Show how the Movement and our work needs both youth and adults to be engaged

to the poverty, oppression, etc.

Materials Needed:_

Table for an altar

Materials for an altar: candles, rocks, incense, water, other appropriate offerings

Sheets of paper and markers

Directions

Open by asking participants what an altar is and how they use altars in their cultural heritage.

Have each person take two sheets of paper. Ask participants to write the name of an elder they would

like to honor on one sheet of paper and one person younger than them that they are a role model to.

Ask people to share and place their sheets of paper on the altar.

Explain that we did this activity to high light how we are at once a youth as well as an elder to

someone younger than us – we are part of a continuum. Make an analogy between the Movement

and a family. Show important role of both adults and youth and children in the continuum of a family

– and how over time, our legacies, histories, stories are developed and passed on through the inter-

dependent, inter-generational interaction of the family unit.

For example: When you are a child, your parents, grandparents or other elders take care of you.

Then, as people age, the older folks pass on and the younger people have to take on their role. Right

now, your parents might be taking care of their parents. You might already be helping your parents

take care of the household. As you get older, you will also have children. Then, you will take care of

your children and as your parents get older – you will take care of them too. As you get to be an elder

or grandparent, your children will be adults and start to take care of you. It’s all a cycle where you

pass from one role to the next and its been this way for many, many generations.


Explain that care is not the only thing that gets passed down through generations. As for examples of

things that get passed down from generation to generation. Can include the following:

Food and recipes: tamales (Raza), gumbo (African American), joong (Chinese), pho (Vietnamese),

sofrito (Puerto Rican)

Cultural traditions: Danza Azteca (Raza), Jumping the Broom (African American), Visiting the

Cemetery during Ching Ming (Chinese), Dying Red Eggs for New Years (Mien)

Spiritual practives: visiting temple (Buddhist), going to church, ceremony, Sun Dance (Native

American)

Healing practices: hot toddies (African American), burning sage (Native American), scraping back

with spoon and oil (Vietnamese)

_ Ask: “How do these things get passed down?” Highlight that these stories and traditional

knowledge is passed on in intergenerational forums where adults and children go do things or attend

events together – you learn by observing and having a role. If the youth just did their own thing, we

would never learn these things. Many of us are just doing our own thing (while adults also are doing

knowledge that our elders have and practice. Our whole community suffers and looses in the end.

Connect these concepts to the Movement.

Ask:_

If the Movement was our family, what does it mean to only work on youth issues or only adult

issues?

What types of knowledge or strength might be lost?

Why don’t we work inter-generationally more?

Close out by connecting to the goals of this workshop and explaining that we will explore more how to

Say something about how the feedback that this group creates about youth-adult partnerships in this

workshop will be shared with the adults in the organization. We will be doing skits later that will video

taped and viewed by the adults. Emphasize we want to start a productive dialogue about how we can

strengthen the youth-adult partnership in this organization. Ask for permission for videotaping.


Assessing Youth Engagement in Your Organization 30 min3.

Why do it?

Youth groups are usually part of some bigger adult led organization and that means we need

to see the degree to which youth are engaged (in leadership and decision making) in order to

Have common language and understanding about the various kinds of youth engagement that

can exist and the roles that adults and youth play in each kind

Materials needed:_

Butcher paper and markers to scribe people’s comments

Butcher Paper 1: Ladder of Youth Engagement (model after Appendix A)

Post its or half sheets of paper and markers

Directions

_ Explain that youth groups are usually part of some bigger adult led organization. Although

adults in the group often will say “we have a youth leadership group”, youth leadership or youth

engagement (or involvement in decision making about the programming, activities or campaigns) can

there can be and then assess where our organization is on the spectrum. Then in the later part of the

organization.

Give an overview of the Youth Engagement Ladder. The Youth Engagement Ladder was developed

by a guy named Roger Hart and its so useful to youth leadership organizations that its used by all

kinds of groups – from people like us to large international groups like UNICEF. The ladder goes from

low levels of youth engagement on the bottom to high levels on the top. The highest form of youth

engagement is youth-adult partnership.

_ Hand out: Appendix A: Ladder of Youth Engagement.

example of each level of the ladder and throw out examples of roles that youth and adults would play

“youth engagement” or “youth leadership” – but they really shouldn’t even count as that.

Have participants list the major activities of the their group or organization on the post its or the half

sheet pieces of paper – one activity per sheet.

much youth engagement went into the activity (according to Youth Engagement Ladder).


Debrief

What was hard or easy about this exercise?

Any surprises?

the activities were categorized.

Ask the entire group about:

Any lessons that they can draw from how their group or organization operates with regards to

youth engagement?

Key differences of opinion?

Major unclear areas?

Now ask the group, where on the Youth Engagement Ladder would they like their program to be?

Close out by summarizing how the group has assessed their organization and where they would like

to go in terms of youth engagement. Since the highest level of youth engagement is youth-adult

partnership in our next activity.

FACILITATOR’S NOTE: Most groups want to move in the direction of youth-adult partnership.

This level is what we mean by a true inter-generational partnership.

SOURCES: Roger Hart: Ladder of Youth Engagement


Defining Youth-Adult Partnership 45 min4.

Why do it?

an ideal sense so they can relate their everyday experience in their organization to this ideal

_ Materials needed:

Butcher paper, Tape, and Markers1.

Butcher Paper 2: Pair and Share Questions2.

What strengths do youth bring to the table and what strengths do adults bring to the

table in Movement work?

What does an effective partnership between youth and adults look like and feel like?

– Interpersonally and also in an organization?

What does an ineffective partnership between youth adults look like and feel like?

– Interpersonally and also in an organization?

Handout Effective and Ineffective Youth-Adult Partnership Skits (Appendix B)3.

Hand out Elements of Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships (Appendix C)4.

Video tape recorder5.

FACILITATOR NOTE:

The skits will be video taped and later shared with the adults in the organization. It’s important to set

the tone that the youth should be honest, and yet not mean, if they have a critique of the organization.

Directions

Ask participants to break into two and discuss the questions on Butcher Paper 2: Pair and Share

Questions.

After they discuss in their groups, explain that one group will do a skit on a effective (good, healthy)

youth-adult partnership and the other group will do a skits on an ineffective (bad, unhealthy) youth-

adult partnership. Ro-Sham-Bo between representatives of the two groups to pick which groups gets

what skit.


Hand out Appendix B: Effective and Ineffective Youth-Ault Partnership Skit. Ask them to individually

share with each other to produce their skit.

Perform skits for each other. While one group performs other group writes down things that they

noticed about the organization depicted in the skit and share at the end. Performing group shares

what they intended with the skit and touches on anything the other group missed.

Ask participants to share what they noticed and create on butcher paper a generalized list of

characteristics of an effective youth-adult partnership and effective youth-adult partnership. Hand

out Appendix C: Elements of Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships and go over any points they may have

missed in the list that the group created.

NOTE: Pull out here that youth-adult partnership is not where adults give over their role to provide

resources and guidance. It’s not about adults feeling scared, guilty, or unable to exert their leadership

with youth people.

Debrief

Debrief by asking how having aspects of effective and ineffective youth-adult partnerships has

affected the work in your organization.

Building on Our Strengths: Model Youth-Adult Partnerships 20 min5.

Why do it?

Give people a sense that they have participated in some aspects of healthy youth-adult

partnerships, they and their organizations can do it well

Show some models for how other organizations have done youth-adult partnerships well

Materials Needed:_

Butcher paper, Tape, and Markers

Hand out Youth-Adult Partnership Best Practices (Appendix D)

Directions

Explain that we have all experienced positive youth-adult partnerships before and we should learn

from our strengths in this area. Ask participants to share when they have in the past experienced one

or more of the Elements of Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships and describe it.


Pass out the Hand Out Southern Echo: Model of Intergenerational Organizing. Have volunteers

read parts of the document. Pose the following questions and scribe their answers:

What do you like about this case study?

What ideas would you like to propose to your program?

Close out by introducing the next activity which is to put together a youth-adult partnership manifesto

where you can propose any of the ideas or principles that you have learned during this session.

Youth-Adult Manifesto 50 min6.

Why do it?

Give people a chance to apply their learning to creating a vision for how they want to see youth-adult

partnership in their organization

Materials needed:_


Lined paper and pens

Handout Sample Manifesto Format (Appendix E)

FACILITATOR’S NOTE:

Some pre-work with other agency staff needs to happen so that you have some idea of

how the manifesto and video will be presented to the other adult staff at the agency.

This is important to not set up youth for disappointment.

Directions

Open by explaining that now they will get a chance to create a manifesto about how they would like to

see youth-adult partnership in their program or organization. Ask if anyone knows what a manifesto

Hand out and go over the Sample Manifesto Format (Appendix E). Get volunteers to draft different

parts.

Allow the groups to have 20 minutes to draft their parts. Reconvene the large group and have the

groups read out their drafts. During each group’s presentation, the other groups should jot down

what they liked and suggestions on the piece that was presented. Have the group share their

feedback on the different parts.


Discuss how this manifesto will be brought back to the larger organization: create some immediate

next steps and a timeline.

Closing 10 min7.

Bring it back to the goals of the workshop. Ask participants to share one major thing s/he learned in

the workshop and share one hope s/he has for the group in terms of youth-adult partnership.

SOURCES

“Making It Work: A Guide to Successful Youth-Adult Partnerships”.

“Elements of Effective Youth Adult Partnerships,” YouthNet, http://www.fhi.org/youthnet.


Appendix A

Ladder of Youth Engagement

Manipulation: 1. Happens where adults use young people to support causes and pretend that

the causes are inspired by young people.

Decoration: 2. Happens when young people are used to help or “bolster” a cause in a relatively

indirect way, although adults do not pretend that the cause is inspired by young people.

Tokenism: 3. When young people appear to be given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice

about what they do or how they participate.

Assigned but informed: 4.

informed about how and why they are being involved.

Consulted and informed: 5. Happens when young people give advice on projects or

programs designed and run by adults. The young people are informed about how their input will

be used and the outcomes of the decisions made by adults.


Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people: 6. Occurs when projects or

programs are initiated by adults but the decision-making is shared with the young people.

Young people-initiated and directed:7. This step is when young people initiate and

direct a project or program. Adults are involved only in a supportive role.

Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults:8. This happens when

development of projects or programs and decision-making is shared between young people and

adults. These projects empower young people while at the same time enabling them to access and

learn from the life experience and expertise of adults.

View of Youth Involvement

Outcome Rungs of the Ladder

Youth as Objects Adults know

what is best for

young people.

Involves youth in adult-

controlled situations at

the discretion of adults.

Young people’s contributions

are insignificant and

underutilized. Young people

maintain a powerless position.

Manipulation1.

Decoration2.

Tokenism3.

Youth as Recipients

Adults

view youth

participation as

an experience

that will be

good for them.

Creates opportunity for

young people to learn from

the adult experts, which will

help them when they become

adult contributors.

Assigned but informed4.

Consulted and 5. informed

Adult initiative, 6. shared decisions with

youth

Youth as Partners

Adults view

youth as

important

contributors.

Encourages youth to become

involved in all aspects of

the organization, group, or

project. Youth and adults

share power and are equal

partners in decision-making;

both bring strengths,

abilities, and expertise to the

table. The system of care is

youth-guided.

Youth initiated and 7. directed

Youth initiated, shared 8. decisions with adults


Appendix B

Effective and IneffectiveYouth-Adult Partnership Skits

What is a Youth Adult Partnership?

A youth and adult partnership is a joint effort between youth and adults who are working together to

establish and achieve common goals. The partnership is one in which both parties share equal power

and control over making decisions on what gets done, who does what and how.

Guiding Questions for the Skits

When you walk into an organization, how can you tell if the organization is or isn’t about youth-

When you observe people at this organization interacting, what are the adults saying to each other

about the youth? What are the youth saying to each other about the adults?

Do the youth and adults interact? How? What do the youth and adults say to each other? What

do they do together?

Who gets to make decisions about what?

How do the adults feel about the organization and the work? How do the youth feel about the

organization and the work? Is it similar or different – and how?


Appendix C

Elements of Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships

What Are Important Elements

of Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships?

Clear goals, expectations, and responsibilities for both youth and adults.

Mutual respect

Youth and adults have meaningful roles, not tokenism

Communication and active listening

Youth are involved in as many levels of the project or organization as possible or feasible (and they

are involved from the beginning of the project)

Recognition of the different strengths and needs that both adults and youth bring to the work

Commitment to youth-adult partnerships from all levels of the organization

Adults get support and training on how to work with youth

Youth get adequate support, training, supervision and mentoring to do the work

Meetings provide transportation and food

Checking in with the needs of adults and youth in the group regularly

Address misconceptions and biases that youth and adults have about each other

Recognition and assistance for youth in balancing their many other commitments to school, family,

work and social life

SOURCE: Adapted from “Youth Lens, Youth-Adult Partnerships Show Promise”, March 2003, http://www.fhi.org/youthnet


Appendix D

Southern EchoModel of Intergenerational Organizing

Develop Grassroots Leadership

Southern Echo is a leadership development, education

and training organization working to develop grassroots

leadership across Mississippi and the Southern region.

The primary objective is to enable communities to make

the political, economic, environmental and education

systems, accountable to the needs and interests of the

African American community.

Southern Echo’s Inter-Generational Model

A special emphasis for Southern Echo is the active

inclusion of the young people in the community in

this process on the same basis as adults. The young

people have the fewest ties to the past, the least fear,

and have the potential for creating a broad vision of a

fair and just society.

The young people are the present, as well as the future,

and their effective participation is essential if the

struggle to empower the African American community

in Mississippi is to be successful.

Fighting Racism through Empowerment

Only when the African American community in

Mississippi, and other parts of the South, is empowered

and able to make the system accountable to the needs

and interests of the community, can the community

through its training and technical assistance programs

to provide the information which community people

need to develop the skills to become effective

community organizers, enable people in their

respective communities to assume leadership roles,

and work together for the empowerment of the African

American community.

