The following is a comprehensive guide for Affordable Housing campaigns. The guide, while focused on Affordable Housing, is still an excellent resource for other activist skills such as: public speaking, media correspondence and coverage, flyer making, facilitator training, fundraising, starting a student group and running a campaign.

Below is the guide.
Click here to download the entire version of the guide as a Word document.

Organizing Guide for Housing Justice

1. Why is organizing for housing justice important?
2. Goals of a Youth Alliance for Housing (YAH)
3. The Boston University Youth Alliance for Housing (BUYAH) model
4. Starting a YAH!
5. How a YAH works?
6. The method of a YAH
7. Planning a housing awareness guide
8. The Walk for Housing
9. The importance of community involvement
10. Collaborating with neighborhoods near you
11. Resources for Organizing and Housing issues

Section I: Why is Organizing for Housing Justice Important?

An Introduction to the Problem

Ms. Lune, a grocer who lived down the block from me and whose kids I occasionally baby-sat, waved a last good-bye.Ý She pulled the moving truck out into the morning traffic and headed out of town for good.Ý After ten years of living in her apartment with her family, she had been driven out by high rent increases.

Why do I keep hearing stories like these?Ý Because Boston is not an affordable place to live for many people who work here.Ý Close to half of the people who rent in Boston spend more than 30% of their income on housing - a level that qualifies their apartments as unaffordable.

Peopleís incomes are not increasing as fast as their rent.Ý So they move farther out of the city and are replaced by young professionals, students, or others able to pay the increased rent.Ý As long-time residents leave, and new people move in, the fabric of Boston is changing.

As young people we bring enthusiasm, energy, and much fame to this city.Ý With a 20% student population, Boston is your classic "college town".

Students are crucial to Bostonís success, but we also magnify the housing problems that exist here.Ý Over 100,000 students in Boston are not housed on-campus, and are forced to find housing in the neighborhoods surrounding our colleges and universities.

When students move off-campus, we push up rent prices.Ý Four students pooling their money together can afford (and are often willing to pay) more for an apartment than a working family of four. As a result, long time residents like Ms. Lune cannot afford to stay in their homes.ÝÝ The supply of affordable homes is well below demand, and the demand is to live off campus!

Why are students moving off campus?Ý Because there are far more students enrolled in Boston schools than there are dorm rooms.

There are other reasons as well.Ý Even though rents are high in surrounding communities, they are often cheaper than what students would pay to live on campus!Ý Restrictive guest policies donít allow us to have our friends over at certain times. And we are often required to have an expensive meal plan when we live on campus. Or maybe the sheer cost for the quality isnít as good as we think it should be. If these statements ring true for you, you recognize the temptation to move off-campus.

As students, we are part of Bostonís housing problem.Ý As creative and energetic young people, however, we can organize to become part of the solution.Ý The great community organizer Saul Alinsky said, "Change comes from power, and power comes from organization.Ý In order to act, people must get together".Ý Campuses are the perfect place to take action - students are ready to get together and organize.Ý Students are full of ideas and are excited to become part of positive change!

This past Spring, students at Boston University organized for housing justice and formed the Boston University Youth Alliance for Housing, or BUYAH.Ý In four months, BUYAH successfully:

• Raised awareness on-campus about Bostonís severe housing problems
• Joined the city-wide movement to oppose and successfully defeat a new Fenway Ballpark, which would have taken much land away from the neighborhood
• Included over 100 students in different actions and events
• Planned a 50 person Walk for Housing through Boston to raise awareness, educate walkers, and raise money to support the work of Boston Mobilization, BUYAHís sponsor
• Developed leadership skills in many core members
• Collaborated with community organizations in Boston that are working for housing justice.

Now Boston Mobilization is working with students across Boston to start student-led housing groups dedicated to holding their universities accountable to their role in the housing crisis.Ý Our goal is to unite students from campuses all around Boston in a student movement for housingjustice!

Organizing ourselves and students on our campuses to take action on housing issues is an empowering and exciting challenge.Ý We have the power to make a difference in the way our universities use land and impact surrounding communities.Ý We can use our energy and skills to proactively become part of the citywide movement to make Boston a place where we can all afford to live. We owe it to ourselves, and to the families we are displacing, to make Boston an economically diverse and sustainable city.

Universities and Students

Many people work in the universities we attend, make minimum wage, have a second job, and are still unable to live near where they work. Is this the kind of society we want to live in?Ý The struggle for affordable quality homes and a living wage are two sides of the same coin. ÝWe need to have a say in how our communities are developed, and who is able to afford to live in them.

The lack of affordable homes near many campuses is the result of unjust exercises of power.Ý The deans and presidents of our colleges and universities donít have to deal with the pressures of the housing market - often the institution covers that expense while they are in office and making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.Ý Yet for most other people affiliated with the college or universities (including many professors), the struggle to find a home in Boston is a reality.Ý The vast economic network that surrounds large academic institutions and their corporations are fueling the housing crisis in Boston.

Colleges are non-profit organizations that have a mission to support the public good. But they keep taking more and more property off the public market.Ý Not paying property taxes is a benefit that the city gives non-profits in exchange for the good they do for the greater public. Universities and hospitals are two major factions of the non-profit industry that occupies 51% of the land in the city. ÝIf colleges truly lived to their mission as a non-profits serving the public, they would be compensating the city for the damage they are doing to the hosing market instead of continually buying up untaxed land.

It is important for us as students to work for the change we want to see. We know that having restrictive guest policies, paying too much for our dorm rooms, and being forced to have an overpriced meal plan does not encourage us to stay on campus.Ý As we leave campus, we move into heavily populated student neighborhoods.Ý We see the advantages in this, but to other people in the neighborhood, we are not always a welcomed addition.

As students, we are in the unique position of being able to work from inside the institutions we want to change.Ý We cannot wait for people who currently control the housing situation to do what we deem important. By organizing ourselves and educating other students about housing justice we can build a movement and become a powerful force in this city.

The Problem in Boston

More and more people are becoming aware of how hard it is to find a reasonably priced place to live in Boston.Ý Many people think they pay too much for their apartment, and owning a house that would be affordable in an area they want to live in seems out of the question.Ý The average Boston advertised rent is $1,400 per month, while rent affordable to the average Bostonian renter is $681 per month (BTC Report 2000, p.3). Some people canít even find a place to live; there are 5,820 homeless people in Boston (BTC Report 2000, p.13).

Why is the cost of living in Boston so high?Ý The market treats housing the same as any other commodity - there for profit instead of being seen as a basic necessity for all people. The low vacancy rate means that landlords can charge higher rents because people canít find anywhere else to rent. ÝLoss of rent control (which real estate interests lobbied hard for with their deep pockets) means that there is no check as to how much a landlord can charge for rent.Ý By viewing housing as a commodity on the free market that needs no special regulations, people are denied access to adequate, affordable homes.

Another major factor fueling the housing crisis are the cityís colleges and universities. Each September more than 100,000 students come to Boston to attend college or university. Yet schools in Boston provide less than 30,000 dorm rooms to house these students (GBIO Report April 24 2001, p.2). Where do all the students go?Ý Communities surrounding these institutions bear the burden of housing the students. A neighborhood with a 10% student population has average rents that cost $75 more than those without students (GBIO Report April 24 2001, p.1)!

Universities enroll more students than they can house to increase revenues.Ý But there are no regulations requiring universities to house a certain percentage of their students. The result is that over 100,000 students pour into neighborhoods around their campuses.

It is important that pressure come from students within the universities to demand they start housing more students.Ý But we canít stop there.Ý Colleges also must make that housing attractive and affordable to the average student so they will want to live there. Currently, the on-campus housing does not attract many students--at Boston University students pay at least $500 per month (excluding a mandatory meal plan) to share a small concrete block in a high-rise dormitory. Extremely conservative guest policies, mandatory meal plans, and cramped living are not incentives to stay on campus.

We can be effective working within our universities by pressuring them to house us in quality and affordable conditions.Ý Through education and organizing more students will understand the issue and want to become involved.

Campuses are ripe for involvement.Ý Students have the energy to give and ideas spread like wildfire - getting the word out and the level of excitement up is key!Ý Making the connection between progressive and populist forces on campus is also needed. Frame the issues in a way that appeal to the average student and your organization will bridge the gap between the mass of people on-campus and the progressive goals of your campaign.

Being active students on campus and in our communities lets us change the stereotypes that misrepresent students.Ý Participating in public life and being lively in our neighborhoods will help do away with the stereotype that students are uninvolved and indifferent to what happens beyond our immediate surroundings.

Students have been and continue to be leading forces in historic struggles to gain equality and justice - during the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, and now, the housing movement.

Organizing students around the housing crisis is important in the citywide struggle for more affordable homes.Ý It is also a way for students to meet and collaborate with other students who value the pursuit of a more just, democratic society.Ý Equality is not an abstract concept, nor should it be an abstract reality.

Being active on campus is also social and healthy.Ý In the words of one Boston University Youth Alliance for Housing (BUYAH) member, "When I look around the street, people are looking down, uninterested. But not BUYAH people. They are walking with their head up, a smile on their face."Ý Being active on campus gives us the connection with other students that inspire us and push us to do great things!

Definitions

Affordable Housing

A home is officially affordable to someone who spends no more than 30% of their income on housing.Ý Interestingly, this percentage keeps rising - it used to be as low as 10%!

Rent Control

Rent control places limits on how much a landlord can charge for rent. Under rent control, a landlord is only able to increase the rent if repairs have been made on the unit. ÝMassachusetts used to have rent control but it was abolished in 1995 by a campaign led by real-estate interests.

Market Rate

The market rate of housing is the rate that apartments are currently going for on the market.Ý Take one look at realtorís advertisements, and it becomes clear that the market rate does not always mean a fair rate.

Solutions

Organizing on our campuses is an effective way to bring students into the movement for housing justice.

We can create a student movement of housing groups around Boston!
Students constitute 20% of Bostonís population.Ý Together, we can be a collective force to be reckoned with, but only if we organize. ÝGroups at Boston University and Harvard have organized around the housing crisis and their models can be spread across the city to increase momentum in the movement.

This guide will teach you how to become a part of the housing movement. Here are other ways that work as well.

Creating more affordable homes:
TheBoston Tenant Coalition (BTC) has a plan to create 10,000 affordable homes in Boston by 2005.

Reinstating rent control:
Many community groups in Boston believe that reinstating rent control in Boston is necessary in order to make headway in the crisis. ÝIn 1995 the Real Estate industry spent millions of dollars to abolish rent control in Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge. ÝSince then, rents have soared because there is no limit to what landlords can charge for rent.

Creating a law requiring universities to pay for every student they donít house:
The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) is working on a bill that would make every college and university put money in an affordable housing fund for every student they do not house on campus.

Supporting community groups that are involved in local aspects of the struggle

Understanding holistic development plans:
The need for affordable homes is huge.Ý In addition to promoting the development of more affordable housing, it is also necessary to look at the quality of these homes. ÝWill a neighborhood with one bedroom affordable homes be able to support families? Many Community Development Corporations are working towards the vision of affordable, healthy, and sustainable neighborhoods.

Supporting tenant groups that are resisting eviction for increased profits from their landlords

Education and action through organizing!

Every good movement starts with a bright idea.Ý We all have the ideas, and now it is time to act.

Why are student-led housing groups important?

Students are often viewed as being perpetuators of the housing problem, not as leaders working for progressive change.Ý We are labeled as being too transitive to care about community issues. ÝWe rarely live in a place long enough to become involved.Ý Or we party often and do not show respect for those around us.

While this is often true, we too are affected by how our communities function and interact. We may change apartments often, but we often remain in the same neighborhoods for years. To classify students "a huge and vital section of the city" as inactive is to misjudge the intentions and capabilities of young people.

Although our universities are part of Bostonís housing crisis, we can be part of the solution. A Youth Alliance for Housing (student-led housing group) is important because it organizes students who recognize the value of community and the importance of housing justice.Ý Such groups organize students to act locally to see the change we want.Ý They help raise awareness on our campuses and make students want to become a part of a movement that promotes progressive change. And student-led housing groups develop the next generation of progressive leaders.

