How do we mobilize in rural communities/small cities?: Difference between revisions
Line 308: | Line 308: | ||
== Narrative and messaging == | == Narrative and messaging == | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 14.4px; width: 100%; height: 349px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" | {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 14.4px; width: 100%; height: 349px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" | ||
|- style="height: 23px;" | |- style="height: 23px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 23px;" | '''1. Listen to and learn from locals''' | | style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 23px;" | '''1. Listen to and learn from locals''' | ||
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" | | | style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" | | ||
Line 316: | Line 316: | ||
*''"'''Find out what rural residents are concerned about''' before coming in with your message." ''Your narrative should resonate with rural residents. -Sharon Collingwood, [https://perthcountysustainability.ca/ Perth Sustainability Hub] | *''"'''Find out what rural residents are concerned about''' before coming in with your message." ''Your narrative should resonate with rural residents. -Sharon Collingwood, [https://perthcountysustainability.ca/ Perth Sustainability Hub] | ||
*'''Survey people on their needs and concerns'''. E.g. [https://sites.google.com/view/alma-en-transition/le-d%C3%A9fi-des-citoyens Alma en Transition] used a google form to compile results on top issues. -Member of [https://reseaudemainlequebec.org/ Reseau Demain le QC] | *'''Survey people on their needs and concerns'''. E.g. [https://sites.google.com/view/alma-en-transition/le-d%C3%A9fi-des-citoyens Alma en Transition] used a google form to compile results on top issues. -Member of [https://reseaudemainlequebec.org/ Reseau Demain le QC] | ||
*<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >'''For example, top issues for rural Americans''' (according to research from [https://ruralorganizing.org/ ruralorganizing.org]) include''' <ref>https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities</ref> :'''</span></p> | *<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">'''For example, top issues for rural Americans''' (according to research from [https://ruralorganizing.org/ ruralorganizing.org]) include''' <ref>https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities</ref> :'''</span></p> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Wages increases </span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Wages increases </span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Prioritizing small, local businesses</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Prioritizing small, local businesses</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Incentivizing local construction, manufacturing and agriculture</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Incentivizing local construction, manufacturing and agriculture</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Investment in rural jobs</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Investment in rural jobs</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Decreasing daily expenses such as the cost of health, child and elderly care</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Decreasing daily expenses such as the cost of health, child and elderly care</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Expanding access to affordable housing</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Expanding access to affordable housing</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Increasing investment in transportation and connectivity (internet)</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Increasing investment in transportation and connectivity (internet)</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Promoting safe rural communities</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Promoting safe rural communities</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Investing in rural education and arts</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Investing in rural education and arts</span> | ||
**<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" >Promoting outdoor recreation and the protection of the environment</span> | **<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Promoting outdoor recreation and the protection of the environment</span> | ||
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> | </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> | ||
|- style="height: 111px;" | |- style="height: 111px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 111px;" | '''2. Craft a narrative and image that suits the needs of locals/your target audience''' | | style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 111px;" | '''2. Craft a narrative and image that suits the needs of locals/your target audience''' | ||
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 111px;" | | | style="width: 80.3024%; height: 111px;" | | ||
*<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;" > Small communities have strong 'neighbourly' relations that you could use to your advantage by changing messaging to align with what it means to be a good neighbour.</span> | *<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;"> Small communities have strong 'neighbourly' relations that you could use to your advantage by changing messaging to align with what it means to be a good neighbour.</span> | ||
*<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;" >Make sure your messaging is accessible to those with lower literacy due to lack of opportunity / access to education.</span> | *<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;">Make sure your messaging is accessible to those with lower literacy due to lack of opportunity / access to education.</span> | ||
*''"Using a public narrative that is centred around your desired audience is also very useful for figuratively meeting your audience where they are at. This includes '''telling stories and using language and phrases they connect with'''." ''Using the example of organizing around affordable housing, if research shows that moms are a likely audience to become supporters,'' "sharing a personal story about your connection to needing affordable housing for you and your children or when you were a child, and centring the experience of a mother in the story will make it easier to connect with the audience through shared experience and emotion. Using language the audience of moms use in the small community and connecting the narrative to current community narratives will make you and your experience relatable to this audience." -''Montana Burgess, [https://neighboursunited.org/ Neighbours United]'' | *''"Using a public narrative that is centred around your desired audience is also very useful for figuratively meeting your audience where they are at. This includes '''telling stories and using language and phrases they connect with'''." ''Using the example of organizing around affordable housing, if research shows that moms are a likely audience to become supporters,'' "sharing a personal story about your connection to needing affordable housing for you and your children or when you were a child, and centring the experience of a mother in the story will make it easier to connect with the audience through shared experience and emotion. Using language the audience of moms use in the small community and connecting the narrative to current community narratives will make you and your experience relatable to this audience." -''Montana Burgess, [https://neighboursunited.org/ Neighbours United]'' | ||