Southern Echo, Inc

PO Box 9306 | Jackson, MS 39286

P (601) 982-6400 | F (601) 982-2636

[email protected]

www.southernecho.org

SOUTHERN ECHO’S APPROACH


Truth telling and Overcoming Fear

Truth telling is central to the empowerment process. In the training sessions and in the community, community

people develop the willingness and skill to overcome their fear and tell it like it is. When people confront the real

problems which communities face, including who the gatekeepers are that hold back the community, it becomes

An Example of Southern Echo’s Work: Holmes County, MS

On the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta in the

central sector of Mississippi, Citizens for Quality

Education (CQE), whose governing board includes

younger people, worked with middle and high school

students to build two environmental programs that

enabled younger people to understand how to create

and undertake effective strategies to impact the

formation of public policy at the county level.

In Holmes County, as elsewhere in the Delta, many of the

public schools sit in the middle of huge plantations on

which aerial and ground spraying dump huge amounts

of dangerous agricultural chemicals that endanger

those exposed. The students, working with support

from CQE, conducted a campaign of community

education as to the dangers of aerial spraying because

the chemical plumes inevitably blow through the open

school windows in the spring and fall. Then, with

community support, they successfully negotiated with

a moratorium against aerial spraying of agricultural

chemicals near the public schools.

Building on this success, students from the public

schools investigated the practice of illegal dumping

by citizens and businesses of both hazardous and

household waste in the county. These dump sites were

creating land and water environmental hazards. As part

of this process, the students learned mapping skills.

They found 35 illegal dump sites and located them on a

huge color-coded map of the county to illustrate their

location. In addition, they learned documentation

skills. They took photographs of each site and wrote

locations to show the extent of the dumping from a

number of angles.

Finally, they learned skills of analysis, presentation

strategy, public speaking, and how the decision-making

process works with the county board of supervisors.

The students organized their presentation, with an

emphasis on student presentation and the use of a

variety of visual aids. As important, they learned the

legal duties and responsibilities of the supervisors.

At the board hearing, when the supervisors hemmed

and hawed and sought to duck responsibility for the

issue, the students, supported by older and younger

people present at the hearing, argued successfully

that the supervisors had a responsibility to alleviate the

hazardous conditions and enforce the environmental

prohibitions against the illegal dumping, or the state

would have to step in. The supervisors yielded to the

student demands and agreed to a strategy for the

elimination of the illegal dumps.


Appendix E

Sample Manifesto Format

We the youth of (insert program name) seek to strengthen the youth-adult partnership of 1.

We need to strengthen the youth-adult partnership in our organization because:2.

3.

We want to appreciate and build on the many strengths of our organization. 4.

(List or express thanks for the positives of the organization and strengths that the adults and

youth bring to the work)

Positives of the organization:

Strengths that the adults bring to the

work:

Strengths that the youth bring to the

work:

To build on these strengths towards a stronger youth-adult partnership, we would like to see:5.

Insert sentences about structural aspects that youth want to see – communication,

coordination, funding, decision making (what would youth want to have more decision

making power over).

Insert sentences about interpersonal aspects that youth want to see both from

themselves as well as adults.

Insert any closing thoughts here or other statements: 6.


Appendix F

Tips for Youth - Adult Partnerships

Tips for youth Working with adults

Most adults have good intentions. Remember that they are simply not used to working in 1.

partnership with young people.

Criticism doesn’t necessarily mean adults are putting you down or that an adult doesn’t 2.

value your contribution. It may mean the adult is treating you the same way he/she would an

adult colleague. Remember that adults are used to critiquing each other’s work and offering

constructive ideas to improve a project. Just because an adult doesn’t agree with someone, it

doesn’t mean that he/she disrespects that person.

Adults may not be aware of the capabilities of young people. They can be told a hundred times 3.

that young people are mature, but showing them that you can act maturely is the best way to

make the case.

Adults often feel responsible for the success or failure of the project. This is what makes it 4.

hard for them to share power. They may need to know that you are willing to share in both the

successes and the failures.

Adults are just as uncertain as youth. They have just learned to hide it better.5.

Sometimes adults use phrases and expressions, whether consciously or not, that annoy young 6.

water, these phrases and expressions can ruin a relationship. Be prepared to speak up and tell

adults how you feel when they say certain things.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or for an adult to go over something again. Adults often use 7.

words, phrases, and acronyms that you might not understand. Adults new to the program

usually do not understand them either.

Don’t be afraid to say, “No I can’t do that or no I can’t help on that project, etc.” Adults will 8.

understand that you have other important commitments, like you education, family, friends,

hobbies, and sports.


Tips for Adults Working with Youth

Share the responsibility of leadership. Provide guidance, but avoid total control.1.

Listen carefully to youth and try to understand their perspective.2.

Provide meaningful roles and assignments for youth.3.

Share all work activities, even tedious ones.4.

Treat young people as equals and develop a partnership relationship.5.

Keep youth informed about activities, even when problems occur.6.

Be energetic and excited about activities. Have a positive, open attitude.7.

Make activities fun and challenging.8.

Be clear about the levels of authority for youth and back their decisions 9.

when they fall within the agreed upon guidelines.

Serve as role models for the youths, and be fair and consistent in your actions.10.

SOURCE: Texas Network of Youth Services, Developed by Advocates for Youth’s Teen Council, http://www.tnoys.org/TNOYSServices/PromotingYouthDev


3K. Building Internal Solidarity

workshop

Goals and Agenda

Goals:_

Increase the power of the Movement by building unity in our organizations through A.

B.

force that should be named, harnessed, and struggled over in order to build unity and increase

understanding.

C.

Agenda:_

1.

2.

3.

& Grow in the Work 70 min

4. Scenarios 65 min

Closing 10 min5.

_ Total time: 170 min / 3 hrs 5 min

Materials Needed:_

APPENDICES:

Appendix A: COINTELPRO Basics

Appendix B: All About Being Triggered

Appendix C: Emotional Elevator

Appendix D: Active Listening

Appendix E: I Messages


Context - Defining Conflict 15 min1.

Prep Materials

Butcher Paper 1: 1.

Conflict is a disagreement through which the parties involved

perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns.

Butcher Paper 2: 2. sheet with the following quotes:

There is no progress without struggle.

– Frederick Douglass

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.

- William Ellery Channing

Conflict is the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. It instigates invention.

It shocks us out of sheep like passivity, and sets us at noting and contriving.

- John Dewey

“Parking Lot” Butcher Paper: 3. for off topic items and items for Building Internal Solidarity Part 2

FACILITATOR Note: Read over Appendix A and be prepared

to paraphrase the handout if pressed for time.

Directions

Explain that the ultimate goal of this workshop (part 1) and the workshop afterward (part 2) is to move

sustainable movement that is capable of victory.

Go over COINTELPRO and how the government has exploited the lack of internal solidarity in order to

bring down powerful organizations as well as leaders. (See appendix A).

CREDITS: California Fund for Youth Organizing (Jidan Koon, Mateo Nube, Neelam Pathikonda), 2007


gear. We often act out of that fear instead of rationally dealing with the situation.

Conflict is a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns.

a productive way, it is important to transformation, growth, and understanding.

Share the quotes on Butcher Paper 2.

tools to help us understand why we, as individuals

pinpoint why we feel threatened, we can stop reacting in blind fear (or anger) and instead act out of

ourselves and others more.

Lot” to talk about in the next session.

SOURCE: http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution/aboutwhatisit.htm


Common Sources of Conflict 10 min2.

_ Materials: Butcher paper and markers to scribe people’s comments

Directions

_ Structural:

Something about the way the work or the organization is structured creates an atmosphere or

Examples (if participants don’t have them):

Lack of guidance or check ins, people doing work without spaces to coordinate, debate, or share –

leads to miscommunications

A culture where honest dialogue is discouraged – no ground rules or impartial facilitators to create

space for dialogue, always working and never checking on process

Power imbalances where organizations value certain voices over others (especially along Ism’s lines)

power struggles, people expecting a say when they don’t have it or people being told they have a

say when they don’t

_ Ideological:

Differences of approach, strategy, and opinion about the work itself. These kinds of differences are

healthy in any organization and should be part of deepening our understanding of social change (not

dogmatism). Where this gets tricky is when we take ideological debates personally.

_ Internal:

Someone says or does something that brings back another deeper hurt that you’ve experienced. We

call this “being triggered”. We often take out all our past hurts on the situation right in front of us and

something without intentionally causing you pain but the impact is that you feel pain because of how

you interpreted the interaction.

organization or coalition is not abnormal or particularly dysfunctional. We need to be clear about the

structure needs to change instead of chalking it up to “s/he just doesn’t like me.”


combination of changing your own personal outlook on the situation, making adjustments in the way

your organization or program runs, and agreeing to disagree about ideology.

session (Building Internal Solidarity Part 2).

The next activity is about how we as individuals can get to that clear, grounded state to come up with

Using Conflict to Transform Ourselves & Grow In the Work 70 min3.

_ Materials: Butcher paper, Tape, and Markers

Butcher Paper 3: 1. Emotions and Feelings

Disrespected

Angry

Sad

Overwhelmed

Shocked

Enraged

Hurt

Protective

Closed

Aggressive

Confused

Threatened

Scared

Passive

Calm

Panicked

Fearful

Numb

Indifferent

Resistant

Devastated

Butcher Paper 4: 1. Example Emotional Elevator (See Appendix C)

Handouts:2.

All About Being Triggered sheets (Appendix B)

Emotional Elevator sheets (Appendix C)

Active Listening (Appendix D)

I Messages (Appendix E)


FACILITATOR NOTE:

that if people need to step out of it, they should. Also, set aside some time to check in with people

individually after the workshop if you see people need a place to debrief or get more support.

If you as the facilitator feel that the general vibe of the workshop gets too emotional, propose that

the group take a break.Acknowledge that many old traumas are being brought up for people and

recognize people for being brave and “going there”. Some strategies you may use to re-focus the

they need from the group in order to continue with the rest of the workshop. Then ask people to

voluntarily share and see if you can come up with a plan of action from there. During the break, check

in with people that appear particularly affected and encourage them to take care of themselves,

suggest stepping out or simply observing (without participating) the workshop if they want.

You also need to have 1 – 2 good personal examples of being triggered for the activities.

Pre-prepare these for the “Recognizing When We’re Being Triggered” and

“Emotional Elevator” sections.


You don’t know what you’re doing

Stupid

You’re dumb

Rip (or slang that refers to a “slut”)

Animal

You’re dirty

You’re worthless

Shut the f*ck up

Go back to your country

Wow, you’re so smart for a ____insert race____

You’re pretty for a ___insert race or body type____

You are wrong

N*gger, chink, spik, dyke, fag, wetback,

towel head, bitch

Facilitator can add statements as appropriate

After walking around the room for several minutes, have people keep their eyes closed and take

several deep breaths. Ask them:

Notice how your body feels. Where is it tight? What do you feel in your chest, your stomach,

your face?

What emotions are you having right now?

Ask people to open their eyes and sit in circle. Ask them to share how they felt in their bodies as

well as emotions when the words were said as well as when the person stepped towards them. Use

a Butcher Paper 3: Emotions and Feelings to help people articulate feelings – add onto the list as

people bring up new feelings.

Directions

Explain that in this next part of the workshop, we will learn how to stop reacting in negative ways

organizational structures, and ideological differences in our organizations?

Recognizing When We Are Triggered

Have people (either standing or sitting) close their eyes. The facilitator steps forward towards people

as s/he says these things:


Explaining that this activity uses extreme examples to illustrate what it feels like when you are

triggered. “Triggered” means a current situation triggers feelings and emotions that you have felt

in the past due to a similar past experience. Our reactions to being triggered are disproportional

to the situation at hand because we are reacting to the current situation as well as all of our prior

experiences. So, we feel fear or rage in this room although you know that the facilitator is just doing

an exercise because the facilitator is triggering all of your past experiences with being called these

names. Normalize the feelings – this is our natural response to being hurt in the past. Pass out All

About Being Triggered Handout. Connect the participant’s previous responses to the activity to the

handout.

NOTE: Facilitator should offer a personal example of being triggered. Ask participants

to think back to time when they were triggered or when they may have triggered

someone else – when the reaction to the event was totally disproportional to the event

itself. Ask several people to share their experience if they feel comfortable.

Ask participants to jot down for themselves things that trigger them. They should remember this list

and add to it when they notice they are triggered. This is the part where they can increase their own

self awareness and also be able to articulate to others what is going on for them.

Escalation

disagreement.

All of this usually happens with out us being aware of it. This workshop teaches us another way to

and past hurts (as a result of the hostile world, violent culture, war) gets in the way of being able to

change the world. To have a different world, we have to be different people. We can’t change the

water.


Emotional Elevator Activity

us how to ramp down and understand when we are triggered, why we are triggered, and how to

productively deal with the situation at hand.

_ Pass out: the Emotional Elevator Handout. Go over the components and then do one example

(facilitator use his/her previous personal triggering example) on Butcher Paper 4: Example Emotional

Elevator.

Have participants think back to the last time they were triggered within the context of social justice

work.

Ask several folks to share their column if they are comfortable.

can think more clearly about how to address the situation.

Pair & Share: 5 min

Ask people to Pair and Share for 2.5 minutes each partner on the following question: “Now that you

know some ways to recognize when you are triggered (Step 1), what are some ways to create a space

group Share: 5 min

be:

Journaling

Saying “I want to talk about this more. Right now I’m having a lot of emotions and I need to

Sitting in a quiet place, alone

Talking it through with a trusted friend

Writing a letter

Cancel other obligations in order to take care of yourself and your emotions. Tell people, “I

know we have something scheduled and its important to me. I need to reschedule because I

have something I really need to care of right now.


Pro-actively Resolving Conflict

many of us already know how to do parts of these tools: Active Listening and I Messages. After you

go through Steps 1 – 3, and you decide what you need from yourself and the other person in the

We all know that how we say things or hear things makes all the difference in whether the other

person hears us or feels comfortable being honest.

Pair and Share: 5 min

Ask people to Pair and Share for 2.5 minutes each partner on the following question: “What does a

good listener do? What does an Active Listener do to make you feel heard?” Scribe their responses

and make sure the following are included:

Validate the speaker by summarizing what the speaker said to check that s/he heard it right

Eye contact

Open body language (not arms crossed, eye rolling, etc.)

Paying attention (not text messaging, distracted)

Not judging or reacting (not sucking your teeth or giving un solicited advice) – just listening

Not pre-occupied with how you’re going to respond, most of your energy is in trying to

understand where the other person is coming from

Not interrupting

_ Ask the group, “What is an I Message?” Scribe their responses. Go over the I Message Hand out

with a personal example.