But Wait a Minute...

How would housing more students help alleviate the Boston housing crisis?
If more students lived on-campus, buildings would be freed up for Boston residents. College students can also generally afford higher rents than families (by living with friends and splitting the cost). Landlords would be less likely to charge higher rents if there werenít so many students looking for off-campus housing.

Arenít colleges and universities doing a lot of good in Boston?
Yes. ÝBut all the "right" stuff that colleges and universities are doing does not make up for their role in the housing crisis.

Most of the dorms are full on campus. Doesnít that mean universities are doing a good job at housing students?
No. It means that the off-campus housing market is often less attractive than the on-campus market, despite the restrictive policies that govern on-campus housing. Rents are high in Boston, and many students cannot afford them.Ý Some financial aid packages and scholarships require that students live on-campus, even if the award does not cover the full cost of living there.Ý And remember, even though Bostonís 28,000 dorm beds are full, more than 100,000 students live off-campus!

People live on campus now - doesnít that mean that the guest policies and meal plan options arenít too restrictive?
No it doesnít.Ý Students donít know what to do - they are faced with living on-campus with policies they do not agree with or moving off into the world of realtorsí fees and landlords and utility bills. ÝWhen faced with two less-than-perfect decisions, some people are going to choose living on-campus. ÝIt is often more convenient to live on-campus, and many colleges and universities have policies that require students to live on-campus during their first year or two.

What right do we have to tell our administration to build more housing?
Students are the life-blood of universities. Unfortunately the administration does not often act in the best interest of its students and instead acts like a large corporation. ÝBut we can have the power to make change.Ý When students organize and put pressure on university administration - through rallies, boycotts, sit-ins, the media - the administration is forced to change. We have the right to tell administrators to build housing because we pay a lot of money to attend our institutions. Most students want to be part of a community at their college, and could do so if they lived in nice and affordable on-campus living. Voicing your concerns and organizing to demand justice is the backbone of participatory democracy.

Boston seems too dense for more development.Ý Where should universities build more housing?
Student housing should not displace current residents in Boston or we havenít really accomplished anything.Ý Instead of evicting residents from their homes, colleges should develop new dorms responsibly. This means being creative in their use of space on campus.Ý Are parking lots really a good use of space? How about building luxury hotels, as BU is doing in Kenmore Square? Ý Responsible development also means respecting the communities that new dorms are being built in. Do high-rise buildings right on the Charles River that alter the cityscape respect the community? Colleges and universities spend millions of dollars on development plans, and doing it responsibly is not an absurd request.

Developing and constructing new dorms is a long process.Ý What should we be working for now?
We should make sure that development plans are in place that put building dorms as the top priority.Ý We should pressure our administrators to change restrictive guest policies. ÝWe should work with community groups to pass legislation that restricts the unchecked land use and enrollment policies of major colleges and universities.

What is a concrete goal to work towards?
Getting colleges and universities to cap enrollment based on how many people they can currently house, both undergraduates and grad students, is an effective way to alleviate the impact universities have on the housing market right now.

Is student organizing an effective way of working for housing justice?
Yes! Pressure must come from inside as well as outside our institutions.Ý As the people who pay the bills of our institutions, w can have a massive effect on how they operate, especially when we work together with community groups.

The Larger Vision

Working for housing justice on campus unites you with students all over the world who are working for systemic change.Ý By being active in your community you are a powerful part of the movement of people who share a vision of - and are working toward - a more democratic, peaceful, and just society. By working locally to improve unfair conditions, you are becoming a part of the global movement for a more humane and democratic society.

Section II: Goals of a Youth Alliance for Housing (YAH)

Why establish a student-led housing group?Ý Because we know what we are capable of doing, and we can channel studentís energy and creativity into an organization that works for them. Educating and organizing students to take action on Bostonís affordable housing crisis is fun and empowering. We can work together to develop a citywide network of students organized to find creative solutions for housing justice.

This vision of positive action and collaboration involves students, residents, university officials, and neighborhood associations.Ý Students are connected with their neighborhoods as they work in collaboration with local residents and community organizations.

Campaign goals of a YAH

Each Youth Alliance for Housing will have specific campaigns they work on depending on the issues most important on your campus.Ý The following goals are likely to be relevant to your campus.

Tie on-campus housing to enrollment rates.Ý If universities accept more people into the city than they can house, they magnify the housing problem.Ý As long as the affordable housing crisis exists in Boston, universities should house all their students.Ý This does not mean pushing out existing residents of their homes (as is the case with the man on the T and Boston Universityís property on the old Audubon Circle). Instead, why not develop housing above parking lots, or other dead space on campus that does not add to the social fabric of a neighborhood?

Support programs and organizations that have affordable housing campaigns.Ý Working with organizations in the city and becoming involved with their projects can empower many group members too!

Support development that respects the needs of communities, not the monnied interests that dominate the land power in Boston. Help stop the creation of structures that benefit the few and subtract from the cohesion of the community, such as plans to build a new Fenway Park. Who Rules Boston is a great resource on the politics of land domination and power!

Empowerment goals of a YAH

Learning how to be active in your community and feel empowered to organize are fundamental aspects of a YAH. A basic goal is to create new leaders in the student population by allowing the space and structure to handle lots of energy, initiative, and ideas! You can do this by creating an atmosphere in your YAH that invites participation and makes people feel secure to act upon their initiatives.Ý Continually training a new group of student leaders is crucial to the success of your YAH so the organization can continue as the student population shifts.

A YAH lets students make ties to their community through meaningful relationships with community organizations and neighborhood residents. Students will then become more confident in their abilities to be active in the community. Increased connections make us stronger in putting pressure on well-staffed and big-money forces.

Section III: The BUYAH Model

In January 2001, a group of students organized together to create BUYAH. Boston Mobilization provided guidance to the group and dedicated much energy and time into developing leadership skills in group members.Ý Collaborating closely with Mobilization helped BUYAH be a successful and effective force in the housing movement in Boston.

Student concern about Boston Universityís land use and the effect of BUís students in the Fenway and Allston/Brighton neighborhoods caused students to organize together. There is large discontent expressed in the student body about the housing conditions that exist on-campus. There is also an underlying feeling of animosity for the "student" population in neighborhoods where many students live. Students were ready to do something about these issues!

Students have valid concerns about both leaving campus and staying on - when faced with two options that have both strengths and weaknesses, which is the right answer? ÝThis dilemma gave more the students more reason to research the problem. Students move off because the housing that BU does provide is extremely expensive, protected with strict guest policies, and not of top quality.Ý But some stay on for scholarship reasons, proximity to campus, the community that exists in the dorms and to avoid paying realtorís fees and high rents.

Boston University is a huge private landowner in Boston and owns 92 buildings (580 Comm Ave Press Conference: June 11, 2001).Ý BU is also a non-profit organization which prides itself as being a leading institution in the city.Ý Yet it fails to house over 13,000 of its 23,000 students (GBIO Report April 24 2001, Appendix 2). These students have unintentionally forced local families out of their homes due to rising rents.Ý In an area where many BU students live, Allston/Brighton, the average median rent is $150 more than ordinary, due to the studentsí presence (GBIO Report April 24 2001, p.2).

BUYAH was created because there was no existing student group on campus that dealt with the rising student concern.Ý The focus and energy of BUYAH is centered around the root causes of the housing crisis. ÝThis differs from the BU Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which helps those who have been hit hardest in the housing crisis by constructing new homes.Ý Not disregarding the good that Habitat does, BUYAH aims to influence and alter the conditions which create the need for groups like Habitat to exist.

After five months BUYAH had achieved tremendous results!Ý From the beginning of January to the middle of May, BUYAH:

• included over 100 students in different actions and events,
• hosted an educational forum featuring City Councilor Mike Ross, Steve Meacham from City Life/ Vida Urbana, and Lisa Nazarro from the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization,
• planned a walking tour of the Allston/Brighton neighborhood to give members a concrete understanding of the problems the group was working to solve,
• participated in direct actions including bringing Valentineís Day cards to city councilors opposing public funding for a new Fenway Ballpark,
• attended Fenway Task Force meetings and voiced opposition to a new Fenway Ballpark through song, posters and protest,
• received press coverage in the Boston Tab, the Allston/Brighton Tab, The Boston Phoenix, the Daily Free Press (BUís newspaper), the Weekly Dig, and the Boston Globe,
• testified at a press conference hosted by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization on universitiesí failure to house their students,
• participated in meetings of various other organizations in Boston (such as the Boston Tenant Coalition) that worked around the housing crisis,
• created a tenantsí rights guide,
• supported the residents of 580 Comm. Ave in their struggle to stop their eviction from their BU-owned affordable homes,
• planned a fifty person Walk for Housing through Boston to learn about the affordable housing crisis and raise more than $3000 to support Boston Mobilizationís efforts to organize around the housing crisis,
• surveyed Boston University students to find out their housing concerns and what factors determine whether to live on or off campus, and
• organized a housing rally and march at Boston University to give students a positive and constructive outlet for their concerns over campus housing issues.

Less concrete - but just as impressive - than the above list was the accomplishment of developing a new group of student leaders at Boston University. The collaborative power-structure of the organization allowed for many people to be empowered to take action on issues that interested them, and the social component of BUYAH made members feel strong and united.Ý Students created solidarity, and from that solidarity came progress.

BUYAHís development shows how an organization can evolve:

Summer 2000: BU student interns with Boston Mobilization and researched housing issues in Boston and on campus

Fall 2000: BU student learns more about housing issues, makes connections with community groups, and engages in campus outreach around the issue

December 2000: 5 students meet with a Boston Mobilization organizer to form BUYAH

Early January 2001: Core group meets to help set the foundation for BUYAHís first semester

January 24 2001: Orientation Meetings

January 31 2001: Educational Forum

February 14 2001: Valentineís Day Action at City Hall and Fenway Park

February 24 2001: Allston/Brighton field trip

February 26 2001: Action planning workshop to prepare for a Fenway Task Force meeting

February 28 2001: Walk for Housing Info Session

March 21 2001: Walk for Housing Info Session

April 4 2001: Sponsor Pledge Workshop for the Walk for Housing

April 21 2001: Walk for Housing

May 2 2001: Housing Rally and March at Boston University

*Weekly meetings throughout this period.

*Occasional social events during the semester.

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BOSTON UNIVERSITY YOUTH ALLIANCE FOR HOUSING (BUYAH)

WHERE: 720 Commonwealth Ave WHEN: Today - noon-3pm open-mic, 3pm rally CONTACT: Roni KrouzmanÝ 617.782.2313 and Mark GreenfieldÝ 17.905.7227

BU students to rally for more on-campus housing

Student, community concerns cited

Several hundred Boston University students will take part in an open-mic, rally, and march today to demand more student dormitories, as a severe housing shortage at the school will force thousands of students into substandard university housing next year, and force thousands more to move off campus.

"It is a travesty that BU cannot house all of its students adequately, both for students and the communities whose rents are raised when we move off campus," said rally organizer and BU student Justin Cockrell.

From noon to 3pm, students will take part in an open-mic "Speak Out" against BUís housing policies.Ý At 3pm, more than 100 students are expected to take part in a rally and subsequent march calling on BU to involve students in decision-making and reform its housing policies.

Both events will take place at BUís Marsh Plaza (720 Commonwealth Ave, BU Central Stop of the B-Green Line T), and will focus on BUís lack of affordable on-campus housing, as well as community issues such as the schoolís decision to build a luxury hotel in Kenmore Square and its move to evict dozens of tenants from their apartments at 580 Commonwealth Ave.

The rally and march will take place as forty Harvard students continue their occupation of that schoolís presidentís office to demand a living wage for Harvard workers.

(Include: BUYAH press clip, tenantsí rights guide, blue brochure)

Section IV: Starting a YAH!

