Action Ideas

There are lots of great ways to get the word out about your issue or campaign. Remember, the overall goal for any event campaign is to facilitate action! Whenever considering different activities, be sure to take into account your constituency as well as the resources your organization has available for any given campaign. Also, your actions should build on one another through the course of a campaign.

Before you hold an activity or event, be sure to contact the NYCLU to request the necessary materials and/or speakers. The NYCLU can provide special guest speakers to talk in depth about a particular issue at your event, as well as help with publicity and educational materials to help advertise your event. We also offer items such as t-shirts, stickers and pins to sell as a fundraiser.

Make sure to take advantage of the campus geography and if possible try to work with other campus groups. Reach out to other organizations on campus with similar interests, such as a political science student association or women's rights organization that may be willing to co-sponsor a particular event or activity. For civil rights issues, do not ignore campus departments like the African-American or Latino studies programs or the office of minority student affairs.

Here are just a few creative event ideas:

Host a Freedom Film Event

• Show the film in place of an event and advertise it to increase membership!
• Organize a film series, organizing around notable days in history, such as the Brown v. Board of Education Anniversary (May 9).
• Build alliances by co-sponsoring film showings with other groups.
• Promote awareness by setting up an informational table and leading a discussion after the film. Plan follow-up events such as letter writing or other actions to continue the energy generated by the film.

Lobby

• An important activity of the ACLU, NYCLU and community members in general is to let our elected officials know where we stand on our issues and on specific pieces of legislation.
• Remember, the NYCLU is non-partisan and does not endorse any candidates, but may support or oppose a bill depending on its relation to civil liberties.
• Check legislative action alerts often. One campus chapter took the initiative to use ½ sheets of paper with a paragraph about how they oppose U.S. Senate Bill 24 – the “Academic Bill of Rights” – and left a place for a name, signature, and address. The group made drop off points around campus and once collected, they mailed these to Senate committee members who were considering Senate Bill 24.

Letter to the Editor

• Have members write a letter to the editor to the campus newspaper about a timely civil liberties topic or campus issue.
• Campus newspapers allow for increased visibility for your club and are a way of increasing education and advertising at the same time.

Arrange a Literature Table

• Go to the student union or a busy spot on your campus and set up a literature table promoting your club and next event.

Hold Speaker Events, Debates, or Panel Discussions

• The NYCLU can provide you with an expert speaker to talk about a specific issue.
• Do not forget about the resources at your school. Whether a high school history teacher or a constitutional law professor, many academics may be willing to speak on a panel or about an issue and are likely to be quite knowledgeable.
• Again, try to work with other campus groups. If you can, sponsor an organized debate about a certain issue featuring groups on both sides of the issue. Be sure to contact groups that are likely to disagree with the ACLU but are willing to have a discussion about it for the benefit of the student body.

Distribute "Know Your Rights" Cards

• Stand in the student union or another popular spot to hand students “Know Your Rights” cards during an important weekend or event (Halloween, football game, etc.).

Protest!

• Hold a protest or a rally about a relevant and current campus or national issue!
• One student group protested the USA PATRIOT Act by renting banned books from the library and standing in front of it with special t-shirts reading “Am I A Terrorist?” About 100 students attended, and they received media attention on an local TV stations and newspapers.
• Make sure to check the NYCLU site and feel free to help out—or just attend—NYCLU organized rallies and protests.

Paint

• Do you have a graffiti wall or rock? Paint it with ACLU slogans and promote your club.

Host a Benefit Concert

• A concert is a great way to reach students who might come for the music but leave with an interest in the issues.
• Your campus is likely to have many bands interested in both playing music and helping out with civil liberties issues.
• One campus chapter planned a benefit concert at a local coffee shop where local musicians played for free. In between each set, students took the microphone to speak about a different civil liberties issue. Students collected donations at the door, where a literature table was arranged.

Have a Teach-In

• A teach-in strikes the balance between a forum discussion and a protest and allows professors to get active too!

 

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