SOURCE: Emotional Elevator and “All About Being Triggered“, Rockwood: The Art of Leadership Binder


Dealing with Conflict in Real Life: Scenarios 65 min4.

Dealing with Conflict In Real Life: Scenarios

Materials _


Hand out (Appendix F)

Facilitator Note: You might ask someone ahead of time to practice

Directions

_ Explain that applying all the things we’ve just learned in real life is the hard part! We are going

using the tools we’ve learned.

_ Pass out the

_ Ask

_ Ask participants the following questions and scribe their answers. This is helping them to develop

What might be triggering either of these people?

What emotions might these two people be feeling?

Are there ideological differences at play?

party need from the other person?

Role Play

Ask for one person to volunteer to role play with you and use Active Listening and I Message

techniques. Explain that other participants can tag into the role play.

Let the role-play go on for a while. You can help it wrap up by less resistant.

Debrief

What struck you about this interaction? What did the various role players do well in active listening


Role Play: 15 min

Ask the participants to break up into 3’s. Each group will take either the second or third scenarios and

role play the different parts. The third person serves as a “coach” that will give pair feedback at the

end – during the interaction s/he should notice where the role players were strong in terms of how

they used I Messages or Active Listening. The Coach should have the scenario handout and give

each person their role. The people should not see each other’s role sheets.

Give groups several minutes to read over the scenario. Then ask each person to take 5 min to silently

go over the following questions on their own:

What might be triggering the person you are role playing?

What emotions might you be feeling?

Are there ideological differences at play?

other person?

Let the groups start their role plays for about 10 min. Ask the coaches to give feedback to the role

players.

Debrief

What did the various role players do well, what was effective? What was hard about it?

life.

Closing 10 min5.

_ Materials: Scratch paper and pens.

Directions

Bring it back to the goals of the workshop.

_ Pass out

_ Ask

with the group.


Appendix A

COINTELPRO Basics

How the Government Uses Conflict Within the Movement

to Hurt Us

WHAT WAS COINTELPRO?

“COINTELPRO” was the FBI’s secret program to undermine the movements for social justice that

swept the country during the 1960s. Though the name stands for “Counterintelligence Program,” the

targets were not enemy spies. The FBI set out to eliminate “radical” political opposition inside the

US. When traditional modes of repression (exposure, blatant harassment, and prosecution for political

crimes) failed to stop the growing social justice movement, the FBI took the law into its own hands and

secretly used fraud and force to sabotage constitutionally- protected political activity. Its methods

went far beyond simple surveillance, and amounted to a domestic version of the covert action (secret

policing or war) for which the CIA has become infamous throughout the world.

HOW DID IT WORK?

demanded assurance that “there is no possibility of embarrassment to the Bureau.” More than 2000

Infiltration: 1. Agents and informers did not merely spy on political activists. Their main

organizations or groups to break up or turn on each other.

Other forms of deception: 2. The FBI and police also waged psychological warfare from the

outside--through bogus publications, forged correspondence, anonymous letters and telephone

calls, and similar forms of deceit.

Harassment, intimidation and violence: 3. Eviction, job loss, break-ins, vandalism, grand

jury subpoenas, false arrests, frame- ups, and physical violence were threatened, instigated or

directly employed, in an effort to frighten activists and disrupt their movements. Government

agents either concealed their involvement or fabricated a legal pretext. In the case of the Black

and Native American movements, these assaults--including outright political assassinations--were

so extensive and vicious that they amounted to terrorism on the part of the government.


COINTELPRO enabled the FBI and police to build

until activists turned on one another. Whites were

pitted against Blacks, Blacks against Chicanos

and Puerto Ricans, students against workers,

workers against people on welfare, men against

women, religious activists against atheists,

Christians against Jews, Jews against Muslims.

couples apart. Backers of women’s and gay

liberation were attacked as “dykes” or “faggots.”

Money was repeatedly stolen and precious

equipment sabotaged to intensify pressure and

create suspicion and mistrust.

Otherwise manageable disagreements were

hostile splits that shattered alliances, tore groups

apart, and drove dedicated activists out of the

movement. Government documents implicate

the FBI and police in the bitter break-up of such

pivotal groups as the Black Panther Party, SDS,

and the Liberation News Service, and in the

collapse of repeated efforts to form long-term

coalitions across racial, class, and regional lines.

While genuine political issues were often involved

in these disputes, the outcome could have

been different if government agencies had not

secretly got involved to stop compromise and

fuel hostility and competition through placing

instigators in groups, starting rumors, making

false communications between groups, and other

forms of manipulation.

Two well known examples of when COINTELPRO

and government covert action was able to use

movements to turn on each other are the murder

of Malcolm X by another faction within the

Nation of Islam and the execution of Anna Mae

Aquash by other leaders of the American Indian

Movement.

and agents to convince others in their groups

that other members were snitches, sending fake

letters to other leaders supposedly from key

tear couples apart.

SOURCES “How COINTELPRO Helped Destroy the Movements of the 1960s”.

Ward Churchill and James Vander Wall, “Agents of Repression: The FBI’s Secret Wars against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement”, 1990.

Brian Glick, “COINTELPRO Revisited - Spying & Disruption”. http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/Rancho/Politics/Cointelpro/cointelpro-methods.html


Appendix B

All About Being Triggered

What can we do when triggered?

Step 1: Name It – 1. recognize what is happening for you

2. don’t react when triggered (!)

Step 3: Shift your mind state3.

What happens

when we are triggered?

mode because our instinct is telling

us “we have experienced this before

and it hurts”, “I am threatened”

Because this happens on an

instinctual level, we often are not

aware or in control of how we feel

and what is happening.

Because we cannot depend on

our thinking or logical mind to see

clearly when we are triggered, it

is useful to identify some common

signs or being triggered (see below).

What are some common signs

of being triggered?

Not breathing, rapid breathing

shoulders, upset stomach, headaches, etc.

Judgmental or blaming thoughts

Obsessively repeating thought patterns, replaying what

happened and experiencing how you feel (angry, sad, etc)

Internally (in your own mind) or externally (to other people)

arguing points; justifying yourself

Emotional outbursts

Talking really, really fast

Feeling sorry for yourself; feeling victimized

yourself

Breathing

Moving your energy from outside reaction to

inside, centering yourself

Feel your deeper feelings

(go down the Emotional Elevator)

Connect to your purpose,

put the situation into a larger perspective

Drop it!

Self humor, exaggerate, get playful

Meshing

Step 4: Respond to situation –4. be pro-active from your strong centered place instead of reactive

How will you communicate your needs to other party/ies?


Appendix C

Emotional Elevator

Floors on the

ElevatorExample

Your Personal Example

4th Floor: Trigger She tells me I did

something wrong

3rd Floor:Initial

reaction

Defensive - “No I didn’t!”,

“Who is she to tell me I’m

wrong?”

2nd Floor/s:Layers

of feeling

Weak, sick feeling in stomach

Anger, obsessively replaying

the scene in your head and

feeling angry all over again

Hurt, “How could she say

that?’

Scared: “She’s right. I’m

not OK.”, “What will other

people think of me?”

Unlovable, incompetent

1st Floor:Core

feelingAlone, defective,

devastated

Basement:Origin

In my father’s eyes, I never

seemed to do anything right.

He withheld his love and was

always critical of me.


Appendix D

Active Listening

You can tell you are actively listening when you:

Validate the speaker by summarizing what the speaker said to check that you heard it right;

Have eye contact

Have open body language (not arms crossed, eye rolling, etc.)

Pay attention (not text messaging, distracted)

Are not judging or reacting (not sucking your teeth or giving un solicited advice) – just listening

Are not pre-occupied with how you’re going to respond, most of your energy is in trying to

understand where the other person is coming from

Are not interrupting

Appendix E

I Messages

I Messages are a way to show another person your process of going down the Emotional Elevator. It

allows the other person to address inaccurate perceptions you have as well as understand why you feel

the way you do (and have compassion/empathy for you). The last part of an I Message is putting out

When you (insert action)1.

It made me think (insert perceptions that led to the emotions you felt)2.

Which made me feel (insert emotions)3.

(Take ownership here of any negative actions you might have taken as a result of your 4.

emotional reactive state)

What I want to do for myself is (insert action)5.

And what I need from you is (insert action)6.


You’ve been doing work about Juvenile

Justice for several years now. You know how the

programs run and take a leadership role in many

programs. You are co-coordinating a Summer

Leadership Workshop for middle schoolers with

you thought that maybe Person B just had a lot

on his/her schedule but now, Person B has not

done anything s/he was supposed to. If s/he does

something, s/he usually does it wrong. Last week,

on white paper AND did not put the location on

You haven’t brought this up to Person B but

you feel really frustrated by now. You have had

to spend lots of extra time helping Person B

complete tasks – you feel like you might as well

do it yourself!

It’s the day of the Summer Leadership

Workshop. It went well BUT Person B had said s/

he was buying the food. When you called him/her

yesterday at 12 noon, s/he still hadn’t bought the

food. You were close to the Farmer’s Market and

said, “I’m by the farmer’s market anyways - I’ll just

buy the food.” You were not about to risk Person

B ruining the event by forgetting to get food or

buying the wrong stuff. Then you spend until 9

p.m. getting all your tasks done for the event.

You speak to Person B with “yes” “no” answers

the whole day. When Person B approaches you

after the event all happy that it went well, you roll

your eyes because s/he didn’t even apologize for

not getting the food. Then s/he had the nerve

to give you a “what the hell?” kind of look. You

feel unappreciated and disrespected. This is

exactly what your mom does to you – ask you to

do everything around the house, take care of your

siblings, and then yell at you when your grades

are not so good. How can you have time to study

when you’re doing your mom’s job of running the

house?

It’s the day after the event and Person B has

requested to talk with you. You agree.

Scenario 1, Person A: I’m Doing All the Work!

appendix f

Dealing with Conflict In Real Life – Scenarios


group. In the past, you’ve been a participant and

usually you would just volunteer for phone banking

and that was just straight forward. Now, you’re

happy that you have a lot more responsibilities

because you are co-coordinating a Summer

Leadership Workshop with Person A. Problem is,

the older youth leader, Person A, won’t trust you

to do your job.

You feel lost as to how to complete some of

your tasks and then, when you try something,

Person A always has a criticism about it. Like

location on it. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal,

no one told you it was supposed to be on there.

about it – you felt really like you didn’t know what

you were doing. You feel scared to try anything

else. At the same time, you want to do stuff but

you don’t want to ask Person A for help because it

makes you feel small. You don’t want his/her help

because s/he acts like s/he knows it all. So you’ve

avoided doing things that you didn’t know how to

do – or “forgetting” about them.

The day before the event, you were going

to buy the food for the Workshop but Person A

called you to check up on you at 12 noon. You

were already going to go buy food in the evening

when your brother could drive. Before you could

say anything, Person A said s/he’d buy the food at

A is always wanting to do everything anyways. At

least then you won’t get criticized for buying the

wrong thing. That’s how your grandpa always

treats you – like you don’t know anything. He

won’t allow you to do anything on your own and

he always criticizes how you do things. He wants

you to do things exactly as he says and this makes

you feel like you can’t do anything without him.

The day of the Workshop, everything went

well. But Person A was really acting snappy. You

know s/he wants you to thank him/her for all s/

he’s done but you feel as though s/he took your

job. AND s/he didn’t even notice all the signs

you made for the event, the worksheet, and other

ways you contributed. Then when you say “That

went good!”, Person A had the nerve to roll his/

her eyes at you!

It’s the day after the event and you’ve requested

to talk to Person A. S/he agreed.

Scenario 1, Person B: I’m Lost!


Scenario 2, Person A: No One Listens to Us!

You are the lead youth member of a foster

the program and you are ready to transition into

independent living – you think the program might

hire you as an intern next year. Problem is, you

don’t want to continue with the organization.

You’ve noticed that they say it’s youth led but its

not!

You have noticed that several core components

of the program don’t really have youth input – you

never get input on the budget or the kinds of

trainings you will go through. You only get asked

about fun activities, food, and “where would you

like to have the retreat?”

The most recent example of the lack of youth

voice is that the organization didn’t listen to the

youth when they hired the adult staff person

position. The director, Person B, got all the youth

leaders involved in doing the interview process

and then had the youth rank the candidates. The

person that they ended up hiring was the third

ranked candidate for the youth. The youth really

manipulated, used, and tokenized.

That’s how it’s always been for you – the last

one to get informed or consulted about anything

in your household. You’re the middle child and

it’s almost like you’re invisible. Your voice doesn’t

matter.

Well, you’re not taking it anymore! You

challenged Person B at a meeting about how the

program doesn’t really listen to youth and now s/he

says you were disrespectful. S/he has requested

to meet with you and you agreed to.


Scenario 2, Person B: I’m Oblivious and Busy!

You are the director of a foster care advocacy

group. The peer advocate program is going

making it by without an adult staff member. One

of the star students of the program, Person A, has

recently gotten all the youth to really distrust the

program by saying that it doesn’t really listen to

the youth.

You really thought you had a great relationship

with Person A – you’ve supported her/him through

many of his/her teenage years. When s/he openly

challenged you at the last meeting saying that

the program doesn’t really care about what the

youth think, you felt shocked and unappreciated.

You have worked so many over time hours, at

the expense of your own children, to keep this

as part of your family and it hurt to have someone

as close as Person A say you don’t care about

youth voice!

You suspect that the youth are angry because

they went through the hiring process for the new

adult staff for the program and you didn’t end

great presenters (friendly) but their resumes didn’t

show that they had a lot of experience in leading

advocacy programs. You feel like the youth don’t

have as much experience as you do in hiring people

the adult staff person needs.

You would really like an apology from Person

A for disrespecting you. All your life people have

disrespected you because you were loud and had

a strong attitude. You stood out, always insisted

on doing things differently and people wanted

to control you and tell you what to do. You can

hardly believe that Person A is also telling you how

to run an organization that you started!

You’ve asked to meet with Person A to talk

things out.


Scenario 3, Person A: You Are So Ignorant

About My People!