If it works, go with it! The Boston University Youth Alliance for Housing (BUYAH) is the model for this guide.Ý I use BUYAH as an example because it worked.Ý It is not the only way a YAH can work, but it was - and remains - successful. BUYAH worked closely with Boston Mobilization (a progressive community organization) to create an effective and empowered student organization.Ý By using BUYAH as an example, it is more concrete what a group can accomplish and what roads can be taken to get there.

The following events all took place during the first two months of BUYAH.Ý It is a good model to loosely follow, adapting it to fit your campus.

Initial Outreach

The first step in starting an organization is finding other people who want to become involved. It only takes you and a friend to get a YAH off the ground! Finding people who are interested in starting a housing group can be done in a number of ways.Ý The more convincing, energetic, and passionate you sound about the importance and predicted success of your YAH, the more people will want to join. People are always eager to become a part of a winning team!Ý Here are some ideas to get started with:

• Contact other activists on campus.
  Sometimes there are people involved with so much that it is a wonder they take classes! But busy people always find time to do more, so donít forget to ask already involved students about joining your YAH.
• Make announcements in class.
  When announcing the group in class, be specific about what you are aiming to accomplish. The more energetic you seem, the more attractive your group appears to everyone else and the more eager they are to join you.Ý Ask your professor if you can do it at the beginning of class - peopleís attention is most focused earlier on.Ý Concentrate on classes that are relative to the issues of your YAH, like social science and urban studies classes.
• Contact other student groups on campus.
  Make sure to concentrate some outreach on other campus groups. Any socially active groups is a good target.Ý Get in contact with a group leader and then attend one of their meetings and make a presentation about your group.Ý If you can. Meet with a group leader separately as well.Ý (See page __ on One on Ones to find tips on how to do this.)
• Student tabling.
  Set up a table in your student union about the group and bring a bright sign, a sign-up list (with name, e-mail and phone number), and information about your first meeting.Ý This will attract students you do not know but who are interested in becoming active with housing issues.
• Outreach at other progressive events.
  Pass around sign-up sheets or petitions at progressive events on campus.

It is always crucial to take down a personís name, phone number, and e-mail address. Keeping track of people and keeping them informed is the most efficient way to increase the size of your organization. Be confident in what you are presenting - you are selling them on an idea and you want to give the impression that this is going to be an incredible group (which it will be!).

Initial Organizational Meeting (goal of 5 people)

Call students who are active and whose names you have gathered from your initial outreach (which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few months). Ask them to join you in a small organizational meeting.Ý Be sure to get a concrete answer if they are coming to the first meeting so you know how many people to expect.Ý Have an outline of key points to tell them about the YAH and be open to what ideas they suggest.

You are ready to hold your first organizational meeting to develop the ideas and structure of your group.Ý Shoot for a small meeting (if you want 3-5 people, get 4-7 "yesís" in addition to yourself) - too many people at this stage would be bad.Ý If you want 5 people, that means you should make phone calls until 10 people agree to come; a 50% no show is usual.Ý Having a few people is not undemocratic because you are not creating specific policies, you are just creating the space for people to become involved.Ý Target your most active people!

The people who attend this meeting will hopefully become the core team of your YAH. Make sure to guide the meeting in a way that empowers everyone there.Ý This meeting is crucial in beginning the group. Continuous energy and flowing ideas will ensure success!

Core Group

It is almost inevitable that different people will have different levels of commitment to the group. A core group will probably form, made up of the people that come to almost every meeting because they want to be there and think it is a valuable organization. Great!Ý Instead of denying the existence of such a group, encourage the participation but insist it be democratic.

The doors to this group should always be open and there must not be tension between the core and the rest of the group.Ý The core is not 'better' nor do they have more power, they are merely the group that steers the organization.Ý Everything decided can be questioned and discussed.Ý This core should never have so much autonomy that they begin to undermine the rest of the group.

What does the core do? They set meeting times, discuss events and campaigns that the group will endorse or undertake, create committees, discuss the budget, focus on outreach, and handle all the other logistics of a university organization. The responsibilities should never lie on so few hands that power is centralized and diversity drops, or on so many hands that nothing ever gets done. It is a tricky situation, and experience will help.Ý When in doubt, lean toward greater democracy. Better to try for a happy, egalitarian organization than a mechanized hierarchy that minimizes participation.

When planning on where to have the meeting, think about where people will feel most comfortable and not distracted.Ý Choose a convenient time and place.Ý At the beginning of the meeting, set a time that everyone agrees to stay until - that way people wonít get antsy when it is nearing the end. An hour and a half or two hours is good to get started.

Getting everyone comfortable with each other is a first priority. Set aside 10-15 minutes to do introductions.Ý Have people tell why they are there, how they know about the YAH, and what is one thing about the idea of the group that interests them (a possible goal/outcome of the group). Sharing something silly is a great way to break it up a little and get people laughing.

Some fun questions to get people engaged in the meeting right away!

• Favorite human trick
• Cartoon character you want to be
• Best mode of transportation
• High point of your day
• Favorite random fact
• Best park in the area
• Favorite job you ever had
• Best book you have read
• Where you would travel if you had the opportunity
• Coolest class you have ever taken
• Most influential person in your life
• Favorite revolution
• Hidden talent
• Hero
• Best present you ever gave/received

Next move to a good icebreaker.Ý This will make people a little more focused and it is still fun! Some possible ideas of ice breakers are:

• have a one on one,
• draw four quick pictures of things that represent you, donít write your name on it and then switch and try to guess who drew which one, or
• have someone else run the icebreaker if they have an idea

Have an agenda with ideas that you want to get through, but leave lots of time for input. You want these people to become crucial members in the group, to be invested in decisions the group makes, and to desire the success of the group.Ý As a group, spend a large portion of the meeting brainstorming possible goals, actions and next steps.Ý If everyone leaves the meeting with something concrete to work on (publicizing the next event, etc.) everyone will already be connected to the group!

Boston University/Affordable Housing Initiative
Outline for Small Group Meeting

Introduction
Housing in Boston:ÝAn Overview
    Affordable Housing
        Overviw: Types, and statistics
        Citywide
        Allston/Brighton and Fenway
Soaring Markets
    Overview
    Causes
        1. Rent Control
        2. Loss of different types of Affordable Housing
        3. Universities
    Allston/Brighton and Fenway statistics
Boston University
    Costs: BU vs Alston/Brighton and Fenway-Room and Board, brokendown by types of rooms and meal plans     Guest Policy
    Housing Capacity
    Real Estate endeavors
    Board of Trustees
Argument and Proposal

The Educational Forum

An educational forum is an excellent first event for your YAH. It is a great way to educate a lot of people and generate excitement about the affordable housing issue and your organization. It also gives people from the small organizational meeting a concrete goal to accomplish that will make them feel empowered and will help the organization grow.

Having some big name speakers will raise the excitement about the event. Well-known people on campus will entice others to come to the event.Ý In addition to student speakers, community organizers, locals residents, city coucnilors, and other elected officials would be great to speak here. Ideas for speakers can be found by calling Mobilization (617.782.2313).Ý They are more than willing to help your YAH get off to a great start!

Publicity for the event is key.Ý You want as many people as possible to come.Ý Have lots of posters to promote the event - plaster your school and living areas! Plan a poster making session before the event. This way many people can become involved and learn how to make good posters.Ý Check out our Effective Outreach guide on page __ and sample phone raps and poster on page _______ for concrete examples of how to promote this event.

(INCLUDE POSTERS HERE)

Call any lists of students that you know may be interested - from initial outreach, other student groups, or just active students in the community.Ý Phoning is so very important!Ý People are very responsive to direct contact, and feel honored that you have called them specifically to invite them to this exciting event.

Make sure the speakers know who they are addressing - many people attending the event will not know much about the issue so it is good to start from ground zero.Ý Make sure to specify what you want the speakers to talk about, so that the forum is relevant to the goals you have set for it.Ý Have them bring literature to leave with the students.

Have media coverage at the event.Ý Your school newspaper, local newspapers, and a local TV station would all be interested in commenting. Send out press releases a week before the event and then an **immediate attention** press release the day of the event.

Check out our media outreach guide on page___ and a sample press release on page___ to help spread the word about the educational forum!

Look at this press release! Both immediate action and before a week before

(INCLUDE PRESS RELEASE HERE)

Designate one or two people to be media liaisons for the event - they will talk with the media and answer questions, and give out any literature that you have on the issue and your group. Have them connect any reporters with good, articulate and well-informed students in the group to interview. Prep these students in advance, and prepare a "media talking points" is possible (see page___).

Have a table set up outside the room - you can greet people, make sure everyone signs the sign-up list, and pass out some literature about the housing problems in Boston.

At the beginning of the forum get the crowd going with a song or chant or handclap. This will help make people active participants in the event as opposed to silent observers. Bring music and candy to the event to liven it up (get peopleís blood sugar on the rise!).

Have two agendas for the event - one for the MCís of the event (loud people who want to rile people up) and one for the rest of the people running the event.Ý Set time guidelines, an follow them as closely as possible.Ý Do your best to include all your members at some level.Ý Everyone will feel proud of what was accomplished and they will feel more comfortable taking on a larger role next time.

BUYAH!

Educational forum Agenda

6:45 - 7:10 PMÝ (person the doors)

7:10 - 7:12 MC Welcome

7:12 - 7:15 Mona and Mark lead BUYAH cheer and dance!

7:15Ý MCís introduce Mark and Katy

7:15 - 7:20Ý Mark and Katy introduce BUYAH and the issues...
(mention next meeting)

7:20 - MCís introduce our speakers

7:20 - 7:35 - Steve Meacham

7:35 - MCís introduce Lisa Nazarro

7:50 - Mark introduces Mike Ross

7:50 - 8PM - Mike Ross talks

8:00 - Roni thanks Mike, makes some connections, possible solutions

8:08 - Katy announces Walk for Change

8:10Ý - MCís announce next meeting and question period

8:10 - 8:30 - MCís facilitate question period

8:30 or so - MCís thank everyone for coming and remind about next meeting!

(INCLUDE MCs AGENDA FROM THE EVENT)

Having sign up lists going around the audience is crucial!Ý This is your biggest opportunity to recruit people to join your organization. Appoint people to be in charge of collecting the sheets, keeping them all together, and entering the data into the database.

Repeatedly announce the next meeting (orientation meeting) at your event and have flyers about it so that people will have a concrete reminder of when and where the next meeting is.

The Orientation Meeting

This is the first public meeting of your YAH!Ý Your biggest challenge is to maintain the momentum from the educational forum and make everyone feel they are contributing to the formation of the group. There will be much excitement about the group - the goal is to channel that energy into action!

When deciding on a location for the meeting, first make a realistic estimate on how many people you can recruit. You don't want to reserve a big lecture hall and fill it with only 20 people. On the other hand, if you invited 200 people and half of those people came, you wouldn't want to meet in a coffee shop. If youíre not expecting too many people, try to find a small, comfortable, convenient location that can be reserved for future meetings.Ý Why meet in a small place rather than a large place? It will keep the energy high and make it clear initiative is welcome. Try to keep the location consistent if you can. When you first start out you might lose a lot of people if you meet somewhere else every week.

In general you should promote your meetings well ahead of time.Ý Schedule your first meeting about two weeks before you invite people to it. This will give you enough time to personally invite everyone on your list. It will give them enough time to schedule around the meeting time. Also post this information on an email that you can send out to everyone whose name you have collected so far.Ý Calling people will make the meeting seem inviting and important!

Before your orientation meeting, meet with the core team (from the small meeting) and create an agenda for the orientation meeting.Ý Make one agenda for the facilitators of the meeting, and one for the participants.

