Introduction
Chapter 1 — Social Action: An Overview
Social Action and Its Role on Colleges
Chapter 2 — Developing a Social Action Class
Course vs Co-Curricular & Prerequisites
Creating a Social Action Syllabus
Teaching Style & Classroom Norms
Role of Place & Each Semester v Every Year
Chapter 3 — Teaching Social Action (TSA) Model
Chapter 4 — Where Do We Go From Here?
One to three months prior to teaching a social action course, you will want to start compiling a list of possible campus and community allies. Some of them will be clear, like the engaged priest or rabbi, or the head of the NAACP, etc. These campus and community allies might be interested in supporting the students efforts and they might participate in the students’ campaign actions. The students will have little idea on who are campus and community allies, so by you creating this list will be extremely helpful for them. If you are having trouble identifying possible campus and community allies, please email Scott at Scott@TeachingSocialAction.org, and he will brainstorm with you.
Listen to Scott discuss how you can teach your students to Build Allies:
If the students build allies, this photo demonstrates what it looks like. The below photo is of Leila McCabe, an SJSU social action student. To Leila's right is Cindy Chavez, who at the time was the President of the South Bay Labor Council, and next to her is Poncho Guevera, CEO of the Sacred Heart Community Services, the largest anti-poverty organization in Silicon Valley. All around them are other SJSU students. The image shows that these important organizations are in support of the students’ demands, which in this case was to raise the minimum wage from $8 to $10.
Another way you can use your growing list of potential community allies is to reach out to them about one month out from your class to see if they are working on a campaign and are interested in having your students form a student-wing to the policy change campaign they are working on.
Below is an email Scott sent to Pastor Scott Wagers, a community organizer with the Community Homeless Alliance Ministry (CHAM). A similar letter was sent to the director of the Silicon Valley has a Council of Nonprofits, and she sent it to over 200 organizations. This ensured that a variety type of change efforts were included.
Pastor Scott,I am writing to see if you are working on any campaigns to change a policy? If so, are you interested in having students from my Social Action course support the campaign? If yes, please contact me! As you know, previous students created a student-led wing of CHAM, and called it Students Against Sweeps. You may want to pitch that campaign if you are still doing it.If interested, you would need to come in and pitch it on the 2nd day of class, which is on Tu, 8/24 at 2:30 pm in DMH at SJSU. Do let me know! Kindly, Scott ML
When Pastor Scott responded, “yes”, Scott sent him this email:
I am so glad you will be presenting to my course. As you know, my students need to do both campaign activities (fliering, tabling, press release, etc.) as well as conduct at least one campaign action (rally, march, press conference, street theater, lobbying day, etc). Are you still okay with that? Do let me know. Kindly, Scott ML
Between Class 2 and 3:
Pastor Scott came to SML’s class and pitched his campaign. This was the followup email:
Pastor Scott: Great news! Five students agreed to continue the student-wing of CHAM under the original name, Students Against Sweeps. The students are Angela R., Armando, Govind, Jorge, and Marian.They should have emailed you! They are ready to meet!This week, they will be doing stakeholder interviews in groups of 1-2. Can you help find some "stakeholders" for them to talk to?
Next Tuesday, they will start building power (recruit more students and community allies), then the following week they will do research, followed by exploring various tactics. The plan is to do a campaign launch where they publicly announce their campaign on the week of 3/21-23 or 4/4-6. The hope is that they can do one or two more actions by the end of the semester in mid May. Let me know your thoughts. Kindly, Scott
After the students selected Pastor Scott’s campaign, Scott shared with him Portfolio 1, Q10, which focused on the stakeholder Interview as part of the students’ testing their demands and target:
Portfolio 1, Q10: As part of your issue identification, interview (in person or Zoom) one stakeholder (e.g., non-profit staff member, a union leader, a campus staff leader, a rabbi/minister, etc.) that focuses on your social problem and issue. Ask her/him/they: How are you addressing this social problem? Then tell them how your group is conceptualizing the issue and ask them if they think this approach makes sense. Do they agree with your group’s approach? If so, why, and if not, why not? Also, ask whether, if your group moves forward, would they support you or become involved as an ally. If so, what would they be willing to do? In addition, ask them who else should you talk to, and who else is working on solving this social problem. Even better, can they connect you to them? Lastly, ask if they have any questions for you. In your response, integrate the book and Reader with your answers. Importantly, analyze their responses, and explain what are the implications of their responses for your campaign.
Notice the progression, from inviting them to speak, to explaining my expectations, to telling him who the students are that selected his campaign, to the first Portfolios.
Questions
- How can you help your students build a list of campus allies and community partners?
- Write out one list for every possible campus ally that you think the students might be able to contact, and another list of possible community partners. When the students start developing their campaign demands and target as part of their Issue Identification, you can share your lists with them, and to brainstorm with them other possible campus and community partners. This list will also be helpful when they do their interview of the stakeholders.
Continue to Role of Place & Each Semester/Year