You are a Guatemalan youth working for social

justice in a multi-racial community. Your group’s

different ethnic communities to sign on to your

campaign. It seems like only the Raza folks are

really invested in the immigrants right struggle

plus the Raza students in the program are the

ones putting in a lot of work on the campaign.

You care deeply about the immigrants rights

issue and feel frustrated that at the May 1st action,

your group wasn’t able to turn out that many

people. The day afterward, when the group was

a lot of people. Another youth, Person B, said that

you all should pick an issue that pertains to more

other ethnic groups because the campaign seems

really Latino focused.

You feel like you work on issues that are

particular to other ethnic communities and now

communities don’t want to work on something

that impacts Raza communities. You feel like other

youth in your group aren’t being good allies. Then

Person B complained that the group is getting

too centered around “Mexican” issues because

other races of people don’t want to join the group

to work on the immigrant rights campaign. You

got so pissed – it was the last straw to be called

“Mexican.” It just goes to show how little people

know about Raza culture, history, and issues.

You snapped at Person B and walked out of the

meeting. We were disappointed at the May 1st

turnout, tired, and angry. You feel like all your life

people don’t pay attention to Raza communities

even though it is the largest People of Color group

in California. You’re sick of having to deal with

that even in your own social justice youth group.

The day afterward, the adult staff person

invited you and Person B to a mediation. You

agree.


Scenario 3, Person B: I’m Sorry,

Dang!

You are part of a social justice youth

organization working in a multiracial community.

You are of an ethnicity that is not Raza. This year,

the youth group is working on immigrant rights

and focusing on getting people out to a May 1st

action.

It’s not an issue you feel really connected to

but you agreed to work on it any ways. A lot of

your peers don’t feel interested in joining the

group because they are not interested in the topic

because they don’t see how immigrant rights

affects them. You feel it’s mostly a Latino issue.

You feel like the Raza youth in the group have

more of an advantage in outreach an recruitment

around this issue and over the last year you’ve seen

the group grow to a mostly Raza group. You are

beginning to feel like your ethnicity is not being

included and their voices aren’t really valued.

The May 1st action didn’t get as many people

as the group hoped. You almost wanted to say

“I told you people won’t get motivated around

this issue” but you didn’t. You did share that you

felt that the group is getting too centered around

Mexican issues and then Person A, another

at you. S/he snapped “I am NOT Mexican. I’m

Guatemalan. Immigrant rights is for everybody!”

You said, “Excuse me – I’m sorry, dang!”

You know you aren’t supposed to say “Mexican”

but it just slipped – it’s what everyone else says

to refer to Raza. It was an innocent mistake and

you apologized for it but Person A still walked

out of the meeting and did not come back. You

are feeling really unincluded in the program right

now. All your life, you have been isolated and not

understand because you were one of the few of

your ethnicity in school. There’s always been more

Raza people around and you just want a chance to

The adult staff member asked to have a

mediation between you and Person A. You

agree.



3L. tranformational movement building

Starter Packet for AEJ

INTRO TO TMB

Transformative Movement BuildingA. OTSC StoriesB.

INTRODUCING TMB

Stories About Transformation1. Who We Are vs. Who We Want to Be2. !e “S” Word - What is “Spirit” in Organizing3.

EXAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Waking Up Our Bodies #1. Ancestor in Training (Bloc)2. 3 Breath Introduction3. Centering with Extension 4. Piper Meditation 5. Five Senses Journal Writing6. Rhythm Activity: Group Alignment7. Altar: Group Centering Around Purpose (Sim)8. Wisdom Circle: Seeking Advice (Sim)9. Body Map (Bloc)10. Bumper Sticker - Finding Your Purpose (Bloc) #11. Five Directions Groups12. Breathing and Qi13. Stretching14. Guided Visualization15.

R!"#$%&!"

Tree of contemplative practice from the Center for the Contemplative Mind


TRANSFORMATIVE MOVEMENT BUILDING

MSC’" F%'(!)#%* +#% S#&,'- C.'/0!

Movement Strategy Center uses the term

transformative movement building to describe

the diverse e"orts of groups and individuals to

fundamentally change our political, material,

social and spiritual reality. Transformative

movement building links the process of individual

transformation to group and social transformation.

In this framework, inner change and outer change

are deeply connected. Transformative movement

builders seek to synthesize wisdom and practice

from spiritual traditions (often focused on deep

inner transformation) with social change traditions

of the Left (generally focused on social analysis

and systems change). Transformative movement

builders share a deep commitment to holistic

individual, group and social change, driven by a

connection to something larger than themselves.

Transformative practices allow us to tap

into deep wells of insight and innovation.

!ey include:

Spiritual practices

Creative practices

Cultural practices

MSC intentionally focuses on TMB in

grassroots, frontline organizations. Frontline

organizations are groups based in the needs and

leadership of communities most impacted by social

injustice. !ese communities and organizations

are called “frontline” because they experience

disproportionate impacts around issues such as

education cuts, climate change, or welfare reform.

!ese communities are most often communities of

color and low income. While many of these groups

have faith-based counterparts, the groups we

focus on are secular. Frontline organizations have

a major stake in questions of social, political and

spiritual transformation, but they have often been

excluded from the formal dialogue on spiritual or

transformative organizing.

By intentionally practicing together we

can become more aware of why and how we are

doing our organizing work. !rough integrating

transformative practice we want to become more

strategic, more collaborative, more creative and

more sustainable.

It is important for you to know what you are

practicing and why. Practicing can help us become

more centered, bolder, more powerful and more

e"ective in our work. It can also help us develop

deeper relationships, tap into the love and vision

we have for each other, the world and ourselves.

And, it can help us be more balanced so we do not

burn out or neglect other important parts of our

lives like our families.


S1'0!" #+ C.'/0!

MSC has identified five steps in this process of

cultural change (see diagram):

Individual change

Leads to change in the organizational community

Leads to change in the organizing model and practice

Leads to greater social impact and systems change

Culminating in deep cultural change


WHERE '%! )! "1$&*2

Operating from a Sense of Urgency – Crisis Mode1. “Everything is critical, nothing can wait,” explained Jen Soriano, formerly with !e Center for Media Justice.

“!ere is a sense of urgency and anxiety about missed opportunities. !is makes everything much more high stakes.”

“People wear themselves out by just reacting, writing papers, attending meetings. !ey do a lot without making

much occur, except to create outcomes for foundations,” says Norma Wong of !e Institute for Zen Studies.

Embodying the Dominant Culture 2. “We all hate on each other at some level.” – Jermaine Ashley, Oakland Kids First

Recycling Trauma3. “We need to rehumanize each other,” said Ettinger. “!is requires a value shift on the Left.”

Many of us come into this work because we, or the people we love, have experienced deep injustice.

However, if our wounds have not healed, trauma can severely limit our ability to be present with each other.

Without awareness, we recycle trauma and create new wounds within the movement.

Attachment to Anger and Struggle4. Our movement culture uses struggle as a word to define itself. We are always struggling against something.

!e term itself connotes hardship and extreme exertion. While this definitely describes a portion of our work

in this movement, it is not and should not be the entirety of it.

Maintaining an Exclusive – and Narrow – Movement5. “In the end, people want to feel safe, loved and part of something,” said Ai-jen Poo.

“But right now we lack the ability to make people feel the movement encompasses them.”

Ambivalence with Power 6. In our movement work we rarely imagine ourselves as the power holders.

!is ambivalence is rooted in and reinforced by our movement self-image as “the underdogs” of society.

It is also reflected in our relationships with targets, where we have created a rigid dichotomy of good versus evil.

To be on the side of justice and good we position ourselves as watchdogs rather than decision makers.

While watchdogs are important, their role is to react not to lead or govern.


1.! NEW WAY

1. Integrating Individual & Group Transformation: “!e nature of transformation is that is does

not happen in the absence of absolute change. It includes you.” — Norma Wong, Institute for Zen Studies

2. Big Visioning & Reclaiming Values: When we vision what we really want our communities

and movements to look like, we tap into a sense of imagination, creativity and hope. What is most

important about visioning a new way is that the answers we unearth can inform our present-day

work. Furthermore, understanding our interconnectedness means including all living things in our

vision for liberation. We cannot be free unless we are all free.

3. Centralizing and Investing in Relationships & Community: Movements are about moving

people. !e need to be connected and belong is a basic part of our shared and evolutionary history. As

organizers we need to understand and work with this truth of human nature. “If we are going to create any meaningful change, we must model new relationships

to ourselves and the world around us.” — Ai-jen Poo, Domestic Workers United

4. Evolving Our Understanding of Power “!e system creates enemies, opposition and social conflict, of course, but we can’t be prescriptive about it.

We have to complicate the picture instead of oversimplifying it. !e power mapping we do is just not complex

enough.” — Jason Negrón-Gonzales, Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project

5. Expanding Our Idea of Useful Work: We need all types of work in our movement to make it

successful. We need organizers, strategists, teachers, artists, farmers, nurses, engineers, scientists

and politicians. Our goal is not to make everyone into a professional organizer, but to create a

movement that is relevant, attractive and accessible to all kinds of people.

6. Building Alignment and Synergy: You can recognize alignment within groups by the ease with

which decisions are made and communication occurs. It is easy to feel when it is present, and equally

easy to feel in its absence.

7. Cultivating Patience and Reflection: !e enormity of the task at hand requires us to reflect -

Why am I doing this? What kind of change do I expect to bring about in this world? What do I need to

do to make this change occur?

8. Creating Space to Heal and Transform Ourselves: Acknowledging the world as an oppressive

place means also acknowledging its negative impact on our minds, bodies and spirits. Healing

from this oppression is an important task for activists and organizers. It is essential if we want to

successfully change systemic conditions.

9. Expanding Awareness and Agility to Act: !rough practice we can develop an expanded

awareness of our surroundings, the present moment and our power to make change.


COMING OUT: STORIES FROM THE TRENCHES

Despite the often-unhealthy practices within

our movements, many individuals have taken it

upon themselves to heal their minds, bodies and

spirits and live di"erently. Frequently, this “choice”

is born of a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual

breakdown.

When Rose Sackey-Milligan directed the Social

Justice Program at the Center for Contemplative

Mind in Society in Northampton, Massachusetts,

she led contemplative retreats for activists and

organizers. “Unfortunately, most people entered

our retreats out of a sense of self preservation and

survival. !ey were worried about sustaining their

life so that they don’t die or fall into an abyss of

su"ering. !ey wanted to be around to do this

important work.”

After these individuals begin to experience

spirituality or discover a new way of being, they

can go on to change the organizations they are

part of, inspire others to heal and change their

understanding of the work. While the relationship

between individual healing and collective healing

is not linear, the impacts are profound. “!is is

how all living systems change,” said Ettinger. “We

impact the people in our lives and the people we

work with.”

G,.'/’" S1#%3

Gihan Perera sighed, sitting at his desk in the

o#ce of the Miami Workers Center, a grassroots

community organizing project for low-wage workers

in Miami. !ere must be a better way, he thought. At

the time, the Workers Center was experiencing high

turnover due to sta" conflict and overwork, as well

as dwindling enthusiasm and participation among

members, and new lows in turn-out to events and

meetings. As a leader in the organization, Perera was

depleted and felt more like a surgeon placing Band-

Aids on third-degree burns than an inspiring leader

organizing for economic and racial justice. His work

had become less relevant to the people’s lives he was

trying to change. He felt isolated and disconnected

from his social justice colleagues. Lack of a broader

strategy for community organizing made many in

the organization feel like they were giving their

lives to build a pyramid without communication or

a shared sense of vision.

Gihan Perera thought back to how he started in

social justice work. !e need for deep, fundamental

social change had always boiled in his blood. At a

young age, he had accompanied his aunt and uncle

to protests for better wages and against war. In

high school, he started a peace and justice club. !e

excitement from building and creating something

with others sustained him. He had become executive

director of the Miami Workers Center five years

earlier, and was both excited and frustrated by what

he’d been able to accomplish in that time.

!ings changed when Perera attended

Rockwood Leadership Institute’s two-year program

for executive directors. At the time, he felt

challenged in his leadership. While the Workers

Center began as a handful of people with shared

political ideology, it had grown into something


more. He needed help. Initially, he thought he

needed management techniques and tools to help

him grow and maintain the sta". What he found at

Rockwood was something much more personal and

profound. He resisted at first. Looking back, he says,

“I thought I needed a movement MBA to figure out

this crisis, not some spiritual hokey pokey.” It took

six months for Perera to realize he needed a shift in

his personal leadership practice. “It

wasn’t systems or supervision skills

that I needed — the crucial element

was recognizing how my ability to

lead came from my center. When I

am centered, I make good decisions

and build an organization that is

grounded in the present.”

!is was a total shift for Perera,

a hardened anti-spiritualist who

equated spiritual practice with

religious practice. “I had been

deeply committed to Left ideology.

But, I began to see that it had

become a crutch for me. It had

become formulaic. I was clinging

to ideology in a way that didn’t

allow me to trust myself and open

up to being even more radical.” While Perera had

sometimes sensed a conflict between his heart and

his head, he knew he generally chose his intellect

over his feelings. “But your head can play tricks

on you when it’s the only approach. I was starting

to see that I was doing my best politically when I

followed my heart and my instincts. I was beginning

to understand that an intellectual approach is not

enough to create a movement. But, I didn’t think

about this as spirituality.”

!e realization that leadership and decision

making come from the heart completely shifted

Perera’s approach to organization building. For

example, rather than starting with a strategic plan,

the Workers Center carved out time for visioning,

then used its vision to strategically plan. Perera’s

realization also changed the way he approached

supervision and sta" development. Instead of

doing check-ins, Perera began using coaching and

mentorship models. “We needed

to create personal, political

and spiritual alignment within

our organization.” !is kind of

alignment called for far more than

just skills or political development.

Perera knew he had to build

his organization from a place of

values. “People need to feel like

they are part of something in their

lives.” !is meant shifting the

culture of the organization, which

meant transforming everything

the organization did, from the

campaigns to the politics. “!e inner

work was the glue,” Perera says. “We

all needed to become emotionally

and spiritually intelligent for this

to work.”