Boston University Youth Alliance for Housing (BUYAH)
Wednesday February 7, 6-7pm
Orientation Agenda

1. Welcome, sign in sheets
2. Introductions
3. Brief History of Group
4. One on ones
5. Two group brainstorming session question progression
6. What makes where you live good or bad?
7. What impacts this experience? (people, institutions...)
8. How does Boston University impact housing, both for students and people in the surrounding community?
9. Having the power that BUís president has, what changes would you make to improve housing for both students and the community?
10. What can we do? (tactics, strategies, events...)
11. Share ideas
12. Present four areas of action for BUYAH
13. Questions

Boston University Youth Alliance for Housing (BUYAH!)
Wednesday February 7, 6-7pm
Orientation Agenda
Facilitators Agenda

1. Welcome, sign in sheets
   "Welcome to the orientation for BUYAH.Ý Iím Julia, and this is Jeff, and weíll be facilitating tonightís orientation.Ý The orientation will last about 45 minutes, and then at 7 weíll be having our regular BUYAH meeting, which everyone should definitely stay for.
   We are thrilled you are all here tonight.Ý We want to let you know what BUYAH has done so far, and catch you up on what has been going on. Many of you were at the educational forum last Wednesday (which was awesome) but werenít able to make it to our first meeting the week before.Ý We did an activity at that meeting that helps get at some of the underlying issues with the affordable housing crisis and BUís role within the crisis. First, we want to have everyone introduce themselves..."
2. Introductions:
   name, school, year, where they are from, how they found out about BUYAH, favorite 80s TV show
3. Brief History of Group
   "BUYAH officially started this semester.Ý We have had a tremendous response in terms of interest, which shows studentsí dedication to working for a change to help solve the housing problems going on in Boston.Ý There is a huge housing crisis right now.Ý Tenants are unable to pay rising rents and are being forced out of their homes. Rent control was abolished in 1995 and rents have skyrocketed since then. There are thousands of students in Boston that are able to pay more for an apartment than a working family of four.Ý It makes sense that students would want to live off campus, as they are given more freedom, they have more space, they do not have to pay for a meal plan, and it is less expensive than living on campus. Because of these concerns students organized together, and formed BUYAH.Ý We will get into the main issues and events BUYAH is planning on concentrating on this semester, but first we want to do another short activity. (Introduce one on ones....relationships=power=results)
4. One on ones
   (3 minutes) (one minute for each person to talk, then one to come up with a question)
5. Two groups-question progression"Jeff facilitates one group, Julia another.
   What makes where you live good or bad?
   What impacts this experience? (people, institutions, laws...)
   How does Boston University impact housing, both for students and people in the surrounding community?
   If you were BUís president, what changes would you make to improve housing for both students and the community?
   What can we do as a group? (tactics, strategies, events...)
6. Share ideas
   "We want to go over some of the main ideas that our groups have come up with. What are the main points? Ideas?"
7. Present four areas of action for BUYAH.
   We will go over these groups more in the next meeting, but we briefly want to introduce each of the four areas BUYAH is concentrating on this semester.Ý These are:
   University Campaign - Quality of life in the dorms, linking university enrollment rates with available on campus housing.
   Fenway/Urban Village - A plan for a baseball team versus a plan that works for the community.
   Walk for Housing - April 21. A five-mile walk around Boston. Educate along the way, stopping at various community groups to learn about what can and has been done to promote affordable housing.
   Tenantsí rights, rent control, Section 8 housing - Working on a legislative campaign to help make permanent changes in the housing market.
8. Questions
9. Thank you so much!
   Now definitely attend our next meeting, where weíll actually get crackiní on the all the issues youíve learned about!

In order to get a big showing, call all the people who came to the educational forum three nights before the event.Ý Also, leave a message on their machines the day of the event to remind them about the meeting, through the school phone system if possible. Having a phone rap for everyone to use makes it run more smoothly, and allows people to have more confidence in what they are saying.

PHONE RAP for the Educational Forum

Hi, is _____ there?Ý Hi _____, my name is _____ and Iím an organizer with the BU Youth Housing Alliance.Ý How are you doing?

Cool. Well Iím calling to thank you for coming to our forum last week, and to invite you to come to our next meeting, which is tomorrow night at 7pm. Weíll be having an orientation for new people at 6 - do you think you can make it?

The event is Wednesday at 7pm in CAS room 326, and we will explain Bostonís affordable housing crisis and how students can help. Weíd love it if you could make it, _____. Can we count on you to be there Wednesday?

(Yes) Great! Do you think you might be able to bring a friend or two?

(Maybe)ÝWell I really encourage you to come, _____.Ý The event will be really fun and informative, and weíd really love you to get involved... But if you canít make it, definitely try to make our regular group meeting NEXT Wednesday in CAS B27.Ý There will be a special orientation for new people at 6pm.

(No) OK, we understand.Ý Well, weíll be having our regular group meeting NEXT Wednesday, Feb. 7 in CAS B27.Ý There will be a special orientation for new people at 6pm. Do you think you can make THAT?

(Yes)Ý Great! Do you think you might be able to bring a friend or two?

(Maybe) Well (again) I really encourage you to come, _____.Ý The meeting will be really fun and informative, and weíd really love you to involved...

(No) OK, well weíll keep you informed about future events.

Answering MachineHi _____, this is _____ calling to tell you about the first educational forum of the BU Youth Housing Alliance, or BUYAH! Itís this Wednesday at 7pm in CAS 326, and will feature a city councilor and two community organizers explaining Bostonís affordable housing crisis and how students can make a difference. Itís going to be really fun and informative - we hope to see you there, _____!

Small group discussions let people realize why they are here and what they want to do about the issue. The also let them take control of the meeting right away. Small discussions were based on the four questions from the agenda.Ý Having people write their answers on big poster paper allows for everyone to see what the other groups have come up with.

After the groups have brainstormed, have people share their ideas from the small group discussions in a big group.Ý A notetaker can record all the ideas presented to the group.Ý The notetaker can then type up the ideas and distribute them at the next meeting or over e-mail.Ý On the email, announce the next meeting and if possible an action/volunteer opportunity that everyone can participate in.

The First Real Meeting

Have two of the core group members facilitate the meeting.

A main goal of this meeting is to decide what main issues the group wants to concentrate on. Ý After that is decided, you can split up into different teams of people working around these issues. In small groups, everyone can have a larger input!Ý You may want to come to the meeting prepared with a basic idea of what the teams will be (based on what was brought up at the orientation meeting) to help direct the group. Some ideas for different groups (which BUYAH used) are a university campaign, a local neighborhood issue, a city-wide legislation campaign, and a fundraising group or event planning group such as the Walk for Housing committee.

Have the coordinating team subdivided into as many sections as you will be working on.Ý During the first meeting, the core group members facilitate small teams of students who want to work on each specific issue.Ý This structure allows for tighter unity within the YAH and more opportunities for people to take on larger roles in the organization.Ý At the end of the team time come back together and share with the group what you have decided upon as some main issues each team wants to concentrate on.

(INCLUDE AGENDA HERE)

Listing upcoming events on the agenda is key.Ý This allows people to take action on what most interests them! To get information about these events, call local organizations (see section in this guide) that work on housing and see what your local community is working on concerning the housing crisis.

Insist on results.Ý Once you have people coming to the meetings you have to keep them from leaving. Build unity through establishing regular contact. This can be interpreted many ways. You can:

• Form a newsletter;
• Start a web page for the YAH;
• Have a calendar of events posted somewhere;
• Set up a message board in the campus center;
• Make a brochure for the YAH;
• Get in contact with the student media;
• Advertise events in the paper;
• Write articles and editorials about the groupís events;
• Discuss events on the radio;
• Get an interview from the TV station.

These are concrete things that build community and give organization members a sense of accomplishment.

Meet with your administration

Meeting with the administration can be a nerve-racking task for some individuals in the YAH, because they feel that the administration has more power over the group. But the YAH has the power of collaboration and a common cause.Ý Stay firm in your convictions and beliefs.Ý Schools have professional Public Relations personnel whose job is to make the school look good.Ý They are paid to be persuasive and manipulative.Ý Do not let that dissuade you from the issues you want to bring up before them.

Plan for the event.Ý Have a set list of things you want to go over, and write them down.Ý Look them over before you leave so that you are sure to accomplish all your goals that you came into the meeting with. One goal of meeting with administration is to open communication with them and find out any research that you may want to know for your campaign.Ý Having open communication with them will allow for increased power when you bring a request to the administration at a later date.

Section V: How a YAH Works

The philosophy and power structure of a YAH

People want to be confident that their ideas are of good quality and are respected by other people in a group. Ideally, people input their ideas and are satisfied by the way the organization is proceeding.Ý The underlying philosophy of a YAH is to have as dispersed a power structure as possible, where people have the confidence and knowledge to act on their initiative.Ý Create an environment where people feel comfortable voicing their opinions.

One person should not dominate the group, although a small group of people may do much of the behind the scenes work.Ý Any preparation for the meetings is presented to the group in a way that makes everyone feel empowered.

A crucial way to build strength is through relationships.Ý To keep people coming, the group must be fun. Social events are key!Ý The more comfortable you are in a group, the more positive your group will be and the better results you will accomplish.Ý Have someone who is in charge of planning social events that have nothing to do with the political purpose of your organization.

One on Ones

One on ones help create the relationships that a group needs in order to be healthy. They are small conversations that let people have personal relationships with others in the group. Organizations are strong due to the relationships that exist within them, not only the shared interest of the issue at hand.Ý When you are comfortable with your fellow group members, you are more productive and willing to make more of a commitment.

Here are easy pointers to having successful one on one meetings:

• A one on one is only between two people.
• The objective is to create public relationships with others in the group.
• Each person has equal time to talk.
• Asking why (as opposed to how and what) questions allows for more to be shared and learned.
• Schedule a one on one during both of these times:
• During the weekly meeting.Ý Set aside five minutes early in the meeting to get people talking and comfortable. Always be with someone you havenít been with before, if possible.
• Right after the short one on ones, set up a lunch one on one for sometime during the week with anyone in the group.Ý This creates great solidarity and group openness! During the lunch, be specific that it is a one on one, by making an effort to understand what drives people, why they are involved in your YAH, and what gets them going.
• One on ones are different from social events in that they concentrate on learning about someone more concretely than when many people are gathered together for a purely social purpose.

Foster Community

How often does a friend convince you to do something?Ý Most people join groups because of personal ties. Fostering those ties through one-on-one relationship building will help keep people coming to your meetings. You can also use your organization to hold campus-wide social events, like activist potlucks, movie nights, and soccer games, which will make people feel more connected.Ý Don't forget to have fun! The great organizer Emma Goldman said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution!"Ý You will quickly discover that fun and team building on the field translate into trust and solidarity around the meeting table.

Bridging the Community Service and Student Activism Gap

On many campuses like-minded individuals socialize and act within a group of other like-minded individuals. Often unnecessary and arbitrary divisions isolate people that actually share very similar visions.Ý The idea of organizing for housing justice may seem radical and very political to some students. Working to create a better community may appeal to more students on your campus thank radical organizing and action.Ý Publicize your YAH in a way that frames issues that are important to many people.

Labeling students as being part of one type of change and not another - namely distinguishing between community service providers and students of the movement for social change - is to not focus on the gains that can be made when we work together. It is important not to write people off who you think are not the ideal type for your group. We all come from different backgrounds and can bring different experiences and ideas to the YAH. Although doing outreach to community service based people may not be your first instinct, they have much energy to give to the YAH.Ý They share many of the same ideals but realize them differently - maybe they have not been exposed to thinking in terms of political action.Ý Make the meetings ideologically accessible to all and you will bring more people and energy into your YAH!

Structure of a YAH and the roles within a YAH

When you are especially interested in an issue, you usually want to take a larger role in it. People within a YAH who want to dedicate more time to the group naturally form a core team.

A core team creates a broad-base structure and allows more people to be active in the group.Ý If you have four issues you want to work on, make up four teams of two to work on each project.Ý This way eight people are very active and empowered and the job will be done more efficiently.

Each core member will be able to empower members to become more involved.Ý People will rise to the opportunity of playing a larger role in the organization.Ý Bi-or tri-weekly meetings with the coordinating team keeps communication open and allows for a joint vision of what the group wants to accomplish.