*''"When you are confident you understand your audience, communicate a sense of purpose by setting out the main points of what you want to do. Save the details for later." ''-Sharon Collingwood ([https://perthcountysustainability.ca/ Perth Sustainability Hub]) | *''"When you are confident you understand your audience, communicate a sense of purpose by setting out the main points of what you want to do. Save the details for later." ''-Sharon Collingwood ([https://perthcountysustainability.ca/ Perth Sustainability Hub]) | ||
Line 339: | Line 339: | ||
*Broach the subject of climate without getting into the technicalities of science and policy. | *Broach the subject of climate without getting into the technicalities of science and policy. | ||
*Appeal to different communities in ways that resonate for them. E.g. arguments related to climate can be made for maintaining land for farmers, tourism and the local economy, the affordability crisis and the need for social services to support population growth, the impact of green space on health | *Appeal to different communities in ways that resonate for them. E.g. arguments related to climate can be made for maintaining land for farmers, tourism and the local economy, the affordability crisis and the need for social services to support population growth, the impact of green space on health | ||
|- style="height: 78px;" | |- style="height: 78px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 78px;" | '''3. Leverage key community members/people who are trusted''' | | style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 78px;" | '''3. Leverage key community members/people who are trusted''' | ||
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 78px;" | | | style="width: 80.3024%; height: 78px;" | | ||
*E.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNCyR8WlDwo Vire Au Vert] made a video for distribution (which could be done in local facebook groups, for example) including the viewpoints on key issues from community members who have some local recognition. You might also include their quotes in written materials (E.g. flyers) -Member of [https://reseaudemainlequebec.org/ Reseau Demain le QC] | *E.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNCyR8WlDwo Vire Au Vert] made a video for distribution (which could be done in local facebook groups, for example) including the viewpoints on key issues from community members who have some local recognition. You might also include their quotes in written materials (E.g. flyers) -Member of [https://reseaudemainlequebec.org/ Reseau Demain le QC] | ||
*According to research by [https://ruralorganizing.org/ Ruralorganizing.org] in rural America, '''the people most trusted include doctors and nurses, farmers and ranchers, local business people and teachers and educators.''''' <ref>https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities</ref> | *According to research by [https://ruralorganizing.org/ Ruralorganizing.org] in rural America, '''the people most trusted include doctors and nurses, farmers and ranchers, local business people and teachers and educators.''''' <ref>https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities</ref> | ||
|- style="height: 23px;" | |- style="height: 23px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" | | | style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" | | ||
'''4. Avoid stereotypes in your messaging''' | '''4. Avoid stereotypes in your messaging''' | ||
Line 352: | Line 352: | ||
*'''''“While rural voters do lean right when it comes to political identity, the breakdown is not nearly as dramatic as often portrayed in the media.'''”'' Rural US data suggests there’s only about an 8% difference between the presence of “strong Democrats” and “strong Republicans” when comparing voters in cities to rural areas. <ref>'''https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement'''</ref> | *'''''“While rural voters do lean right when it comes to political identity, the breakdown is not nearly as dramatic as often portrayed in the media.'''”'' Rural US data suggests there’s only about an 8% difference between the presence of “strong Democrats” and “strong Republicans” when comparing voters in cities to rural areas. <ref>'''https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement'''</ref> | ||
*'''Not all rural citizens are farmers'''; they make up a big portion of workers, but a larger portion of people work in sectors such as education, healthcare, industry etc. <ref>'''https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement'''</ref> | *'''Not all rural citizens are farmers'''; they make up a big portion of workers, but a larger portion of people work in sectors such as education, healthcare, industry etc. <ref>'''https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement'''</ref> | ||
|- style="height: 23px;" | |- style="height: 23px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" | | | style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" | | ||
'''5. Use community care values-based framing <ref>https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement</ref> ''' | '''5. Use community care values-based framing <ref>https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement</ref> ''' | ||
Line 359: | Line 359: | ||
*Rural voters''' '''believe''' rural communities look out for each other '''(particularly friends and family).''' <ref>https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement</ref> ''' | *Rural voters''' '''believe''' rural communities look out for each other '''(particularly friends and family).''' <ref>https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement</ref> ''' | ||
*This value, '''community care, should be central to campaigning efforts and messaging'''. (E.g. instead of critiquing what’s wrong in rural areas, point to what is right!) | *This value, '''community care, should be central to campaigning efforts and messaging'''. (E.g. instead of critiquing what’s wrong in rural areas, point to what is right!) | ||