Perera realized quickly that he needed a

community to support him in maintaining his new

spiritual practice. He signed up for other leadership

trainings and eventually found himself in front

of a Peruvian shaman. !e shaman gave Perera

these words: “Faith is required when there is a

gap between what you know to be true and what

you believe to be true. When there is no gap, when

everything is aligned, you no longer need faith. !e

search for spirituality is to find that alignment, to

“While I understand my

experience to be spiritual,

I hesitate to define it

that way because, often,

spirituality is defined

as the negation of the

material reality — as

if you can transcend

the realities of power,

privilege and oppression.

All I know is that in our

current political moment,

we need a new way

forward.”


live in the present.” Perera has reflected on that

lesson many times. “We need to put ourselves in

the mental, emotional and spiritual realm that

allows us to open up to new ways of doing things,”

he concludes. “We need to let go of our intellectual

approach, throw away the standard script and use

our centeredness, our inner knowing and spiritual

wisdom. We are on a trapeze and we have to let go

to catch the next one. It takes faith, courage and

surrender.”

Since this shift in approach, the Miami Workers

Center has experienced a huge increase in its

membership, victories and overall e"ectiveness.

!ey just won a seat on the o#cial election

committee for transit in the city. Now, with other

powerful stakeholders in the city, Miami Workers

Center is reviewing developer bids for a $10 million

transit proposal. “!ree years ago, it would have

taken five days of political discussion to make a

decision like the transit proposal. But today, it feels

very natural to do it. We have re-imagined how

we approach relationships, strategies, tactics and

alliances. Our view of the government and targets

has shifted. We have taken a chance and changed

the leverage. It feels right.”

J,4'/’" S1#%3

Jidan Koon started organizing in Berkeley,

California, when she was in high school. Her

parents were movement leaders in the Bay Area

and she inherited her their passion for justice

and organizing. She attended the University of

California at Berkeley where she fought to save

the ethnic studies department and against state

propositions that ended a#rmative action and

bilingual education in California. In her twenties

she had a seemingly unending capacity for work. She

was inspired by the knowledge of history and the

sense of possibility that her parents passed down

to her. “Movement building is not a pipe dream,”

asserts Koon. “!ere are real wins that people have

seen over generations. It’s happening in other parts

of the world. It’s do-able.”

Like so many movement builders, ten years of

organizing and activism led Koon to burn out. !e

work that used to give her energy made her tired.

She felt guilty and over-privileged if she rested.

Everything felt urgent. Work had become an escape

from reflecting on her life and the movement.

When Koon turned 30, she looked around at her

life. She realized she could not keep going the way

she was. Her personal life was falling apart. She felt

emotionally out of touch with her partner. She felt

no sense of identity outside of her work. She didn’t

know what to do.

Interestingly, the answers started coming

when Koon reflected on her year as a church-based

organizer just after she graduated from college.

!at year she spent almost every single Sunday in

many di"erent kinds of churches. In church she felt

an immediate presence of something larger than

herself. However, because she had grown up in an

atheist family, she thought of her organizing in

terms of social justice not spirituality. “I realized,”

recalls Koon, “that this is what I had been looking

for.” Soon after, she began to meditate in the

Vietnamese Buddhist tradition of !ich Nhat

Hanh, eventually going on to form and host a

sangha (meditation community) for people of color

interested in movement work.

Today, she looks back on her past with


compassion and balance. “Social justice people

have this martyr thing going on,” she observes.

“We see how messed up things are and it’s hard to

draw boundaries.” Koon now maintains a spiritual

practice that includes meditation, journal writing

and art making. “My practice is about being

expressive in a consistent way. It’s about getting in

touch with myself and being mindful.

Meditation and Buddhism have nurtured

Koon’s ability to experience what “freedom feels

like.” In the past, she thought of freedom as the

“promised land, like a utopia” that was far into the

future. !rough meditation, Koon no longer focuses

on a mythical future, but holds that reality in the

present. “Meditation gave me a taste of liberation

in the present,” she asserts. “Now I know what I’m

talking about when I talk about freedom.”

!e impact of this freedom is enormous.

She believes it has helped her notice how much

judgment she cast in her life, how much she walked

around reacting to others and external situations

instead of being grounded in herself. “I now have

a di"erent relationship to guilt. I can now work

better with di"erent kinds of people and be more

compassionate. I have more space to be me; I am

more compassionate with myself.” She also feels

a deeper understanding of current conditions, as

well as an expanded understanding of movement

building. “Now I can see more clearly what is

winnable. And, I can see the worth in working

across political di"erence and meeting others

where there are at. I can have conversations about

politics without making other people feel wrong or

less advanced.”

Koon is putting her newfound insights into

practice, helping to develop new organizational

forms outside the nonprofit structure. She helped

start Serve !e People (STP), an organizing project

for Southeast Asian youth in Oakland. “It is

important that we are reaching out to unorganized

groups and providing a space that incorporates

culture and spirituality,” maintains Koon. At STP

meetings, there is always an altar. “We created an

altar to reflect our culture, our families and our

ancestors. Now, that’s where we start every meeting.

It helps us stay grounded in our culture.” Serve the

People also integrates other practices including

healing circles, qi gong and meditation into their

work.

Koon is excited to create more spaces for people

to genuinely connect with one another. “!ere

needs to be more relationship building with the

broader community,” she maintains. “We need to

stop separating movement people out from our

larger communities. We have to get to the root of

why we do unhealthy things and identify ways to

heal. In my case, I was a workaholic afraid to stop.

For others, healing is about other things. Spiritual

transformation is an individual thing. Movement

building should be the place where structural fights

and personal transformation meet.”

K'1.3’" S1#%3

Kathy Sanchez was 9 years old the first time she

encountered ancestral dream-space, a way to pray

through one’s dreams, which is a tradition in the

Pueblos of northern New Mexico where she lived. At

the time she felt deeply lost and in need of support.

Violence against women and girls was widespread

in her community, and women had not yet found

the power or voice to change these conditions.


Leadership, inside and outside of her tribal lands

often rewarded men’s unaccountable attitudes and

behavior toward women.

!e violence in Sanchez’s community stemmed

from colonization and the related trauma of

oppression and poverty. Over time these forces had

pushed most of the tribe’s spiritual and healing

practices underground. !e culture of violence

fractured her community creating painful divisions

and dualities — male versus female, native versus

western, spiritual versus material. Women were no

longer permitted to be wisdom carriers by tapping

their connection to life and the mother of all life,

Mother Earth.

Dysfunction in Sanchez’s immediate family

meant she sought safety at her grandparents’ and

auntie’s homes. In their homes she began to learn

how to use her ancestral connectedness through

the dream-space, Tewa language and in the “asking”

— known to others as prayer — as a way to access

spirit and find guidance.

“Staying with my elders shaped me,” she recalls.

“!ey would pray in their language [Tewa],

asking di"erent realms for support, giving over

their thoughts and questions. Praying was done

throughout the day. !is was really important and

central to my spiritual rootedness. When things got

crazy in the American context I still had my thoughts

and prayers in Tewa.”

Sanchez longed for a new

reality for herself, other girls

and the people in her tribe.

Dream-space o"ered her an

accessible spiritual practice

to guide her search.

Over the next decade, Sanchez poured herself

into her studies. With her auntie’s support she

went to college and then graduate school as a young

mother. In graduate school she studied education

and worked to increase the number of Native

teachers. When Sanchez’s professor asked her to

lead a conversation with other educators on how

to better support and retain Native students she

turned to dream-space again for guidance. “Only

in asking for internal guidance,” she knew, “will

thoughts create reality.”

!at night she had a dream that would shape

and guide the rest of her life. She dreamt of a

butterfly with one wing representing Native

culture and “knowingness” and the other wing

representing Western culture and “knowledge.”

Instead of conflict, the butterfly embodied and lived

in these two worlds harmoniously. !e butterfly

model became a spiritual philosophy that would

help Sanchez transcend and heal the divisions that

fragmented Native women’s lives. !e dream gave

her the visual and narrative tools to communicate

this vision to her professors and other students and

to guide the process as it moved forward.

When Sanchez’s auntie passed away in 1989,

she was devastated. She joined a support group

with other Pueblo women who were struggling with

grief, loss and issues of violence. By sharing their


stories, these women began to find a new sense of

power and healing. !ey also developed a larger

vision of healing and transforming the culture of

violence that had shattered their lives. !e idea for

Tewa Women United began to take shape. Sanchez

emerged as a bridge-builder in the group and used

the butterfly model in later years to translate the

vision, values and dreams of the women into a

nonprofit legal structure.

Tewa Women United (TWU) soon began to

play a transformative role in the community,

first among women within the support group,

then beyond. Rather than framing their work as

women’s equality, however, they spoke to the deep

need of all community members, men and women,

to heal and belong: “We say equality is the support

of each other — men and women, inner [Native]

communities and outer [non-Native] communities

— so all can recover.”

!is stance helped TWU uproot a pattern of

cultural violence where people attack others in

order to feel self-esteem. In doing so, TWU helped

people become a positive force in the community.

Sanchez’s sense of “spirit-rootedness” helps her and

others at TWU find the humanity in all people, even

in those causing harm.

“Most people don’t see transformation as a

process and path,” she explains. “!ey see it as an

end. You can talk about dismantling racism, but

if don’t go into how you will transform the beings

who are racist, you will not have transformation. If

you focus on cultural violence, but are not doing the

deep cultural work to transform the community, it

will remain.”

Ultimately, Sanchez believes real transfor-

mation requires hard work and a deep commitment

to interconnectedness. By trying to live according

to the butterfly model, Sanchez has modeled a

path for healing and spirit-rootedness in her

community. Pueblo women now have a framework

to see themselves and be seen as natural leaders.

And, there is a concerted movement to form

networks and collaborations to address and heal

from intimate, cultural and systemic violence in

their northern New Mexico communities.

R#"!’" S1#%3

Rose Sackey-Milligan became politically

conscious when she was 16, during the period of

decolonization in Africa and the Caribbean, and the

Civil Rights Movement in the United States. !e

first ten years of her political activity were marked

by a pervasive hope that change could happen. She

was inspired by the period’s powerful grassroots

organizing led by people of color. Individuals could

and did find a sense of power through the possibility

that revolutionary change was right around the

corner. “I really believed it would happen at the

time,” she recalls.

When revolutionary change did not occur and,

instead, the government targeted revolutionary

groups through destructive, covert mechanisms

like COINTEL-Pro, Sackey-Milligan began to lose

hope. She had been taught that the path toward

transformation should focus on political education,

strategy and citizen empowerment. She began to

understand that these strategies alone would not

be su#cient to make significant changes. “I began

to get burnt out, tired and dispassionate. And,


that is when I began to think that

a di"erent kind of change was

required.”

Sackey-Milligan searched for

something deeper. “I didn’t call

it spiritual at the time,” she said.

“But, something was happening

inside me that I needed to

address.” Sackey-Milligan thought

that if she found what she was

looking for outside the movement,

she could re-enter political work

with more focus and awareness.

What she found was far more than

awareness.

Sackey-Milligan spent a long

time exploring and discovering a path that could

lead to health, wholeness and joy. She realized that

the level of rage she carried about injustice kept

her trapped. “I had to release a lot of these negative

energies,” she said. “I needed to embrace the values

of compassion.” Sackey-Milligan realized how

empty this rage left her. “I longed to fill this vacuum

in my heart and soul. I felt I was barely surviving

and not really living.” She soon realized spirituality

was the missing component.

Sackey-Milligan found it hard to find groups

of people with whom she could share her ideas of

faith and action. Her peers in political struggle did

not support her and considered her “wimpy.” !ey

wanted to talk about organizing campaigns and

were not interested in thinking about di"erent

ideas, actions or strategies. “I felt isolated,” she

remembers.

Today, Sackey-Milligan’s spiritual practice

includes a strong yoga practice, a mindful meditative

practice and an African traditional

religion derived from the Yorùbá

people in Nigeria, West Africa. She

relates that these three practices

“ground me and keep me whole.”

She is able to relate and engage to

di"erent communities including

cultures she finds extremely

oppressive and di#cult to bear.

Sackey-Milligan formerly

directed the Social Justice Program

at the Center for Contemplative

Mind in Society located in

Northampton, Massachusetts.

!ere she focused on creating space

for other activists and organizers

to find health, centeredness and

well being. She currently serves as co-director

(with Raúl Quiñones Rosado) of c-Integral based

in Puerto Rico. “Political struggle is not separate

from the individual,” she said. “!e path of spirit

is the path of becoming a better, more aligned

human being.” Sackey-Milligan is excited about

the heightened interest movement activists have

in combining spiritual practice with political work.

“We didn’t have the awareness that I see now during

the period of worldwide African liberation during

the 1960s. It feels like youth are learning from the

mistakes of older generations about how we treated

the Earth and interact in community. It feels like

we are returning to traditional ideas of community

love, support and care. Consciousness is evolving. I

am in awe.”

“During the Civil Rights

Movement we didn’t have

the awareness that I see

now. It feels like youth are

learning from the mistakes

of older generations about

how we treated the Earth

and interact in community.

It feels like we are returning

to traditional ideas of

community love, support

and care. Consciousness is

evolving; I am in awe.”


M'1!#’" S1#%3

Mateo Nube grew up in Bolivia and moved to

the U.S. in the 1990s to attend the University of

California at Berkeley. Although Mateo grew up

in a military dictatorship, he got his passion for

justice from his mother who was a Leftist in the

1960s and 70s. Looking back, Mateo believes that

his early commitment to revolution was a form of

religion. “My heaven became entering the plaza

with red flags. It was like the Evangelicals waiting

for rapture, except I was waiting for revolution. It

was revolutionary rapture.”

As Mateo grew older, he became deeply confused

as he witnessed the U.S. and other powers crush

Central American revolutions and learned about

the serious contradictions within revolutionary

movements. “When the Soviet Bloc collapsed, I

realized my picture-book revolution was a lot less

probable. I also realized that marching into the plaza

wasn’t the end; it was the beginning. !at is when

the real work started.” !is realization hit Nube

hard. “I felt politically lost and very discouraged.”

Nube felt he had put “all his eggs in one basket”

and now had to figure out whether his “God” even

existed.

Nube began organizing and popular education

work in college and later in unions. What drew his

interest most was the theory and work of popular

education. Early on, Nube felt pressure to subsume

the less political aspects of his life for the struggle.

“Everything from art, family, sports, relaxation

and friendship received less value,” he recalls.

“Fundamentally, this narrowness contradicts the

world we are trying to create.”