Have one person in charge of making sure the agenda gets made, so that people are informed of what is going on at each meeting.Ý This does not mean one person always has to make the agenda, but they need to manage the agenda - keep track of who is doing it and go over with them things that need to be included. Listing upcoming events on the agenda lets people become involved and participate at a level they can decide upon.Ý Having an announcement section so that people are empowered to attend other meetings or actions is an excellent way to make people feel in control and let them be productive.

Roles that the coordinating team fulfill include: managing and recruiting volunteers to work on database entry, phoning for events and meetings, and being in charge of media contacts, poster making, and outreach. The coordinating team doesnít have to do all of these themselves, but is responsible for making sure they get done.

Running a meeting

The meeting flow can make or break an organization.Ý If people feel their presence is not influential, they'll stop coming.Ý But when people are engaged in the activities and planning, they will be sure to continue to come.

Meeting preparation is key!Ý Being prepared makes everyone feel there is more legitimacy to the group. They are more likely to put energy into something they think is meaningful and well thought out. Start your meetings on time, so that people arrive on time. People like to be respected and know that their time is valued.

Starting a meeting with a chant, song, or handclap is a good way to create group solidarity and get people involved right away.Ý It brings up the attention level because it gets people standing and their energy flowing. People feel connected to the whole group because there is something that has already been shared by everyone. Letting the meeting have a fun and relaxed atmosphere is important - it is all about finding the right balance of fun and productivity.Ý People are laughing and already happy to be there!

Having weekly meetings is key!Ý When special event or actions arise that you want everyone to attend, host them instead of the weekly meeting. On the other hand, sometimes you need more than one meeting a week. If you are planning a large event, make an extra meeting and make sure people commit to coming and making it worth everyoneís time.

Organizational Structure

The structure of the YAH should be democratic and participatory.Ý This means that everyone should have an equal say in decisions, and that no one person should have the last word. There is no president, though there should be facilitators.Ý Facilitators take turns directing the meeting's flow, not leading it. They gently guide the conversation according to the agreed-upon agenda, and make suggestions as to where the direction of conversation should go.Ý Facilitators should never impose on the group without consent.

Participation in your organization and its meetings should be encouraged, not suppressed. This doesn't mean that the two or three big mouths should talk more, but that everyone should participate. The facilitator can ask for the opinion of the rest of the group if a couple people are dominating the discussion.

You may want to rotate the facilitator each meeting. This delegates responsibility in an egalitarian manner and also prevents one person from accumulating too much power. It should be the responsibility of the facilitator to make sure another facilitator is chosen for the following meeting. Initially it may seem this would create a disorganized group, but as everyone learns how to facilitate, the whole organization will grow and be more productive.

Section VI: The Method of a YAH

The goal of a YAH is to create an organization of leaders, not an organization of followers.Ý In order for that to happen, people have to be able to do certain skills by themselves. These skills are not difficult to learn, but they are not intrinsically known either.Ý Below are some guides on how to develop and perform some important activist skills.Ý They can gear your YAH toward a solid foundation of leaders.

Confidence is the key to success!Ý Be specific in your intentions and convicted in your ideas, and people will be attracted to join you and the YAH. These guides will help you become a more effective leader.Ý The more people that use them, the greater the goals will be that we can accomplish!

Leadership Development

It may seem that by learning all the right "activist skills" you can automatically become a good leader. But experience is everything, and these guides are here to help foster that experience.Ý All of the guides below can be used to develop specific skills needed to be an effective leader.Ý There are also tactics and ideas that are not as concrete but just as essential in developing leadership skills.Ý Many of these tactics have to deal with empowering those around you to let them have control over what is happening.

These ideas are important aspects in developing leadership:

• Put yourself in the shoes of who you are talking to or explaining something to. Do you like the way you are being talked to?Ý Do you feel you have any input as to how the outcome will develop?
• Make knowledge available to all people in your group - have complete agendas, flyers, and important information on upcoming events to empower everyone.
• Allow for everyoneís voice to be heard and ideas to be acknowledged.
• Never demand, always ask. Guide the person to find the question themselves.
• Create the space and time for your group to have fun. Once people become comfortable with the people around them, they will express their ideas more openly and develop more of their leadership skills.
• Have workshops on poster making, on writing a press release, on phone calling, on public speaking, or on any other skill that can be immediately used for an event or action.Ý It may take you an hour to explain, but it will empower someone else to do an important task.
• Efficiency is not always the answer.

Empowering others is made easy by following the Iron Rule: Never do for anyone what they can do for themselves. Everyone can learn from experience.Ý The groupís productivity and leadership skills will increase if you take an hour to teach them how to write a press release instead of doing it yourself in five minutes. The Iron Rule is difficult to follow at times because it may seem tedious, but it is the greatest way to create leaders and build an effective organization.

Organizing Guides

Recruitment

Recruitment is different from initial outreach because recruitment focuses on sustaining the organization once it has been established. People study abroad or graduate, and if you donít actively recruit, your numbers will dwindle.

No campus organization can survive for more than 4 years if you don't actively recruit. The original organizers of your YAH will graduate but we canít let the fire die with them.Ý Every September, you can get new members by mobilizing other members to run the tables at the student activities fair (if you have one). Be sure to bring:

• a sign-up sheet asking for their name, email, and phone number
• literature about the organization, your past accomplishments, and current campaigns
• a separate flyer announcing the first meeting

Recruiting can be successful by following these easy suggestions!

• Have a sign up sheet for your YAH at any student fair.
• Make phone calls to any new names you receive. People feel special that you call them, and this makes them excited to become a part of a group that is personable enough to call.
• On any posters of events that you make, include ways to get in contact with your group, in case someone cannot attend the event but is interested.
• Always respond to inquiring e-mails or phone calls as soon as possible.
• Once someone comes to the first meeting, encourage them to come again. This is mainly done informally, and is based upon how comfortable the new member feels. If your meetings are open, fun, and productive, people will want to come again.

Plaster the campus with posters and banners promoting your organization and announcing your meetings and campaigns. Be sure to follow up with those who sign up. Call each and every one of them and thank them personally for showing interest in your organization and urge them to come to the first meeting. Do this soon, before they lose interest.

Tracking people and the database

Keeping track of people once they have expressed interest in your organization is the most important way to build a strong foundation.Ý Having a set pattern of what to do with the names or a person who keeps track of them is a good idea. Setting up a database early on will ensure that no names go unnoticed.

In the database, have fields that track the essentials about your members: name, address, phone number, e-mail, class year, issue interests, special talents (to use at an event), and how they initially became involved with you (to see what type of outreach works best).

Creating an email list lets you send out information and reminders to group members. You may want to set up an email account through a free server that a core group of members can have access to. Creating a system of what you do once you have checked the inbox (in terms of who responds to what) should be set up to avoid not taking action about an important notice or question that someone has.

The more user friendly the database and electronic communications systems are, the better! Having a small sheet explaining how to use your specific database lets everyone know how to use it and does not put the responsibility of tracking people on any one person.

Maintaining a balance of power in your group

A healthy group is one where people feel valued, effective, and happy. Much of this is determined by how well the power is dispersed within a group.Ý Keeping the flow of the meeting positive, fun and productive is probably the most important aspect of power in your group.Ý The section on facilitating a meeting in this guide outlines that in more detail.

• Confront any problems of people dominating the group before they get out of hand.
• Make a concerted effort to encourage everyone to have large leadership roles throughout the campaign.
• Remember, power is not what we have, it is what we do.

Collaboration and Open Communication with Other Groups

Creating unity on campus with other student groups will help your group develop, recruit new members, support other activist groups, and let your group have more fun!Ý You will be a more proactive, alive group if more people know what you are doing and become involved in some of your events.

Support the work of other groups.Ý A good way to get other groups to work with you is by doing something for their group. If they are holding a concert, help promote it. If they are working on a campaign, help gather signatures or turn people out for a rally. The key is not to ask for, or expect, much in return. Help another group, and its members will realize the benefits of working with you.

By creating unity with other activist groups, being active will become the hip thing to do on-campus.Ý More students will be excited to join the one that most interests them and progress will be made!

Phone raps

How many times have you gotten an e-mail from a group and disregarded it?Ý Too often there is so much information thrown at us that it is hard to keep track of it all.Ý But a personal phone call can change all this and give people a concrete connection with your group.

Speaking on the phone to people is a great way to get a good turnout for a meeting or event.Ý The easiest way to have a successful phone interaction is by making yourself a phone script that outlines exactly what you want to say.Ý It is all about energy!Ý If you sound excited about what you want them to come to, they will want to come. Speak with the conviction that you are inviting them to come to the coolest event around. Do not sound like you are asking them for a favor. They should be excited that you took the time out to call them personally.

A phone script will allow you to have the confidence that you need to make the person you are calling excited to do what you are calling them about. Less "um"ís, more assertiveness, and a better quality all around makes for a successful phone call!

This phone rap was created for _________.Ý It is simple and direct, and allows the phoner to be confident.

SAMPLE PHONE RAP

Hi, is ______ there?ÝÝ Hi ________, this ________ and calling from BUYAH. Howís it going?

Cool.Ý Iím calling to make sure you knew about the Walk for Housing we have planned for this Saturday. Weíll be meeting at noon to march through the city with city councilors and community organizers to demand housing justice in Boston. Do you think you can make it?

Great/OK - and if you canít make that, definitely join us on Saturday at 3:00pm in Kenmore Square to protest BUís plans to build a luxury hotel - instead of affordable housing - in Kenmore Square. Great ______, well we hope to see you on Saturday!

Answering machineÝHi ______, this is _______ calling from BUYAH to remind you about this Saturdayís Walk for Housing.Ý Weíll be meeting at the Commons near the Boylston street T Stop at noon for a fun, educational march through the city to demand housing justice in Boston.Ý If you canít make that, definitely join us on Saturday at 3:00pm in Kenmore Square to protest BUís plans to build a luxury hotel - instead of affordable housing - in Kenmore Square. Hope to see you there!

Tabling

Tabling at your student union or center of campus is a great way to personally reach people that you wouldnít normally interact with.Ý You usually need to make a reservation with the student reservation desk. Bring any information and brochures that you have about your YAH and lots of sign-up sheets.Ý Being active at your table is the deciding factor in whether the outreach is effective.Ý Sitting behind the table with a book in your hand and food in your mouth doesnít do much for anyone passing by.Ý But standing up and engaging people who are passing by will make more people interested in what you are doing.Ý Think of it as advertising for a new product, and you are working on commission. The more names of people you get, the better your YAH will become!

Leafleting

Making a leaflet about an event is an effective way of giving people a concrete reminder about an upcoming event or action.Ý The leaflet can be a smaller version of a poster you make for the event. Include the essentials of what is going on, where it is happening, when to be there, and how to become more involved. Selecting the best place and location of where to pass them out is the biggest influence as to whether they will be effective.Ý Pick places where active people go - other events on campus or good local hangouts near campus are good choices.Ý Being confident and showing your excitement about the event is going to attract more students to come.

Fundraising

Every organization needs some money to sustain the costs of printing, paper, poster supplies, and other event materials.Ý An easy way to get money is to apply for student funding from your Student Activities Office, if that exists on your campus.Ý Often they have emergency funding for new groups that missed the allocations period (when you normally have to apply).

If you donít have a Student Activities Office, another possibility to start funding your organization is to have a social event like a house party where everyone pays five dollars to come.Ý Refreshments can be served and any extra money will go toward your group. This is a social event, but a good way to get the word out about your group and get people excited about the plans you have!

As your group develops, you can apply for small grants either through your school or from other sources. Community organizations near your campus might have good ideas to suggest ways to receive funding.

Working out a partnership with a community organization is another good way to offset some of the money necessary for starting your YAH.Ý If someone from your YAH sets up an internship with a local organization, in part to work on YAH objectives and in part to help the organizationís motives (which can be closely linked), a reciprocal relationship is established.Ý The intern can learn how to organize and develop a group, use the computer, print up some materials, and the organization gets the benefit of having an intern to help with their projects and being an integral part of an amazing group!Ý If you like the idea of having an intern at an organization, present the idea to an organization. Come with a proposal and be clear in your objectives - they will likely respond positively!

