Getting started with political activism

[Bryan]

This is in support of the new Activist Toolkit that is starting to be developed, see details here:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?421849-New-Activist-Toolkit-project

As noted, content is going to be developed on a high level across the board with more details added as necessary.

This section below is intended to be a brief and basic read for someone thinking of getting involved as an activist and will be a small part of a much bigger context.

All input is welcome.

--------------------------------------------------

Getting Started With Political Activism

Finding where to start with a new endeavor can sometimes be the hard part, this can often be the case with political activism but your entry to activism will depend on what gained your attention to political matters.

Some people take an interest to political involvement when they learn about someone running for office who connects with them and they want to help. In these case getting involved and figuring out what to do isn't too hard, you support the candidate in whatever way you can. To do this visit the campaigns website and look to sign up to volunteer, check their event calendar and find ways to connect with other grassroots supporters, which is part of the point of this site for pro-liberty candidates. Be sure to donate to the campaign. As you start to get engaged you can often find lots of people to talk with about the issues and the election and find various activities you can get involved in. Some common political campaign activism that you can do leading up to the election include:

• Getting campaign yard signs placed in your community.
• Attending rallys and social events.
• Going door-to-door "canvassing" an area or dropping off campaign literature.
• Manning booths at various events.
• Participating in campaign "phone banking" efforts.

Of course what you get involved with is up to you but with a thriving campaign there is no shortage of things that can be done. If you are serious about supporting your candidate you will want to make sure you help out as much as possible once election time comes by participating in "get out the vote" efforts, voting, and in some cases, getting involved in the delegate process.

If your interests in activism do not stem from a political campaign your road will be much different, and there are a few important question that you will need to answer: How can I make a difference? What needs to happen to make a difference? To answer these questions you need to start your journey and make a few decisions. One important issue to decide is if you want to work alone or find other people to work with. Both can be valid means of effort with their own pro's and con's but a hybrid approach works well too. The key to working with others is to find a group that you are compatible with that has similar goals. You also should consider how you want to apply online vs in-person efforts, both have pro's and con's too.

For many people, the key to good first steps in political activism is to do things that are fun and that are practical for what you can do.

--------------------------------------------------

 

[Bryan]

A little more intro work...


Beyond the Basics
At some point you may decide to increase your commitment and involvement, when that happen your really need to plan. As with most all endeavors in life, planning helps. For activism your plan should be able to answer the following:

* What it is you really want to achieve?
* How much of your time and money is this worth to you?
* What specific activities will best utilize your resources?
* How can you find like-minded people to work with?
* How can you develop and maintain a positive reputation?

Your time and resources are your treasures. Your reputation is key for effective use of your treasures. Your plan should grow and evolved as you progress through your journey.

The world of political activism is an open book with just about anything being able to be made political. Some activities are fun, some are hard, some make you sweat, some make you think, some can be done by almost anyone and some require years of training. Activism can also be resource effective or resource ineffective.

The goal of an effective activist should be to do things that are fun, resource effective, operate within your skill set, and ideally help you learn, grow and build the network of people you work with.


Principles for Effective Activism - Do's and Don't
Throughout the course of your political activism, there are many things that you need to always consider, these include:

* Be mindful of your reputation, you will never be effective without it.
* Play off your skills and interests. Do things that you'll enjoy doing, if you're not having fun you won't keep it up.
* Build your skills.
* Build coalitions and a personal network, and leverage your network when it really counts.
* Find the root issues of the cause you are championing. Oftentimes a particular issue of interest is caused by a larger problem, which could be the outcome of yet another issues, and so on. Be mindful of this to find the most effective means to resolve the reason you choose to be an activist.
* Don't get side tracked, it can be easy to get your eyes taken off your goals for sensationalist issues of the day. Don't let this happen and remember to focus on your target.
* Measure your effectiveness, and adjust plans accordingly.
* Understand the possibility of negative exposure for you activism, and adjust your potential for exposure to your conform level. Don't be afraid, but don't be stupid either.
* Always be thinking and on the look out for new and more effective means.
* Leverage current events, public opinion and other factors to your advantage.
* Understand people opinions generally change slowly, often times activism is about planting seeds of change rather than expecting people to reshape themselves instantly to your viewpoint.
* Keep your house in order, don't let your activism ruin important elements of your life, such as your financial streams, your valued relationships or your health.


Personal Skills for the Effective Activist
Being an effective activist requires core personal skills, that can constantly be developed. Some considerations:

* Spend time to learn about all aspects of your cause including applicable history, legislation, key players and resources, various groups involved and most importantly other common perspectives on the issues.
* Build your confidence to engage people in person and online.
* Learn to think critically and independently.
* Learn the unethical tricks that can be used to subvert your efforts and how to avoid being a victim of them.
* Learn about logical fallacies and how to counter them when others use them.
* Learn how to keep your emotions in check when hotly engaged.