Today, Nube doesn’t see himself as someone

with a spiritual practice. Yet, he has become more

open to ritual, gratitude and “acknowledging the

intrinsic beauty of being alive.” He explains, “I feel

like I’ve been a spiritual person my whole life. I just

wasn’t comfortable using that term.”

Nube’s current practice of regular gardening

serves as a spiritual space for him. Every morning,

he spends time in the garden before his family

awakens. “!ere is something about connecting to

the core — the sun, soil and water — that gives me a

spiritual boost,” he explains. “I like the exploration

of growing food, touching the soil, and relating to

plants and insects.”

Nube’s spirituality has helped him rethink

standard notions of movement building. “We have

to move away from Western frames of thinking and

understand our material and immaterial needs,”

said Nube. He is bringing this new perspective to

his role as the director of !e Movement Generation

Justice & Ecology Project, an organization

engaging economic and racial justice organizers

in work around ecology and climate change. “My

new spiritual conception of being alive has helped

me to understand the Earth and nature in its

wisdom, limits and needs. We as humans have the

opportunity to live symbiotically with nature, but

that will require a huge transformation in all of us.

We have to understand once again the sacredness

of the land.”

Nube’s spiritual understanding has also helped

him find patience to pause, digest and understand

what movement building really means. “Before, I

didn’t have the ability to think about social change

over the long arch of time. Now, I am challenging

my desire for immediate satisfaction and

transformative change. I can, instead, take a breath


and think about how to do this work in a more strategic way. I can create liberated spaces and organizations

that inspire transformation. I have a humbled conception that I am small and life is large. !is gives me

more space and room to move.”


INTRODUCING TMB

ACTIVITY 1: Stories About Transformation

!is is an activity to help the group explore what transformation and practice mean,and why they are

important for organizers.

Read one or more of the stories in this packet. Discuss: What moved you in this story? What is this organizers practice? Why did they start practicing? How did it relate to their social justice work?

Define: what is practice? Discuss: Who do we want to become? What kind of qualities do we need to transform our communities/the world/etc.? What do we need to practice to become that? What could we do

regularly together?

Variation 1: Participants draw their social change superheroes – and name the “superhero” qualities

they have that allow them to transform the world around them. Translate this into qualities they can

develop as a group.

Variation 2: Participants share a story about transformation – from their family or community, a

movie or a book. What helped that person transform? What was the space in between like?

When we use the term “spirituality” we

are not necessarily referring to religion

in general, or any religious tradition in

particular.

We are referring to a way of working from our

core values and beliefs. !ese include: that we

are all fundamentally interconnected, that

we want to work from a place of love that

a#rms our humanity, that we are connected

to the land and to something bigger than

our individual selves, that we want a better

world.


ACTIVITY 2: Who We Are vs. Who We Want to Be

!is discussion helps people think about who we are vs. who we want to be. It encourages us to:

Read the “Where are We Stuck” and the “New Way” pages of this pactet

Discuss: What are your experiences? Are they reflected in these sheets? When are we at our

best as social change agents? What is most challenging in our social change work? What gives

us energy, hope and purpose?

Discuss: Who do we want to become? What kind of qualities do we need to transform our

communities/the world/etc.? What do we need to practice to become that? What could we do

regularly together?

ACTIVITY 3: 5e “S” Word - What is “Spirit in Organizing”

!is is a basic introduction to help the group explore what we mean when we say “organizing from a

spiritual place.” Use the Core Assumptions chart and handouts to ground the discussion.

Explain what we mean when we say “organizing from a spiritual place.” Use the Core Assumptions chart and handouts to ground the discussion.

We don’t have the answers. We are here to learn from each other. »

Historically and across the globe, many people have insisted that liberation »

movements must change people’s spiritual conditions as well as materials ones. (e.g.-

U.S. Civil Rights movement, American Indian movement, etc.)

When we use the word ‘spirituality’, we have a few key assumptions »

(show the Core Assumptions Chart):

Introduce yourself as a facilitator and tell your own story. !ese introductions need to help facilitators set the context for the workshop and build trust with the participants. Share:

who you are »

why you are here (and why you started to ask these questions) »

how you got here »

your hopes for the future »

Story Circle – go around and have participants share their story. Each person gets 5 minutes to share their story


SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1: Waking Up our Bodies

Introduce the idea of waking up and greeting your body. Guide group through “waking up” their body – starting with patting their feet with their hands and moving up to their legs, stomach, chest, arms, back and head. !is helps to

energize, ground and bring our full selves into the room.

As a second step, lead the group through 2-3 stretches, or ask 2-3 people to share a stretch that they like to do to wake up your body. Two ideas include:

Stretching your hands up to the sky, then releasing then and folding at your waste to »

reach for the ground (its ok if you don’t touch!). !en, folding up one vertebrae at a

time to standing.

Stretching your shoulders and spine. Plant your feet hip width apart. Start swinging »

your arms and shoulders so they swing around your body, allowing your knees to bend

slightly. Allow your body to find its own rhythm.

ACTIVITY 2: Ancestors in Training Opening and Closing Activity

!is is a simple activity to set intention and bring the idea of ancestors and those who have come

before us, into the room.

Introduction: we are all ancestors in training. !at is, one day we will be ancestors. Ancestors are those who came before us, who have shown us the way (through both positive and negative

actions), and who we call on for support. We are leaning how to be the way-showers of others,

who will come behind us. We are cultivating our own wisdom.

Go around the room and have each person introduce themselves and call in one person into the room who represents something that the group needs. It can be a capacity, a quality, a

saying. What does that person want to tell the room as they develop their wisdom, intention

and capacity for the work they have together?

At the end of the meeting, if possible, go around the room and have the group check out by reminding the room who they invited in, and what they would say about the gathering.

Remember to say good bye and release those who you invited in.


ACTIVITY 3: THREE BREATH INTRODUCTION

!e breath helps connect us to the present moment and to each other. !is activity helps people

ground and connect to their body through breath.

Explain that each participant will introduce themselves in three breaths. Since we only speak on our out-breaths, the breath is a good marker for ourselves when we speak. !is is a way to stay connected to our bodies as we speak.

Each person will say three sentences. In the first sentence, they should state their name. !e second and third sentences should be something about them they want others to know.

Trainers should model this introduction first.

E6'(7-!: T.%!! B%!'1. I/1%#4$&1,#/

Sentence 1: My name is ____________.

Possible 2nd and 3rd Sentences:

I am from ________.

I work at ________.

I like to ________.

I am here because ________.

My name means ________


ACTIVITY 4: Piper Meditation

!is is a guided mediation that facilitators can use to ground the beginning of a meeting. Participants

use this meditation to connect with and focus on the energy and intentions they are bringing to the

group.

!ere are five components to the meditation, Purpose, Intention, Perspective, Energy, Resolve.

!e facilitator guides the group through meditating on each.

Start by softening or closing your eyes. Feel your feet on the ground, and your spine lengthening. Place your hands where they are comfortable. Focus on the rhythm of your

breath.

Purpose: First think about the purpose you bring to this meeting. What are you coming here

to do? What do you care about? Feel that in every cell of your body.

Intention: Next focus on what intention do you bring to the meeting. Focus on the feeling of

that intention. Feel that in every cell of your body.

Perspective: Next consider what perspective and wisdom you bring with you. What

perspective and wisdom do others bring? Feel that in every cell of your body.

Energy: Next feel the energy you are bringing into the room. What is the nature and quality

of your energy? What is the energy that is required for today? Feel that in every cell of your

body.

Resolve: Finally, focus on your resolve to work with this group today. What does that feel

like? Feel that in every cell of your body.

ACTIVITY 5: Centering With Extention

!is activity is a quick centering and grounding activity that can be done sitting around a table.

Participants feel what it is like to first center themselves and then extend from that extension.

Sit in a chair around a table. Place your feet firmly on the floor. Feel the contact of your feet on the floor and your tailbone moving down into the chair.

Place your hands, palms up on the underside of the table. Press up on the table and use this pressure to extend your spine up towards the ceiling and your tailbone down into the chair.

Try lifting your chest and dropping your shoulders as you continue to extend. Take 3 deep breaths from this position and focus on your intention for the day or for the gathering. Let this intention come from your heart or belly, rather than your head.

Slowly release the stretch and focus your intention back into the circle. As an option, you can ask for volunteers to share their intention. Do not force sharing.


ACTIVITY 6: Five Senses Journal Writing

!is is a quick writing activity that develops awareness of the present moment. You can also do it

around a theme. !e prompts help participants describe what they are experience in the moment of

writing. Consider having people walk around their environment and do this, and then come back to

the group to share.

I see…. »

I hear… »

I taste…. »

I smell…. »

I feel/touch….. »

ACTIVITY 7: Finding Our Group Rhythm

!is activity allows group members to experience what it feels like to be in rhythm with each other,

and to get a sense of how easy or di#cult it is as a group.

Introduce the activity. Sit in a circle. One participant will start the activity

by clapping their hands. !ey can do

something simple, like clapping their

hands once, or something a bit more

complicated, like clapping twice. !e

next person will set the pace of the

rhythm. !e job of the group is to

continue to generate the rhythm by

mimicking the rhythm’s beat and pace.

Run the activity. When the group falls o" rhythm and cannot back on they

can start and stop again if they like.

Experiment. Try making the rhythm more simple or more complex. See

what happens.

Debrief. What happened? What did you notice? What did it teach you

about our group?


ACTIVITY 8: Altar Building with Story Circle

From Spirit in Motion

F'&,-,1'1#% N#1!"

!is activity often creates a container for participants to share a personal or intimate story. Each

person has the opportunity to share and be heard. Because of this, it can be a very e"ective trust-

building activity if it is structure and modeled well.

Be aware of how much time you allow for this activity. Awareness of how much time you have for

this activity is important for how you frame the question.

For example, if you have a generous amount of time, then the question can be more »

open-ended – a story, longer explanation of the item. If you have limited time, you

will need a more structured question and a clear guideline for how much time each

participant has. For example, if you have one minute per person you may ask each

person to say what their item is and one sentence about the value/spirit the object

represents/brings to the altar.

Clear guidelines are important so that the energy and space of the circle is intentional – and folks

who tend to talk less or “care take” do not silence themselves in order to make up time for the group.

F%'(,/0

Many di"erent spiritual traditions use altars as a place to ground, to make o"erings, to set intentions and to center the energy of a space. Individuals can have their own altar, or a group

can create a collective altar.

!e Movement Strategy Center uses our altar as a way to bring people together every »

season and clear/reground our space as a group. We generally a formal ritual where

we clean the altar, re-introduce the main elements of it (fire, water), and then allow

individuals to put new items on the altar, re-introduce items they already have on the

altar, or to take something o". After the altar building, we have a meal together.

I/1%#4$&1,#/

Introduce Basic Altar Items: cloth, table, water, fire. What does each symbolize? Model introducing personal items on the altar: What did you put on the altar and why?

For example, Lisa Charley brought a bear sculpture she that her friend gifted to her for »

her 35th birthday. !e bear is her spirit guide. !is bear is full of images: butterflies,

flowers. Putting it on the altar symbolizes an intention to hold and take care of her

self this weekend.


ACTIVITY

One by one, each participant shares their altar item: what it is, why they brought it and/or the story behind it.

If participants forgot/didn’t bring an item, they can place something they write, draw, found on the site or even place a symbolic idea or words on the altar.

When each person is done, they let the person to their left know through a verbal or nonverbal pass.

Ask facilitators for ideas about time… Give gentle prompt if each participant has a basic time frame.

Altar Opening (used during convening with several organizations)

P$%7#"!

Open up a meeting or retreat in a cultural and spiritual way that honors

ancestors

Participants introduce themselves to each other through sharing a personal

or meaningful object

A0!/4'

Introduce the Altar1. Giving o"erings2. Closing3.

M'1!%,'-"

Table or flat surface Cloth to put over the surface Items (see the altar handout) for altar according to the tradition that you are

building the altar in

Candle, lighter, incense Pieces of paper if you are asking people to write down names of ancestors or s/

heroes


ACTIVITY

What is an altar? Explain the altar according to the tradition in which you want to build it 4. (see attached Altar handout) (10 min)

What does the word ofrenda mean? Who has been part of giving ofrendas?a. Ofrenda means o"ering in Spanish. !is word is often used to describe the »

altars that are built for the Dia De Los Muertos where people build altars and

leave o"erings to honor those who have passed. Ofrendas are not only for Dia

De Los Muertos but can be for any o"ering you want to give that is in some

way sacred or special.

Back in the day when di"erent groups of people came together, you would bring an b. o"ering as a sign of friendship, a gift to cement the relationship. Each group has

brought something as an ofrenda to the group – a sign of friendship. We are going to

put each o"ering on an altar in this room and you can touch, share, feel whatever is on

the altar during the convening.

Each group shares: (Usually 2 – 3 minutes each person or group)5. Name of group, home citya. O"eringb. NOTE: You can change up the last question to suit your purposec.

Who is one ancestor or s/hero that made it possible for you to be here today? »

Who is one person you want to honor and draw strength from during this »

meeting?

What is one struggle and one dream they are bringing to the group? »

End with Unity clap6.


MORE ON ALTARS: either as a hand out or to help the facilitator pick another or more than

one cultural tradition that is going to be relevant to the group.

ALTARS

Altars are present in many di8erent cultural traditions:

In Asian, Taoist, and Buddhist communities, altars are either (1) to honor religious icons like Kuan

Yin, the Buddha, bodhisattvas or (2) to honor ones

ancestral lineage (with pictures, objects, or scrolls of

ones deceased relatives). Altars in homes are often

ancestral altars while altars in restaurants, temples,

and other public places are often for religious icons.

Objects commonly o"ered on Asian altars include

oranges (to symbolize gold), tea, favorite foods of

ancestors, rice wine, water, flowers, and incense.

Ancestors are called upon for guidance, protection,

and blessings. Incense is lighted to send prayers and

o"erings to the spirit world.

Ancestor worship is deeply rooted in

Central and West Africa. !is belief is mixed

with the idea that ancestors, spirits and gods live

in another world and can a"ect the lives of the

living. Ancestors are called upon for guidance in

every day life as well as important events. Some

people make special baskets or boxes to hold

bones of their ancestors. Some believe that carved

wooden stools represent the power and presence of

their ancestors. Other common objects for altars

include masks, rattles or carved wooden ancestor

figures. Pouring libation by pouring palm wine

on the ground during a prayer is one of the oldest

and favorite rituals practiced daily in West Africa.