How and why to research the problem at school

Why do people fear asking questions?Ý Often public information is thought of being private.Ý A person who has access to certain information may guise it as private because they know that information is power.Ý By asking, you can get much of the information you want. A simple question is at times all the pressure it takes to get what you want.

Researching the campaign topic of your group allows you to have the legitimacy of being a real force on your campus.Ý With accurate information you can create the most effective of groups - ones that take the facts to push toward a more just vision of what the truth should be.

There are different ways to research information for your YAH.Ý You can ask the admissions office and the office of housing for statistics, find public documents at the Public Charities Office on the 14^th floor of the McCormack Building (1 Ashburton Place, Boston), save newspaper and magazine articles, compile research other organizations have conducted, and ask officials at your school for specific information. If university officials fail to answer your questions adequately, it raises suspicion about their intentions or what they are trying to hide.Ý Exposing the hidden information can give the group greater excitement to research the problem and find the information that is being withheld.

The knowledge you gain through your research will further the cause of your YAH - statistics are often catchy ways of getting more people involved with your campaign. Having the research accessible to all members of the group and in a format that allows you to share it with other people who are interested in joining your group will give you a good return on your efforts.

Meeting Facilitation Guide

Social movements balance productivity and democracy through effective facilitation. Learn how to guide, not control, meetings and movements through empowering others.

Facilitate (v): to make easy, promote, expedite, simplify, assist, ease, help, advance, or empower

Facilitation is the art of fostering creativity, of helping people and movements release their energy, and of bringing out the best in others. In terms of a meeting or discussion, it means promoting individual expression and making sure everyone has their say while making sure the group remains focused. In terms of the movement for social change, it means empowering people to unleash their creative potential, and channel their passion and energy into the struggle for justice.

You can learn to facilitate.Ý Actually, a large part of learning how to facilitate is unlearning everything you've been taught about how things should run. In our society, we're used to a few people having a say over what everyone else will do. We're used to leaders and "experts" who run the show and tell other people what to do. They don't facilitate, they dominate. It's all about power - who has it, and who doesn't. We can break unequal, limiting relationships right now, where we work, learn, and play - by insisting on the opposite of domination: facilitation.

Facilitation is the opposite of domination.Ý Instead of telling people what to do or how to think, we approach them as equals and trust that they have something valuable to contribute, just like we do. Our job as facilitators, whether at a meeting, in an organization, or within society and the movement as a whole, is to trust people and to bring out those ideas and qualities we know all human beings possess.

How can we put this in practical terms? Let's take meetings. In most meetings you've been to, one or two people usually run the show. You probably sit there bored out of your mind, glancing at your watch and wondering why you joined this group. That's not your fault - it's the power relationships in the group that are upsetting, which are manifested when the meeting is run.

What are the leaders doing wrong?

One or two people always run the meeting

• They do most of the talking
• They make up the agenda
• Sometimes the agenda remains buried in their notebook
• When they ask for suggestions, theyíll often shoot them down almost immediately
• You donít really feel comfortable with many group members - you donít know them very well
• The meetings are boring and impersonal
• The meetings are all talk, no action
• You donít have enough information
• Sometimes you feel intimidated and you donít participate as much as youíd really like to

Not only are all of the above personally frustrating, they're also woefully inefficient, because most people's creative energy isnít released or channeled into the group's activity. Meetings and discussions shouldn't be led, they should be facilitated. Facilitators should approach a group of people excited at what they might learn and at what the group might come up with, not intent on leading the group to a certain desired end. Basically, that means promoting free expression while gently guiding discussion so that it doesn't stray from the group's purpose.ÝWhat can facilitators do to stimulate an exchange of energy and ideas while keeping the group on track?

• Sit in a circle - this sets a participatory tone from the beginning.
• Clearly state the general guidelines for discussion (a respectful, diverse, participatory exchange) and define your role. Remember, most people are used to being led. You need to tell them that as facilitator, you'll be guiding rather than leading, and that initiative and ideas must come from them.
• Start by sharing names and an icebreaker (a fun interactive activity that gets people up and moving).
• Get the ball rolling by asking questions.
• Encourage people to speak from personal experience. Be patient.Ý Assume people have ideas, they may just need some time to get them out.
• Don't be afraid to let the group have fun - discussion doesn't always have to be serious.Ý The more comfortable people become with each other, the more likely they'll open up and contribute.
• Several times during the discussion, try to ask what everyone in the circle thinks of a certain idea. Go around the circle systematically, to make sure everyone gets a chance.
• Say things like, "Why don't we hear from people who haven't spoken much. How about you, Scott, what do you think about what Jen said?"
• At first, people will probably direct answers and statements toward you, because you're "running the show." They should be speaking to each other, not only to you. When possible, try not to comment after each person says something. If they still all look at you, shift your eyes away from the speaker and toward someone else in the group.
• If the discussion strays too far off course, gently guide it back to the group's initial purpose. In general, do your best not to talk any more than the average group member does. Step back, and have faith that the environment you helped create will foster honest, open, and effective discussion.

Effective Negotiation Guide

Securing a meeting with administration brings with it a host of exciting opportunities as well as potential pitfalls.Ý Be prepared, and youíll beat them at their own game.

Students at some schools can rely to some extent on the morality of their administrators - after all they are human - to achieve progressive social change at their school. It's important to make your first contacts with the administration non-confrontational and based to some extent on concepts of justice, reason, and social responsibility. Initial meetings are also a great way to gather information from administrators: how the school stands on this issue; who makes the final decision; the history of the issue at your school.

No matter how progressive your administrators, there will come a time when the capacity for compromise and agreement has been taxed and both you and they have reached a point of fundamental disagreement - a time when they will not concede to any more of your requests or give you any more relevant information.

To get what you want, you launch a campaign. You use a variety of tactics in the hope you'll be able to pressure the administration to deal with you. After weeks or months or years of hard work, you are caught off guard - the administration agrees to a meeting. What do you do?

Tips to Conducting an Effective Negotiation

1. A negotiation must involve give and take. That's the essence of compromise.
2. A negotiation is also based on power.Ý If we're serious about making change, we want to become part of the power structure.
3. Use your people power - organization, public dissent, embarrassment, the media, direct action, surprise - to get what you want.
4. Set the proper tone.Ý No matter what you think they might say, frame the coming talks as a negotiation between competing interests who have different ideas about how your school should work.
5. Insist on an open process. Ideally, you want to negotiate in public, involve hundreds of people from the community, and have the media present, and do so in a space you are comfortable with. If they insist on a closed, exclusive process, do your best to bring democracy and people to them.
6. Prepare for the negotiation.Ý Learn the issues inside out.
7. Understand the group demands.Ý Set your demands high so that you can effectively give and take.
8. Know exactly what you'll settle for before the negotiation, and decide on what you'll do if you succeed or if you do not succeed.
9. Communicate before the negotiation.Ý Tell the administration what you want (not what you'd be willing to accept - that's your secret) before you even enter the negotiating room.
10. Prepare written information and an agenda. Assemble a fancy packet for your administrators that includes an introduction, an agenda, specific proposals, background information about each issue, media coverage of your group, letters of support, etc.
11. Better to keep the size of your negotiating team small.Ý Ask them how many of them will be at the session, and bring about the same number of people (probably 2 or 3), maybe one more.
12. Role-play. Once your negotiating team knows the arguments and counter-arguments surrounding the issue, role-play the negotiation. Chances are, you've never done this before, while at least one of them are probably trained experts at it.
13. Take control of the negotiation.Ý It is crucial for you to set the terms of the meeting, not them. Walk in, shake hands, and have one (pre-selected) member of your group quickly and confidently announce that you've prepared information and an agenda, while another member passes out the packets containing these materials.
14. Set a time limit for the negotiation. Immediately after announcing you've prepared an agenda, say, "We'll need about an hour and a half to get through all the agenda." Ask for more time than you need, in case they feel like asserting themselves and saying, "This meeting will last one hour."
15. Begin with an introduction.Ý Tell them why you are there and what the meeting will cover. "Gentlemen, thank you for meeting with us today. The community is very concerned about links between the housing crisis in Boston and your universityís role in it, and we'd like our school to take the following steps:..."
16. See if they have any questions. This part of the negotiation should not last more than five minutes.
17. Ask questions. There must be some information you haven't gathered yet that you'd like them to shed light on.
18. Clearly state your position and a specific policy youíd like to see them to adopt.
19. Always act, and even try to feel, confident during the negotiation. Feel and act powerful, and they will think you are powerful. Feel and act weak, and they will think you are weak.
20. Respond to frustrating comments with a calm question.
21. Keep your cool. As arrogant people in power, they will put forth ludicrous arguments. They win when you lose your cool, because angry people seem immature and easily lose their focus.
22. Silence can be good. Respond to anger with calm.Ý Just sit there, looking confident into their eyes, and they wonít know what to do.
23. Be confident!Ý Effective negotiation will help make sure you don't sell yourself short.

If you want to learn how to negotiate, read Revolution for the Hell of It by Abbie Hoffman.Ý Your library, especially law school libraries, has many good handbooks about how to be an effective negotiator - many of these pointers come from such sources.Ý People are great sources of information as well - try to meet with a negotiator from a local labor union that is sympathetic to your cause.Ý Above all, role-play, do it, and learn from your experiences!

How to Effectively Argue Your Point Guide

Progressives donít usually get the chance to publicly debate the powers that be, and students rarely get the chance to debate administrators, or even more conservative students.Ý When the chance comes - whether during a student government election, town meeting, or school-wide event - grab it, and donít underestimate it.

We all know even the most conservative politician can come off as well informed and with it, and the most intelligent radical can seem ignorant. Learning basic debate techniques will help make sure you represent your position in the best way possible when the big day finally comes.

1. Know your information, inside out
2. Don't attack, even if attacked
3. Don't defend, even if attacked
4. Smile, be confident, stand/sit up straight
5. BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU STAND FOR
6. Simplify your message and develop a few easy slogans
7. Stand out with IDEAS - real, concrete ideas
8. Frame ideas in terms of what people know. Couch radical ideas in friendly rhetoric - it's not "collectivism," it's "everybody having a say"
9. Frame all ideas in terms of a more important, more radical (softly stated) goal - if your overall goal is more student involvement in decisions, frame all statements in terms of that
10. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT your basic points
11. Praise faculty, staff, student groups, students...
12. People are defensive. Criticize the power structure/way things are, and attack, if you must, only the TOP administration, not the mid or lower level administrators/workers, student groups, or faculty
13. Stress how you've already started to work with these groups
14. Talk about increasing the power of existing student/faculty/staff groups, i.e. campus unions or the student government, and give concrete examples like setting dorm policy at your school
15. Jokes are good. Start off with one
16. Be articulate. Take your time when you speak. Avoid starting a speech with, "OK, basically what we wants is..." Just say, "We believe in an empowered student body that can take part in important decisions. We believe that staff, administration, faculty, and students can come together to make this school a better place. Let's build on some of the great things that exist, and be honest about what needs to be changed..."
17. If you don't know something, avoid the question. You see politicians do that on TV every day. Learn from them. If you must answer, never say something you know you don't know that will make you sound dumb. There is ALWAYS a way to come out of a question sounding intelligent and well informed
18. Stress how you get things done, and will continue to do so
19. Stress your diversity and your desire to include many different groups and people.
20. Think about the way you dress and look. You don't need to play the used car salesman game, because you have real ideas. That said, you don't want to look too unprofessional, like you don't care
21. Don't harp on little points. Stick to big goals, repeat those big goals, and back them up with specific proposals
22. Stick to your message and to what you know. If they ask a question about the homecoming parade or what type of fish your group most closely resembles, NO MATTER THE QUESTION, TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS YOUR IDEAS
23. Twist things if they can't call you on it, i.e., "In fact, we're dealing quite closely with the Office of Residence Life on that, and they think it's a good idea."
24. Avoid inside jokes or OVERLY silly things
25. People respond to people as much as - if not more than - ideas. Seem like the nice, creative, passionate people that you are.
26. Role-play and prepare before the debate.
27. Relax, have fun, and be confident

In general, be prepared, know your positions, simplify and repeat them, sound positive yet strong and determined, relax, have fun, and be confident!