|- style="height: 28px;" | |- style="height: 28px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 28px;" | '''6. Embrace local businesses and oppose corporate corruption ''' | | style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 28px;" | '''6. Embrace local businesses and oppose corporate corruption ''' | ||
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 28px;" | | | style="width: 80.3024%; height: 28px;" | | ||
Line 365: | Line 365: | ||
*Rural people are looking for authentic leaders who understand their needs, which they feel aren’t being met by politicians. Leverage this! -[https://ruralorganizing.org/ Ruralorganizing.org] <ref>https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement</ref> | *Rural people are looking for authentic leaders who understand their needs, which they feel aren’t being met by politicians. Leverage this! -[https://ruralorganizing.org/ Ruralorganizing.org] <ref>https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement</ref> | ||
**<p>According to surveys conducted by [https://ruralorganizing.org/ ruralorganizing.org]'', ''''“Rural respondents demonstrated significant support for candidates who expressed '''anti-corporation and pro-small business sentiment'''.”''''' (E.g. against monopolies of food system, tax incentives for corporations). <ref>https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities</ref> </p> | **<p>According to surveys conducted by [https://ruralorganizing.org/ ruralorganizing.org]'', ''''“Rural respondents demonstrated significant support for candidates who expressed '''anti-corporation and pro-small business sentiment'''.”''''' (E.g. against monopolies of food system, tax incentives for corporations). <ref>https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities</ref> </p> | ||
|- style="height: 53px;" | |- style="height: 53px;" | ||
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 53px;" | '''7. Use experience with nature in your framing''' | | style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 53px;" | '''7. Use experience with nature in your framing''' | ||
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 53px;" | | | style="width: 80.3024%; height: 53px;" | | ||
*<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;" >People in these regions may have a stronger connection to nature than in urban areas due to a greater access to natural spaces.</span> | *<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;">People in these regions may have a stronger connection to nature than in urban areas due to a greater access to natural spaces.</span> | ||
*<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;" >Leverage pre-existing interest in environmental protection by sharing experiences with the changes you've seen locally. | *<span style="background-color: #d1f1ee;">Leverage pre-existing interest in environmental protection by sharing experiences with the changes you've seen locally.</span> | ||
</span> | |||
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 23:41, 26 March 2024
Purpose: Rural or small city organizing presents challenges and opportunities that are unique from urban or larger city environments. Many organizers may feel discouraged by limited turnout to their events compared to more populated areas. There are several considerations for organizing in rural areas/small towns, and also several things that can be leveraged to build successful campaigns. This guide aims to raise some of these considerations.
Learning objectives:
- Equip grassroots groups with suggestions for mobilizing more effectively in rural communities/small cities.
- Learn from the lived experiences of people living in rural communities/small cities.
- (Bonus) Discuss new ideas to add to the roundup of practices currently listed in the guide
Why did we make this? This guide was created to respond to a request asking for tips on organizing outside larger urban environments.
Where does the knowledge come from? Knowledge included in this guide comes from experienced organizers here in so-called Canada, direct insight following a learning circle with activists in rural areas/small cities, research findings from organizers in rural America and from panelists included in the Rural and Remote Toolkit by Climate Reality Canada and the Climate Justice Organizing Hub launch event. Highlighted text throughout this guide is knowledge shared during our Learning Circle on this topic.
Panelists included in toolkit launch:
Alex Lidstone - Climate Caucas |
|
Sivan Black-Rotchin -Save West Mabou Beach |
|
Margaret MacDonell - Save West Mabou Beach |
|
Payton Mitchell - Iron & Earth |
|
This guide includes: barriers to organizing in rural communities/small cities, plus several leverage points related to building connections and outreach, narrative and messaging, online presence and tactics and strategy.
Accompanying activity suggestions:
- Individual or group read-through using our apply your understanding questions below. Go through them as a team.
- Trying to model the good practices in the guide and running an action plan workshop for the group based on them. Goal is to come up with plan, timeline and bottom-liners to implement some of the ideas in the guide
- Checking back in after a couple months’ worth of testing the ideas in the guide in real life and doing a rundown of what worked well and what didn’t as a group
- Allow group members, using some of the scenarios in the guide, to speak to resonance and hear what new ideas and considerations are shared
Suggested follow-up: Check-in after a couple months of testing the ideas in the guide in real life; discuss what worked well and what didn’t as a group. Also check out the Rural and Remote Toolkit by Climate Reality Canada and the Climate Justice Organizing Hub
Introductory thoughts
"Community organizing has been going on for as long as there have been people living together facing challenges. Many people work together in small and rural communities all the time to address contemporary challenges, this is the basis of community organizing." -Montana Burgess, Neighbours United
"On the one hand, sometimes all it takes is a spark plug to get people who are sensitive to the causes you are defending to join you. On the other hand, it is necessary to deconstruct somewhat the idea that organizing a mobilization in urban areas is much easier and very different from rural areas. While it is true that the often younger, university-educated population of cities has a large number of committed people, this must be put into perspective. For example, a demonstration of 1,000 people in Montreal, which has 2 million inhabitants, is the equivalent (proportionately) of a march of 50 people in an entire region like the Gaspé, which has less than 100,000 inhabitants. It is therefore necessary to begin by readjusting the mobilization objectives according to the population density in presence." (Translated from French) -Pierre Avignon, Comité citoyen Vers un val vert
Key takeaways from this guide
DO: |
|
DON'T |
|
Read on for more details about all of these recommendations!