Libation is a prayer to the gods and ancestors

marking an event. Such events may include the

beginning of an activity—such as a meeting of

chiefs, a special occasion—such as the birth of a

child, or simply receiving visitors into the house.

In Christianity, altars and shrines honor the

Virgin Mary, di"erent Saints, Jesus, and served

also as o"erings to the Lord. In the Bible, di"erent

altars are mentioned that were used to honor

the Lord. Common things o"ered to altars were

animal sacrifices, oils, and other burned o"erings.

Currently, altars often feature statues, candles,

flowers, and a place for the priest to place the Bible

or give sermon from.

In the Mexican tradition, Dia De Los Muertos

is a day to celebrate those that have passed by

setting up altars where souls come back and visit

with the living. !e altar is called the “o"renda” and

traces it’s roots back to Aztec traditions. Each altar

is customarily dedicated to an individual/s – for

their souls to return to visit so the altar can include

personal momentos, pictures, and other things that

the person/people like. !e altar consists of four

levels and four sides, representing the four stages of

life, the four points of the earth, the four seasons,

and the four mathematical points upon which the

pyramids were built.


Based upon these four points the following items are used:

!e four principle seeds used by the Aztecs were: tomatillo (green tomato), cacao, »

chili, and corn

!e four elements of life: water (the conch shell), fire (candles), earth, and wind (flute »

and conch shell)

!e four stages of life are also represented in the four stages of corn: the seed, fresh »

corn, dry corn, and the corn used in di"erent foods: tortillas, tamales, atole

!e Santeria tradition is practiced throughout the Carribean and parts of Latin America. Altars also

play an important role in honoring ancestors and saints (Orishas). Santeria altars are a mixture of both

Western (Roman Catholic) and West African (Yoruba) tradition that occurred as a result of the slave trade.

Worshippers primarily pay homage to their Orishas/Saints through the construction and decoration of

altars in their homes. Objects are placed on ornately adorned, cloth covered tables or platforms. !ese items

typically symbolize or appeal to the deity. O"erings may include carved statues, seed pods, fruit, flowers,

urns, beads, feathers, cauldrons, miniature farming implements, fans and mirrors.


ACTIVITY 9: WISDOM GATHERING CIRCLE 30 MINS

B'",& I/+#%('1,#/

Activity Source: Joanna Macy, Catriona Reed, Michele Bezamin-Miki

Supplies: Meditation bell

F%'(,/0 +#% 1.! F'&,-,1'1#%

!is activity is important in taking the group’s work to a deeper level, and allowing them to access

any “messages” they hear in their gut about the work. It requires participants to pull from their own

hearts and spirits and build relationships with one another.

S!1 U7 1.! R##(

Create two concentric circles in the room.

Everyone should be facing a partner.

Participants should be seated comfortably.

F%'(! A&1,9,13

Explain that we will be having a conversation with our partner. !is will be a time to use our

imaginations and the deep wisdom that is within us. We will have two conversations. !e first is

with an ancestor. !is ancestor can be a blood ancestor – someone from our blood lineage; a land

ancestor – someone who has lived on this land before us; or a movement ancestor – someone who has

been part of this movement before us. !is ancestor will be speaking to us as present-day organizers.

!en we will hear from future generations – those will come after us. Explain that the role of listener

is just that – to listen without interrupting.


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Explain that we are going to do a brief (one-minute) sitting meditation, during which we will visualize the ancestors who are coming into the room, before we actually begin the activity. All of

us will first visualize ancestors. We will do a second sit before we bring in future generations.

Ask participants to close their eyes and pay attention to their breath. Ring a meditation bell to start the meditation. Help situate people by reminding them to first listen to their breath and then start to visualize their ancestor. Who are they? Why did they visit?

What do they have to tell us, as present-day organizers?

Give participants at least 20 seconds of silence before ringing a bell and/or telling them to come back into the room.

C,%&-! +#% A/&!"1#%"

Explain to the group that the inner circle will go first. !ey will represent and speak for the ancestors. Instruct participants not to think too much about the exercise, and to let their words

flow as much as possible.

Give the inner circle three minutes to speak with their partner. After three minutes have passed, ring a bell. !en ask the inner circle to move to their left so that everyone has a new partner.

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Repeat the exercise with the outer circle speaking for future generations. Start with a one minute sitting meditation, with all participants visualizing someone from a future generation coming into the room to give a message to present-day organizers.

After the meditation, start the talking-circle, with the participants on the outer circle embodying the future generation as they speak to their partner. After three minutes, ring the

bell to stop the conversations.

D!:%,!+ A&1,9,13

Ask everyone to gather as a large group to debrief the exercise. Debrief Questions:

What messages did you receive from ancestors/future generations? »

Did any questions surface for you about how we are organizing today? »

Write these up on butcher paper. Explain we will add to this list as we go on through »

the workshop.



ACTIVITY 10: Body / Life Map

From the BLOC Network Curriculum “Rep Ya BLOC!”

B'",&"

Purpose: to look at the forces that shape us. !is activity will encourage people to do some

introspection regarding the di"erent forces that have shaped their lives and identities.

Time needed: 20-30 minutes max (should be flexible and gauged on overall time and group)

Materials needed: Drawing materials, e.g.: markers, crayons, colored pencils and poster board,

large paper, etc.

H#) 1# %$/ 1.," '&1,9,13

Read out the instructions on Page 1 of the IMAP workbook. Keep in mind that participants 1. are drawing their past/present self on the left side, and their future self on the right side. It

can be helpful to have an example to show participants.

Break the group into dyads for 5 –10 minutes. Have each person share some of the highlights 2. of their body/life map. (It is not necessary to explain everything on the picture.)

After 5 minutes, bring the activity back into the larger group and ask if anyone would like to 3. share.

Facilitator’s Note: the time needed to do this activity can vary greatly, depending on the context,

number of participants, and what comes up for people. In the past, participants have expressed a

deep interest in having more time to create and share their body/life maps. Depending on the kind of

meeting/workshop this activity is being conducted in, it is at the discretion of the facilitator to decide

the length of time the activity can run.

Please note: because this activity can touch on painful memories for people, the facilitator should

gauge how people are feeling and adjust the amount of time people share in their dyads.

And while they are writing, play music if you got it – folks like music!


ACTIVITY 11: Purpose Statement / Bumper Sticker

From the BLOC Network Curriculum “Rep Ya BLOC!”

B'",&"

Purpose: To encourage participants to think about their own purpose and what drives them.

Time needed: 5-10 minutes

Materials needed: Construction paper, scissors, glue, markers

H#) 1# %$/ 1.," '&1,9,13

Explain to participants: “Now I’m handing out bumper stickers for you all to write down what 1. drives you in life. What are you passionate about? What gets you going in the morning? If you

could have one bumper sticker that encompasses those things, what would it say?”

When everyone has finished, go around the circle and have each participant share their 2. bumper sticker. !e participants should paste their bumper stickers onto page 2 of their IMAP

workbooks.

Next, each participant should write a purpose statement saying who they are, what they do 3. and what they hope to achieve. It is helpful to have an example for people (e.g.: the mission

statement of a nonprofit)

ACTIVITY 12: Five Directions Groups (for organizing small work groups)

From Jidan Koon, Movement Strategy Center

P$%7#"!

To create smaller groupings within a bigger grouping using culturally based concepts of five

directions

Build team within the smaller groups

A0!/4'

Introduce Five Directions1. Small Group Team builder2.


M'1!%,'-":

Butcher paper with Dogon creation rock painting Butcher paper with di"erent directions plus corresponding colors in di"erent cultural traditions (see below)

A&1,9,13:

Big Group:1. Introduction to Five Directions (10 min)

Introduce idea of four groups through story telling. In many non-European cultures, a. there are not four directions but FIVE: North, South, East, West, and Center.

!e Dogon people in West Africa have ancient rock paintings that show the »

five directions as central to their creation story. !e Dogon people believe that

the god Amma stretched a ball of clay into the four directions and made the

earth. Amma is symbolized in the middle. !is shape is often seen in mud

cloth and rock paintings.

Directions were often assigned specific colors or other meanings of significance.b. Cherokee nation: N – Blue, E – Red, S – White, W – Black, Center – Green »

Mayan: N – White, E – Red, S – Yellow, W – Black, Center – Green »

China: N – Black/Winter/Water, E – Green/Spring/Wood, S – Red/Summer/ »

Fire, W – White/Autumn/Metal, Center – Yellow/Earth

Since we are such a big group, we are going to build relationships by having smaller c. groups for our workshops and other activities. Each of you have been assigned to a

group corresponding to the four directions and when we come together in one big

group, that is what we consider being in the center direction.

Small Group: Team Builder (20-30 min) – time depends on how many people are in each 2. group.

Split people into four groups and assign each group to a direction. Each corner of the a. room is labeled a direction. Ask people to go to the corner that has their direction.

While in the group:b. Introduce the facilitators »

All members of the group share name, age, city, organization »

Each person acts out an animal that they think best describes them (everyone »

guesses what it is)

Come up with a group name that has the direction in it (for example: North »

Star or Wild West) as well as a group noise or chant

Call all groups back into Center and ask each group to share their name and noise/c. chant.


ACTIVITY 13: Breathing & Qi (pronounced chee)


P$%7#"!:

Build team through experiencing interconnecting energy (Qi)

Learning about the key spiritual role of breath and breathing in many cultures

Ground and relax the team either before a meeting, during a frustrating or hyper time, or close out

Q, E6!%&,"!. ;< (,/.

What is Qi? 1. (10 min)

Qi is an Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean) concept of life force or energy a. that is in all things, living and non-living (like rocks, earth, water…). It is the energy

that we all share with each other. Qi means breath. !e idea is that breath is the

source of life and also the way to build and work with your Qi. Some people would

also say that Qi is a spiritual force.

!is idea is not only from Asia. In India, prana is that energy that links everything b. together. Prana also means spirit or breath. In Latin, spiritus means “breathing.” In

Greek, “air”, “breath”, and “spirit” are all the same word. Rooh is Arabic for the breath

of life, wind. In Polynesia, Mana means breath or spirit. In ancient Egypt, a person’s

soul had five parts – one part was called Ka, or the life force. !is Ka was breathed

into people at the moment of their birth by a god. In Christianity, God created man

and woman from dust on the ground and breathed the breath of life into the forms.

Breath, life, and spirit are interlinked and given a special place in many ancient and c. current cultures, languages, and spiritual belief systems.

We are going to do some exercises to practice cultivating your Qi and also sharing Qi d. between people.

Practicing Qi individually.2. (10-15 min)

Breath is the root of Qi. In order to be aware of Qi, you need to breathe right. Most a. of the time, we don’t breathe right. We normally only use part of our lung capacity.

!ink back to when you were young, and you got upset, you’d hyperventilating,

breathing shallow and fast. Fear, anger, sadness, stress all make you use less and

less of your lung capacity. !e less you breathe, the less oxygen your body gets and

that starts a whole series of things including not thinking very well. We are going to

practice breathing using our entire lung capacity.


Lay on the floor on your back. Begin to deepen your breath. Imagine that you are b. breathing, filling your body with breath from your toes on up. When you get to the

top of your head, breath out and empty yourself back down to your toes. Imagine your

breath is a ball of light inside you. As you breathe in, it expands and as you breathe

out, it gets smaller.

Let the group cultivate it’s breath for some moments. !en ask:c. How does your body feel? »

Do you feel temperature changes? »

Where? »

Usually people will say they feel warm in their chest. Explain that this is the »

Qi. !e seat of Qi in a person’s body is the solar plexus, the place in the chest

right below the sternum.

Practicing Qi with another person. 3. (15 min)

Now we are going to practice sharing Qi with another person. Find a partner. Sit with a. one person in front of the other. !ey should be almost an arms’ length apart. Both

people should practice breathing. Imagine the ball of light in the chest expanding

and contracting. !e person in back will begin to breathe the Qi into the right hand.

Imagine the ball of light depositing itself into the right hand on the out breath.

What does the hand feel like? People often say that it is warm or that it feels bigger b. than the other hand.

Slowly place that hand on the back of the other person. Imagine the Qi flowing c. through your hand into the other person. Try to synchronize your breathing. You

can try putting both hands on the back.

Debrief. 4. (15 min)

How did that feel?a. What did it feel like having the hand on your back?b. What did it feel like to be the person putting the hands on the back?c. Optional questions:d.

Have you felt energy or Qi from things before? What about bodies of water »

(like the ocean) or trees (like the forest)?

What does this tell you about our relationship to each other, other animals, »

and nature?

What have you learned about Qi or breath? »


ACTIVITY 14: Stretching


P$%7#"!:

To show how mind, body, heart, and spirit

are interconnected

Build team by connecting physically

To use stretching the body experience to

learn how to work together

A0!/4':

Why stretching? Mind-Body-1. Heart-Spirit connectionStretching in a circle2. Paired stretch 13. Paired stretch 24. Debrief5.

M'1!%,'-":

Enough space to stretch comfortably

A&1,9,13:

Why stretching?1. (5-7 min)

Open by explaining that the mind, heart, body, and spirit are all interlinked. Ask a. people why you feel better after punching a punching bag when you’re mad. Link this

to the ways in which how we feel is very influenced by the body. In addition, learning

from our body and taking care of it can help us think better and feel better.

For this reason, doing physical things helps us engage more fully in whatever it is we b. are doing (like at a meeting).

Stretching in a circle.2. (time depends on how many people)

Share stretches going from the top of the body on downward. !e facilitator can start a. with a stretch and invite others to lead stretches (for example, go clockwise having

each person share one stretch). Take 5 stretches or so total.

Paired stretch 1. 3. (10 min)

Ask people to pair up with some one of similar height. We will do a series of stretches a. together. !e facilitator should demonstrate. Some pointers to share:

listen to your body, don’t over stretchb. relax into the stretchc. practice the deep Qi breathing d. talk to your partner to tell him/her when to begin or stop e.