Public Speaking Guide

After "death" most people list "public speaking" as their greatest fear.Ý A few easy tips can help you gain the confidence to become a good communicator.

It matters little how smart or passionate you and your group are if you have trouble telling tell people what you believe in. Public speaking - whether at a meeting of five people or a rally of 500 - is crucial to your activism. With a little practice, it can even become fun!

1. Know your information well
2. Know your audience, and gear what you say toward them
3. Write a speech that follows a logical course
4. Generally, start with a problem, highlight a solution, point out progress to date, share exciting future plans, and explain why you and your audience can and will make a difference
5. Bring a written version of your speech (use large 16+ point font), or at least note cards with the basic outline
6. Get on the side of the audience - make them feel good, connected, and inspired. Talk with them, not at them. No matter how controversial you think your topic is, there is a way to convey your message without alienating your audience
7. Start with a joke, and infuse humor throughout your speech
8. Relax and be confident!
9. Remember, the audience wants you to succeed, otherwise they wouldn't be there
10. Remember also that you are probably not addressing the UN, so why worry?
11. Stand up straight. Look at your audience, and shift your eyes from person to person or crowd section to crowd section. Seem engaged
12. Speak twice as slow and twice as loud as you think you should
13. Don't be afraid to pause during your speech. What seems like an eternity when you are on stage is probably just two seconds. You can even use pauses for emphasis: "We will educate. We will organize. (pause) And we will win!"
14. Avoid using meaningless words like "um."
15. Drink water before you get on stage. If you will be speaking for more than a few minutes, arrange for a stool and bottle/glass of water
16. Be animated, excited, and passionate!
17. Practice makes perfect

There will be times when you have to speak in public - you might as well get it over with and give it your best shot. If you incorporate these tips, your public speaking should improve tremendously!

Media Relations Guide

The world is like a forest - no matter how big the tree you cut down, if no one is there to hear it, itís like it never happened.Ý Learn how to manipulate the mainstream media into covering you and your issues, so you can spread your message to thousands and even millions of people!

The mass media - television, radio, newspapers and magazines, and now, the web - is interested in new things: hence the word, "news". The first thing to remember if you want the media to cover you and help you get your message out, is that you need to convince them that what you are doing is somehow novel or unique. You are worthy of being noticed among the hundreds of other groups and people trying to get noticed that day. Trees fall in their forest every day, and only the loudest get covered.

Second, you should try to connect what you are doing to something already in the news, or to a holiday or anniversary. For example, you might send love notes to administrators on Valentines Day as part of an anti-sweatshop campaign or launch a peace initiative on August 6, the anniversary of the US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Third, plan actions and events that are media-friendly. That means doing something flashy (we took off our shirts rather than wear sweatshops made clothing), preparing a few slogans that easily convey your message, and bringing some props you think might catch the camera's eye (Peace Action totes a giant inflatable missile around to draw attention to the budget-sapping "Star Wars" Missile Defense Program). Designate someone to be your media liaison - he/she greets media when they arrive, keeps tabs on them, steers them toward people (good, coherent people) to interview, and let's them know when and where the group will do something sudden, like strip.

Finally, as with anything you do, cultivate personal relationships with reporters. Get to know the people who write for and edit your campus paper, other local papers and even national papers. Visit the news editor at your college radio station. You might prepare a press packet (easy to read information about your group, brochures, press clips, etc.) and request a meeting with the editorial board. Appear friendly and professional - such encounters will determine that media outlet's perception of you.

An easy way to communicate with the media is by preparing media releases and advisories (see sample below) These are generally one-page statements that let the media know about an action or campaign. They should always indicate a short headline in large, bold font, a body written in a journalistic style, including quotes from group members (feel free to make these up), and a section that lists the "who", "what", "when", and "where" of this action or campaign, as well as contact information with a phone number (if possible, include a cell phone number for day of inquiries).

Sample press release

For immediate release

What: Unique student-led benefit "Walk for Change"

When: Sunday, April 9: 10am - 6pm

Where: Start at Boston Common

Contacts: Erica Kraut (617) 352-9999 and Roni Krouzman (617) 354-9999 Day of event contact: (cell) (617) 782-9999

STUDENT-LED "WALK FOR CHANGE" TO TAKE BOSTON BY STORM SUNDAY, APRIL 9

Between 50 and 100 students from Boston-area colleges will pound the pavement Sunday, April 9 during the first-annual "Walk for Change," a benefit walk organized by Boston University students to raise money for social change, create awareness, and take action in Boston's diverse neighborhoods (www.bostoncan.net/walk.html).

"This won't be your average benefit walk with lots of walking and little action or reflection," said Stacey Rosenberg, a BU junior and organizer of Food and Roofs, the BU hunger and homelessness group that is spearheading the effort. "The Walk for Change will be colorful, boisterous, and action-oriented. We'll address root causes in a creative way. We're really breaking the mold."

In addition to raising money, organizers hope the Walk will cause people to learn about a broad range of issues affecting local communities and the many different approaches to making change. The Walk will also draw attention to the role universities play in affecting the communities that surround them - in terms issues such as the environment, poverty, and housing - and how students can lead the movement to make these institutions more socially responsible.

"My school can choose to pay its workers well, build enough student housing, and operate in an environmentally sound manner," Rosenberg said. "The more it does so, the less we have to volunteer on those issues. That's something the Walk will definitely address."

Organizers have planned an exciting route that runs through Boston's diverse neighborhoods:

Walkers will gather near the Boston Common Pavilion at 10 am on Sunday. From there, they will march to a rally at the State House with local community groups and State House representative Alice Wolf. Participants will then walk down Newbury St, stopping at Nike Town to discuss sweatshop labor before heading in to Roxbury, where they will visit and learn about an organic farm and a homeless shelter. Walkers will then march through the West Fenway, where they will meet with local affordable housing groups, and on to the BU Photonics Center, where they will discuss federal budget priorities and how students can make a difference.

The Walk will be capped off by a party for the Walkers at Espresso Royale CafÈ, 750 Commonwealth Ave.

"This is only our first year, and we expect at least 50 students to attend," Rosenberg said. "Students aren't apathetic - they're taking action, and I'm inspired."

Flyer Making Guide

"The medium is the message." - Marshall McLuhan

One of the easiest ways to communicate with a mass audience is to produce and post or hand out posters and leaflets. Unfortunately, most people don't spend the time - and often lack the skills - to make their flyers effective means of communications. Yet what your flyer looks like - the way it visually portrays your message - is crucial to the success of that communication. When it comes to visual communications like posters, leaflets, and advertisements, what you say is definitely secondary to how you say it. Follow these easy tips, and you'll improve your skills overnight!

First, understand that it is impossible to put a lot of information on a flyer and make it ALL stand out.Ý Most people will glance at your flyer for about a second, and there should be two (maybe three) thinks that stand out right away.

1. Catchy title or slogan. Clearly print a very large, short, eye-catching, and to-the-point title.
2. Action or event basics. In addition to a large title, print a brief (a few words) call to action (i.e. CALL YOUR SENATOR TODAY!) for mobilizing flyers or a basic event time, day, date, and place (i.e. Saturday, September 30, 9am-6pm, MIT)
3. You may also include a large type website, phone number, or e-mail.

Once you have those basics, you can fill in more information (i.e. an explanation of the issue) in MUCH smaller type.

Put a little extra time into designing a creative flyer.Ý Creative flyers get noticed (though very plain flyers offering free money may as well!). Make your flyer creative by:

1. Choosing a unique font - just don't make it too difficult to read. Make the font match the mood you are trying to set. For example, type in the words STUDENT POWER in Impact and Comic Sans font. Which is more appropriate?
2. Including a graphic - all flyers should include a drawing, cartoon, photo, or clipart. For example, you might include a photo from your last rally in a flyer advertising a Students Against Sweatshops meeting. It's really easy to do, and it breaks up the monotony of a text flyer.
3. Playing with layout - try something new, as long as it's legible.
4. Put white text over a black, filled-in box.

What will get your flyer noticed over the 87 other flyers tacked to the bulletin board?

1. Use bright (not necessarily too bright) colored paper.
2. Use larger paper. ÝMost flyers are the standard letter size, 8.5x11 inches. Go legal (8.5x14) or even my personal favorite, ledger (11x17). If you don't have a large format printer at home that can print larger than letter size, just print your flyer in two halves and paste them together before you bring them to the printer.
3. A catchy slogan or tidbit.
4. Finding new places to hang your flyer. Bend the rules, and use walls, lockers, sidewalks, ceilings, chalkboards, windows (just try not to ruin anything).

Finally, keep in mind the basics that too many people tend to forget.

1. Always double-check the date, day, time, and location of an event.
2. Run a spell check, and always triple-check the spelling in your title or of a speaker's name.
3. Always include contact info (e-mail, phone number, website and address if applicable) on your flyer.
4. Include directions to your event, especially if you want people from other campuses or communities to attend.

In addition to these tips, keep in mind four basic principles of design and incorporate them into your flyer.

1. Proximity. The distance between objects (text, photos, headlines) is important. When designing a flyer, pay attention to proximity, making sure that objects aren't too close or too far from one another, that proximity depend to some extent on size, and that it be proportional throughout the flyer.
2. Alignment. Try to line things up vertically, and align them either to the left, right, or center of the page. Avoid the tendency to center your entire flyer. It doesn't look good.
3. Contrast. If two objects are together and they differ in size or color, make that difference pronounced. For example, don't put white text over a light gray box, put it over a dark gray or black box.
4. Repetition. Repeat elements of your design (i.e. font, size, layout) through out your flyer. Make one part of the flyer seems like it belongs with another.

Which rally would you be more likely to attend?

(Maybe put two posters here if we can find them)

Effective Outreach Guide (Give CCO Credit)

How many times have you attended or even planned a meeting, event or action and been disappointed by the turnout? If you are like most activists, probably more often than youíd like.

There are few things worse than spending weeks or even months planning something only to see it poorly attended. You feel as if youíve wasted your time, and worse: that no one cares about your issue.

But people do care. Our job as activists is not only to give people the opportunity to become involved, but also to make sure they know about that opportunity, and to encourage them to take it. That process - attracting people to a certain place at a certain time for a certain reason - is known as outreach.

More often than not, low turnout is indicative of poor outreach rather than lack of interest. Effective outreach is crucial to the success of any event, and there are simple, concrete steps activists can take to ensure good attendance.

The first is to set goals. Setting goals may seem difficult or arbitrary at first, until we realize that weíre probably already doing it.

When we arrive at a meeting or event, we all have a vague notion of what level of turnout would make us happy, especially if we played a role in its planning. Determine an outreach goal, write it down, and shoot for that number.

(You might also set a challenge goal). That makes the process of getting people to your event a lot less daunting.

Once youíve set a concrete goal, which can take only a minute or two, decide what forms of outreach you will use to get that many people to attend your event. In general, there are two types of outreach: wholesale and retail.

Wholesale outreach is mass, impersonal outreach aimed at large groups or at the general public; it is non-interactive outreach aimed at people you donít know. Wholesale outreach techniques include posters, newspaper ads and, announcements in class or at church, and mass e-mails.

When you use wholesale outreach, keep your poster designs short, simple, loud, positive, and eye-catching; make your main message big and the rest of your text short. And donít forget to do chalking - your message will be as visible as spray painting, and it will wash right off (but make sure you know the collegeís policies on chalking, and try to keep it on the ground where it will wash off fairly easily).

Retail outreach is personal, interactive, low-cost, one-on-one outreach often aimed at people with whom you have some previous connection or relationship. Retail outreach techniques include one-on-one meetings, personal e-mails, and phone calls.

When planning an event, many activists overlook the importance of retail outreach and put most of their efforts into wholesale outreach, despite its relatively high costs. "OK, whoíll make the poster?" we ask. "And can we all chip in $20 to pay for its printing?"

While wholesale outreach is important, especially for larger actions and events, the importance of retail outreach cannot be stressed enough. Personal contact is one of the best (and cheapest) means of publicity. For every 50 phone calls you make to your list of activists, about 10 people will attend your event. Youíll be lucky if one person attends for every 50 posters you put up.

When turning people out for an event, think retail. Send them a personal e-mail, and then follow up with a phone call or brief meeting. Retail outreach is more goal-oriented: if you want 25 people to attend a meeting, you simply donít stop doing outreach until 40-50 people have said "Yes, I will come to that" (taking into account the usual 30 to 50% flake factor). It allows you to spend time building relationships with people (instead of spending time taping posters to walls). And it achieves results.

Section VII: Planning a Housing Awareness Week

A Housing Awareness Week is a good way to educate and excite your campus about housing issues. Goals of the event are to raise awareness on campus, have people be aware of your presence as a new group on campus, encourage members to take concrete action on what is going on, and gain new members!

First, determine a good time for your Awareness Week.Ý Think about weeks when there are not many other things happening on campus and people will have time to attend a big event.Ý Perhaps your week can feed off another event, or connect to an important day in history, like International Solidarity for Workers Day or Student Activities Week.Ý Making sure there are enough members who can dedicate time to planning and conducting the events is very important.Ý You donít want to end up with a couple of people doing all the work.

Contact other student and community groups that might be interested in affordable housing issues, and invite them to partake in your event.Ý Go to their meetings, send them information, and have personal conversations with them on how you can collaborate to create a fun and educational event.

A week event definitely will cost some money.Ý A couple ideas for fundraising for the event include: asking a professor to sponsor the event, asking for help from community organizations in the area, or asking for funding from your schoolís activities office.Ý Set a specific budget and ask for that amount of money.Ý People are much more responsive to specific requests than a lump sum of money request.

In a planning meeting for the event, decide on ideas and topics you want to address during the Week. What major issues does your campus group want to focus on? Determine which speakers you want to talk, and start investigating who will be available.

Do you want entertainment?Ý Plan for music and some snacks.

Design a schedule of events. Finalize speakers and schedule as early as possible. Then you can start to work on publicity.ÝÝ Make a flyer on each speaker so people know who they are listening to.Ý For getting out the word, use general flyers about the week, flyers listing each individual event, campus and local publicity in the newspapers, information tables, press releases, and class announcements. Chalk all over campus!

Reserve spaces and equipment for the events. Coordinate volunteers for setting up, cleaning up, introducing speakers and films, making phone calls, technical support, etc.

Document the event with photos and video.Ý Have a party at the end of the week for everyone who helped out to relax. This social event is very important - it gives people a nice recognition for all the hard work they put into the event!

Promptly write thank you letters to all the speakers.Ý It will make them more responsive to working with you in the future.

Publish a newsletter, magazine, or column in your school newspaper to publicize what you did during the Awareness Week, and to get people more interested! Definitely include upcoming events for people to become involved in.

Sample Days for Housing Awareness Week:

These are merely suggestions.Ý If your group has the structure to host a three-day event, do that.Ý Even a one-day event is worth the effort!Ý Set realistic goals, and insist on reaching them. Adapt the list to ways that seem the most interesting and feasible to you!

Quick Event Ideas

• Hold a movie and discussion evening (possibly ëDark Daysí about life under the New York Subway) to engage peopleís interest.
• Have a discussion about a book that everyone in your YAH reads.
• Have a teach-in about a pertinent issue near your campus.Ý Ask a community organizer to hold it, or people who are knowledgeable about the issue.
• Invite a graduated student activist to speak about a specific topic, or to hold a workshop.
• Have an informal art gathering with big paper and paints to let people paint their vision of what they think a home should be. Have it in the center of campus to raise awareness about your new group.Ý Using slogans like "Who can create a home?" or "What is your home made of?" is a way to draw people in and raise awareness.
• Have everyone write a letter to their state representatives about an upcoming bill.

Section VIII: The Walk for Housing

Have you ever participated in a benefit walk before to raise money for an organization but didnít learn a lot about the issue?Ý Not so with the Walk for Housing!Ý The Walk for Housing is a fun, interactive and educational walk that gets the excitement going and the energy up!

The goal of this walk is to raise awareness, to educate the walkers (ourselves), and to raise funds to help support your YAHís work and the work of other groups that concentrate on the affordable housing crisis.Ý If your YAH prefers, you can join BUYAHís Walk for Housing in Boston this year and create your own next year.Ý This way, much of the planning will be done for you, and you can concentrate on getting students from your campus to do the walk.

In order to get the word out about the walk, you need to advertise.Ý You can create posters, call friends, and have information tables in your student union.Ý From BUYAHís experience, the most effective outreach was recruiting friends to walk with us.

Information Session

Host an information session so that people can register for the event and get information on how to raise money.Ý A key aspect of this is to make it known what the money is being raised for. Because it is not a concrete goal like "We want to raise $5000 to buy a wallís worth of material in a new Habitat home" many people donít understand what the money is going to.Ý Explaining that it takes time and money to organize and mobilize people around the housing crisis is crucial.Ý "We are supporting the work of Boston Mobilization, a community group that organizes and empowers students and residents to take action on affordable housing" explains our intentions.

Make sure that you get everyoneís name and number who is going to walk.Ý Keeping personal relationships with the walkers will encourage them to raise more money and ensure they will not fall through and not participate.

An information session is a great way to get walkers to know each other, start collecting money, and become involved in planning the event!Ý Here is the agenda from the event, to give you an idea of how the meeting can flow.

Walk for Housing Information Session
BUYAH!
Agenda, March 21, 6:00-6:45pm

1. Welcome
2. Sign up sheet
3. Short introductions: name, school, year, where you are from
4. Brochures
5. Why are we walking?
1. education
2. raise awareness in the community
3. support efforts that get to the root causes of the affordable housing crisis
4. HAVE FUN!
6. Brief description of walk: 5 mile, 4 hour tour of Boston to see the effects of the housing crisis
7. Sponsors
1. tip sheet on ideas of how to raise money
2. role play
8. GOALS!
1. get five friends to walk
2. Raise $50 from parents, $50 from friends from home, $50 from school friends, $50 from classes, $50 from co-workers.. $250 challenge!
9. Next Steps:
1. Contact other schools: MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, Emerson, Boston College, etc.
1. List school you have connection with on sign in sheet
2. Sign up for link tables
1. check off box on sign in sheet
2. 4/9-4/13 11:00-3:00
3. 4/16-4/20 11:00-3:00
4. a great way to meet some walkers, get pledges, raise awareness
5. choose coordinator for organizing this
3. contact student group leaders at BU and other schools, set up meeting times, tell Julia about the time you are going to meet with their leaders, or go to their meetings to present the walk
10. Questions
11. Start collecting sponsors, good luck, and have fun!

Sponsor Pledge Workshop

Part of the Walk for Housing is having a sponsor pledge workshop.Ý This gives everyone a chance to practice getting up in front of a group of people and asking for money.Ý You can think of different scenarios, like in front of a classroom or to your best friend or parents. This is the best way to get people comfortable talking in front of large groups of people.

(INCLUDE TIPS FOR GETTINGÝSPONSORS HERE)

The Brochure

Making the brochure is a fun but tiring task.Ý Using Quark Express is a good way to make it.Ý Be as clear and specific about your aims as possible. Allow enough time to print up the brochure so that you can distribute it to people who are going to start collecting money for the walk.

(INCLUDE BROCHURE HERE)

A challenge BUYAH faced with the walk was keeping track of who signed up to walk.Ý It makes it easier for everyone if you have an idea of who is walking, so you know how many supplies to bring the day of the event. This is a big challenge, but it can be easily rectified by controlled methods of recording who you have given an application to and who has registered to walk.

Be sure to publicize the walk to the media through press releases and phone calls.Ý As a mass of people, we are sure to gain much publicity.

>When you are getting speakers for the event, it is all about how you present the walk.Ý Make it seem like you are giving them a great opportunity to express their views about an issue (which you are) instead of asking a favor of them.Ý Stress that you are young, that you are active, that there will be many students there, and that there will be good media coverage. Be specific about what you want the speakers to address.Ý Give them guidelines so they do not go off on a tangent about something else.Ý Make sure they know their time limits so that everything runs according to schedule.

On the day of the Walk there is a lot of last-minute details to remember - assign people to different tasks. Nametags, signs, a megaphone for the speakers, fruit, water, and brochures to hand out to people along the way are all easily remembered when different people are in charge of bringing different items.

Informational Flyer

An informational flyer to hand out on the day of the walk is a way to empower all walkers to get more involved in the issues that the speakers raise.Ý Include the contact numbers of all the speakers so walkers have access to contacting everyone that spoke.Ý The map allows everyone to know where we are going. This would be a good thing to have many copies of so that it can be distributed to people we pass that are interested in what is going on.

(INCLUDE YELLOW BROCHURE HERE)

If your YAH decides to plan its own walk, having a committee dedicated to the walk is necessary. It will help distribute the responsibilities among many people - this is not a one person job! Everyone can report back to the group at weekly meetings and recruit for specific help that they need.

It is my suggestion to join BUYAHís walk this year in addition to creating your own. You could walk with BUYAH in the Spring and then organize one near your campus the following fall. You can call Boston Mobilization at 617.782.2313 to find out how to become a part of BUYAHís Walk for Housing, or for more help on planning your Walk. Together we can walk to create solidarity and learn from what good people are up to in Boston. A collaborative walk among many YAHís would be an excellent way to join forces and have a greater impact on how students take action and are treated in terms of Bostonís housing crisis. Plus it is fun!

The Route and Speakers

Planning the route and speakers along the way is a critical and challenging part of planning the walk. Decide how long you want the Walk to be, and where the walkers could get views of many different types of housing and developments. Asking a community group near you about specific struggles in the past (like Tent City) is a good place to start. People at tese organizations are a wealth of information!

Ideas for speakers can come from community organizations as well.Ý If you need help getting started, call Boston Mobilization (617.782.2313). Allowing time for both high-profile speakers like City Council members, and for students from your YAH to speak, provides a good balance.

Finishing on your campus is a good way to bring the walk to an end. In BUYAHís Walk, we ended with a BUYAH-style campus tour (a parody of the pre-freshman tours), which told the true description of buildings and land use at Boston University.

Section IX: The Importance of Community Involvement

Creating partnerships between your YAH and a community organization near you is a solid way to ensure the sustainability of your YAH.Ý If an outside group has an integral role in your YAH, they will do what they can to assist your YAH. The YAH can benefit from the knowledge that the community organization can offer you. The organization in turn can benefit because you are bringing students into an active role in the community surrounding your university and they can help the organizationís other campaigns.

Boston Mobilization had a large role in the creation and evolution of BUYAHís success. Mobilization allowed for people to develop leadership skills by sharing their skills and space with members of BUYAH. Mobilization hosted specific training workshops on how to make posters, speak well and effectively in public, and plan direct actions.

BUYAH became easily involved in citywide related events and actions through networks and connections that Mobilization had.Ý Additionally, Mobilization had a BUYAH intern, who was guided in how to organize, and was able to access a computer, a printer, copying machine, and general office supplies.

Mobilization received a grant from the United Unitarian Fund for a Just Society which made its work with BUYAH possible. A YAH is an incredible project, and foundations want to support work that involves active young people who are integrated in their larger community. You can work with a local organization to apply for a grant to get funding for your YAH.

Establishing and maintaining frequent connections with a community group near you is important in the success of your YAH. It is great to become part of the citywide movement by directly collaborating with one organization!

Section X: Collaborating With Neighborhoods Near You

Section XI: Resources for Organizing and Housing Issues

Books on Housing and Land Ownership

Books on Organizing

Magazines

Videos