Its helpful to ask someone to model this stretch with you. !e first stretch, you start back to back

with the other person. Choose the person who will be stretcher and who will be stretchee (the person

being stretched). !ey should interlock their arms at the elbow. !e person who is the stretcher will

ask whether the other person is ready. When the other person says s/he is ready, the stretcher can

begin slowly rolling his/her spine over into a curved bridge – starting from the neck and going down

ward. !e stretchee simply relaxes and allows her/his neck and back to lay on the other person’s back.

!is will result in a back bend for the stretchee – stretching his/her chest, stomach, and entire front

body. !e stretchee needs to let the other person know if s/he wants to stretch more or less. !ey

should stay in the position for several breaths and the stretchee tells the stretcher when s/he is ready

to come slowly back up. !ey then switch roles.

Paired Stretch 2. 4. (10 min)

!e second stretch, sit on the ground and face each other. !ey do the splits as far a. as they can and join their feet, making a diamond with their legs. !ey join hands

and decide who is going to be the stretcher and who is going to be the stretchee. !e

stretcher will ask the stretchee if s/he is ready. Once the stretchee says s/he is ready,

the stretcher slowly leans back, pulling the stretchee forward. When the stretchee

tells the stretcher to stop, they should stay there for several breaths. !en, switch

roles.

Debrief5. (15 min)

What was that like? What was hard about it? What felt good?a. What can stretching teach us about working together?b. Some things to draw out:c.

Only you know your limits. Its important to communicate your limits to other »

people (whether in work load, expectations, or other kinds of things).

Communication is key. In order to do something together, you need to talk to »

understand each other, make a plan, and coordinate.

Trust the other person. It might be scary at first to work with someone you »

don’t know that well in doing something that you’ve never done before.

Go step by step. Getting into something too fast can cause hurt and injury – »

you need to try something a little bit and if its okay, do it a little bit more.

!ere’s a lot more – the group will come up with all kinds of things. »


ACTIVITY 15: Guided Visualization


P$%7#"!

To visualize the future or outcome we want

To tap into our imaginations and creativity

around what we want

To make what we want more real through

visualizing it

M'1!%,'-"

Paper for people to write words on

Tape

Markers

A0!/4'

Setting it up1. Visualization 2. (NOTE: !e visualization script can be

changed to reflect whatever time frame,

location, issue, or event you would like

for people to visualize around.)

Values3. Debriefing4. Close5.

A&1,9,13

Setting it up. 1. (10 min)

Explain that the seeds for the future we are fighting for is already here in this room a. and out in the world. !e key to jump from now to a vision of 30 years in the future

is imagination. !e facilitator will lead the group through a guided meditation

to practice imagining. Ask that members trust the facilitator and just let their

imaginations follow the facilitator’s words.

Ask members to write down their age and today’s date and then add 30 years to both. b. Ask them to write down the names and ages of the children closest to them and add

30 years to their ages. (5 min.)

Visualization.2. (10 – 15 min) Depends on the length of the script.

Lead members through a simple guided meditation. Invite them to get comfortable, a. close their eyes, and take a few deep breaths. As the facilitator speaks, allow the voice

to develop a rhythm, pausing between sentences. Especially pause after questions and

instructions. (10 min.) See VISION VISUALIZATION SCRIPT.


Values. 3. (15 min)

Ask participants to, when they are ready, to come up with 2 – 3 key values or ideas a. that describe the world that they envisioned and visually represent it on the colored

paper handed out. People can draw; use symbols, and/or write key words to convey

their choices. As people complete their 2 - 3 drawings, invite them to come up and

tape them on the wall. People who finish first should be encouraged to look at and

study what others are putting up on the wall.

Debriefing4. (20 min)

Ask:a. How did it feel to vision? What was fun, easy, or hard about it? Why? »

What did you see? »

What moved you? »

What moves you about other people’s visions? »

What themes are you noticing about what we want? »

What does that mean for what we need to be doing right now to get there? »

Closing5. (10 min)

Once this process is complete, congratulate people for sharing and putting forth their a. heart-felt values and beliefs.

Ask the group: Why is it important to vision about the world we want? b. Point out that, when struggling for social justice, we need to be clear about what we are fighting for. Congratulate the group for successfully taking a first stab at just that –

creating a clear political vision of a better world.

Encourage participants to make this ‘visioning’ conversation a regular and recurrent c. part of their organization or community’s strategic discussions.


VISION VISUALIZATION SCRIPT

Imagine you are in your bedroom. See what is around you. Imagine there is a calendar on the wall 1. and a wind is coming in through the door. Slowly the pages of the calendar start to lift and fly o".

As the pages turn, time is speeding up and passing.

Feel yourself moving towards the future. You and those around you have been getting touch with 2. our power and using it the service of your visions. You and those around you are growing and

winning in small and big ways.

One year in the future. !ree years.3. !ere are reports of similar victories across town. Big news from overseas.4. Five years. Ten years.5. You are stronger and stronger. !ose around you are stronger. 6. Twenty years. !irty years. 7. !e circle grows wider and wider.8. It is the year (insert 50 years from now) _____.9. In this year, imagine society is built around the values that you hold dear, that your desires for 10. society and the world are met.

Imagine that you wake up in that future.11. What do you see in your room?12. What are you doing?13. What are the children in your life doing?14. What kind of dwelling do you live in?15. Who do you live with?16. You go outside, what do you see?17. What is growing from the earth?18. You go out into your neighborhood, who do you see?19. What are they doing?20. What kinds of dwellings and buildings are there on the street?21. You leave your neighborhood and go into the wider community. How do you travel?22. As you are moving around in the wider community, what kinds of institutions do you see?23. What institutions and groups seem to be the most important in the community?24. What seem to be society’s main priorities?25. How are decisions made?26. How is conflict resolved?27. How is work distributed?28. What else is happening in the world?29. Who has power in this world? 30. What do they have power over?31.


Are there marginalized people in your world? Who are they?32. What do gender relationships look like?33. How is wealth distributed?34. Where else do you go?35. What do you see?36. Who do you talk to?37. What do you learn?38. You sit down to rest and enjoy the day. You close your eyes and breathe in deeply. (Allow 2 – 3 39. breaths)

It is time to return. As you breathe, you begin to drift back towards (the current year). 40.

Once you’ve returned, and when you are ready, you may open your eyes. (Allow the group to sit in

silence until everyone returns.)



3M. Supervision

The following materials were provided for AEJ member organizations to support a healthy

relationship between supervisors and staff. Unfortunately, the words Supervision &

Accountability are often times synonymous with “micro-manage” and “discipline” when it

comes to the workplace. It is AEJ’s hope that these tools will help your organization to begin

thinking about supervision & accountability in a different way.

The School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL) provided these materials to AEJ. If you would like

more resources on Organizational Development & Supervision check out:

Rockwood Institute

http://www.rockwoodleadership.org/

School of Unity and Liberation

http://www.schoolofunityandliberation.org/


Self-Criticism Check-list

Please rate yourself in the following areas: (5 is the highest and 1 is the lowest)

ORIENTATION & ORGANIZATIONAL CONDUCT

High Level of discipline, with strong work ethic 5 4 3 2 1 High expectations for quality and quantity of work

5 4 3 2 1

Reliability: Follow through with responsibilities and commitments

5 4 3 2 1 Implement work plan effectively 5 4 3 2 1

Openly engage in the practice of criticism/self-criticism

5 4 3 2 1 Always trying to improve self 5 4 3 2 1

Patiently, consistently, and constructively oppose manifestations of class elitism, heterosexism, male supremacy, white supremacy, and other forms of bigotry in interactions with AEJ staff, movement activists and with folks in trainings

5 4 3 2 1 Take initiative about your own political development

5 4 3 2 1

Organized: store information effectively 5 4 3 2 1

Work in a democratic fashion 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

Work with a problem-solving orientation 5 4 3 2 1 Sense of humor- warm spirit 5 4 3 2 1

Take initiative/self starter in the work 5 4 3 2 1 Utilize creativity 5 4 3 2 1

Actively work to build the organization 5 4 3 2 1 Punctuality: Be on time! 5 4 3 2 1

Long term visioning and strategic planning orientation

5 4 3 2 1 Focused 5 4 3 2 1

ANALYSIS communication

Have a radical/left political analysis 5 4 3 2 1 Direct, honest communication (both internal and external to the organization)

5 4 3 2 1

Hold a strong desire to help build a broader social justice movement

5 4 3 2 1 Other support to co-workers & ask for support when needed

5 4 3 2 1

Passionate about the role of young people in 5 4 3 2 1 Treat co-workers with respect and patience 5 4 3 2 1

Listen well 5 4 3 2 1

Understand role of your program’s impact on individuals and broader movement

5 4 3 2 1 Represent the organization in a positive way 5 4 3 2 1

Lead with humility and openness 5 4 3 2 1

Knowledge of curriculum that is trained 5 4 3 2 1 Try to share skills and strength 5 4 3 2 1

High level of facilitation skill 5 4 3 2 1 Ability to make genuine connections with people

5 4 3 2 1

relationships

Actively engage in the organization and movement in a principled way- honest, constructive, direct, work toward solutions

5 4 3 2 1 Think about impact of your actions on the organization and the broader movement

5 4 3 2 1

Grounded in movement building 5 4 3 2 1

Participate in collective process with the organization

5 4 3 2 1 Build relationships with movement organizations

5 4 3 2 1

Accountability to the organization, not just to individuals in or outside the organization

5 4 3 2 1 Participate in relevant movement activities, as is appropriate

5 4 3 2 1


Self-Criticism Worksheet

1. ____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What are my overall strengths? 2. _______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What are my overall weaknesses and areas of development? 4. ____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

5.

and timeline to achieve this growth? __________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What support and accountability do I need from your co-worker and supervisor in that process? Be 6.

concrete. (“Call me on __,” “Encourage me to __,” “When you see me doing___”, “I need you to ...”)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Key contributions I want to make to AEJ this next year? 7. _________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________


3-Month Evaluation Questions

Please use the self-criticism checklist

SUPERVISION & SUPPORT_

How have you felt about your time here at AEJ so far? 1. _________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.

re-oriented to? _____________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you felt supported in your work? How has it been working with the other staff members here? 3. ______

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

YOUR WORK_

1.

excelled at? Where have you fallen short? ____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What could you improve on? 3. ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

After this 3-month introductory period, do you want to continue your staff position here at AEJ? Why or why 5.

not? ______________________________________________________________________________________________

6. __________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

these questions.


3 Month EvaluationSupervisor Prepared Evaluation

performance.

Reflection Questions_

1. _________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

How has the staff member adjusted to their new position in the organization? 2. ___________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Has the staff member taken an appropriate amount of leadership in their time with AEJ? 3. __________

Has the staff member followed through on tasks, upheld responsibilities, and accomplished what is set our in 4.

their job description? _______________________________________________________________________________

Has the staff member consistently approached the work with a positive attitude? 5. _________________

What has the staff member done well in the past 3 months? 6. ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you see as problem areas / things that the staff member needs to improve on? 7. __________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you recommend that this person continue to be a staff member at AEJ? 8. ______________________

If so, what are three things you would like to see improvement on? 9. _____________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________


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3N. Digital storytelling workshop

Education Justice: see What we See

Goals and Agenda1.

Goals_

To introduce our AEJ regions and the landscape of public education to our audience and A.

membership

To visually illustrate our organizationsB.

To practice framing our visions and narratives of education justice C.

To tell our local campaign success storiesD.

Agenda_

Activity Overview (Key Questions and Themes)1.

Storyboarding2.

Video Shoot3.

Materials Needed:_

Flip camera / Digital camera

MacBook/PC

Post-its

Who:_

YJC members (Lead on the project)

Organizational Staff member!

Other youth leaders in your organization

”Photographs are everywhere and photography has an immediacy and familiarity that no other medium does. This is both photography’s blessing and its curse. Its very familiarity keeps people from

engaging with it critically even as they consume photographs almost effortlessly.

Because it is a broadly accessible medium I think it has the ability to viscerally describe the experience of one human being to another.”

~ Dawoud Bey


Activity Overview - Key Questions/Themes2.

_ GROUP Your People

Establish which YJC members and adult allies will be working on the digital storytelling project.

Each region will create their own digital story and work together as creative partners to get ideas

popping.

Discuss how you’d like your region’s story to unfold. Bounce ideas off each other and support youth to

be as creative as possible and to begin making a plan.

Do an image brainstorm about and what images are needed to narrate your story.

Storyboard: It goes a little something like this…..3.

Use 9 post-it notes to begin storyboarding your story that touches on the following points:

Introduce your city and the landscape of public education in your community:

Demographics: _

i.e. race, income, population, drop out and graduation rates, incarceration rates, budget for

What do people think of your city?

What is your city really like?

What are the issues impacting public education and youth in your community?

The personal is political:_

Who are you, and what is your organization?

What do you do, and why do you do it?

What have done to address the issues?

Tell a success story of your organizing

Tell me what you see:_

Close out with your Vision for Justice in Public Education

What is your vision for the future of public education and the well being of youth in your city?

The outline above is a SUGGESTED guide for your stories. If you’re feeling it, create a unique outline,

plan or storyline that tells us about your city, your success stories, and your vision for public education.

PLEASE BE AS CREATIVE AS POSSIBLE!


Try hard to distill your story to 9 post-it notes and use them as a map for your digital story.

addition to the images, begin attaching words and phrases on the post-its to narrate the video clips

that will best represent each part of your story.

Remember, these post-its will be the recipes for your digital story so as much planning and articulating

you can do beforehand, the better.

successes and visions using strong video images that speak for themselves and tell compelling stories

about your organizations and cities.

clips you will need, what do you need people to say, what music do you want to include?

Video Shoot: Put your hands where my eyes can see…4.

stories, and your vision for public education.

Send an outline version of your story from the post-it notes, the raw uploaded video footage and any

music tracks, on a burned DVD to AEJ Oakland for production of a short 2 minute digital story about

your region.

You’re organization has the option to edit your own video if you have the desire and capacity!

Thank You!!!!

CREDIT: Aaron Nakai and Charles A. McDonald for AEJ member organizations

“They saw themselves as others had seen them. They had been formed by the images made of them

by those who had had the deepest necessity to despise them.”

~ James Baldwin

Youth Justice Corps Toolkit v1.1 © 2010 by AEJ / YJC

design by Swash Design Studio, Oakland