Barriers to mobilizing in rural areas/small cities
Differences in values, interests, concerns |
Statistically less progressive people who may place stronger value on individualism / self-reliance
E.g. fishing towns caring about open net pens + salmon farming |
Desire to maintain peace in tight-knit communities |
From our rural organizing toolkit launch:
|
Being geographically dispersed |
|
Lack of / limited access to internet + media + community spaces |
Low internet literacy Not everyone has broadband access
Hard for rural voices + issues to be covered From our rural organizing toolkit launch:
|
Low population density |
|
Lack of inclusivity leads to people not wanting to join group |
|
Leverage points for small city/rural communities
Building connections and outreach
1. Meet people where they're at |
From our rural organizing toolkit launch:
|
2. Talk to family, friends and neighbours |
From our rural organizing toolkit launch:
|
3. Build a media list |
|
4. Build networks and coalitions with other groups |
|
5. Seek Indigenous Perspectives Above: Protest, Western University, December 2022. Credit: S. Collingwood |
|
6. Contact local businesses |
"Could they support an event or participate in an action? Would they donate to your organization? (You could reciprocate with an acknowledgement on your webpage or leaflet). Could you put a poster or a basket of informational cards or leaflets in their reception area?" -Sharon Collingwood, Perth Sustainability Hub
|
7. Connect with local politicians |
See the below section on tactics and strategy for more on leveraging local politics. |
8. Turn to National organizations for support |
Canadian Environmental Law Association Ontario Yours to Protect
Ontario Nature Ecojustice Environmental Defence -Sharon Collingwood, Perth Sustainability Hub
|
9. Consider event and meeting access |
|
10. Offer public shows of support |
|
11. Encourage those involved! |
|
12. Try door knocking |
"Door to door canvassing is a great way to establish connections. Take your time, and be sure to listen: you will learn a great deal of useful information about the community. You can also organize canvassing trips around farmers’ markets, local fairs, plowing matches, many other local events. Make it fun, and stop for coffee afterwards." -Sharon Collingwood, Perth Sustainability Hub |
13. Host booths at local events |
|
14. Create bulletin and leaflet networks
Above: "Mailbox" by REM Photo Off & On is licensed under CC BY 2.0. |
|
15. Socialize and get to know others! | Don't do mobilizing alone; include social events to keep your spirits high and form deeper bonds. -Member of Reseau Demain le QC
|
16. Try dating apps! |
|
Narrative and messaging
1. Listen to and learn from locals |
Farmtario
|
2. Craft a narrative and image that suits the needs of locals/your target audience |
From our rural organizing toolkit launch:
|
3. Leverage key community members/people who are trusted |
|
4. Avoid stereotypes in your messaging |
The following insight comes from ruralorganizing.org based in the so-called US:
|
5. Use community care values-based framing [8] |
The following insight comes from ruralorganizing.org based in the so-called US:
|
6. Embrace local businesses and oppose corporate corruption |
|
7. Use experience with nature in your framing |
|
Online presence
1. Hold hybrid/virtual meetings |
|
2. Keep a shared drive and use online organizing tools |
|
3. Use social media |
|
4. Create an email list |
|
Tactics and strategy
1. Make events fun and engaging to draw people in!Above: Chalktivist event, Stratford Ontario. Credit: S. Collingwood |
|
2. Hold marches, rallies and blockades |
|
3. Get involved in local politics |
From our rural organizing toolkit launch event:
|
4. Promote positive changes you see in the community |
|
5. Create subcommittees |
|
6. Plan events that are easy to engage in for new volunteers |
|
Unsure of what to campaign around in your small city/rural area? Check out this list of ideas from Tool Complices Pour Notre Communaute. You might also draw ideas from Mouvement Mare's campaigns, which range in focus from local community-specific to National issues.
Apply your understanding
We suggest taking a couple/few meetings to go through this, to get the most out of your reflections!
Reflecting on barriers |
1. What barriers described in this guide resonate and why? |
Reflecting on building connections and outreach |
2. Where do members of our community meet? Where do people convene? Where do they spend their time? 3. Who in our group has tried one-on-one conversations? What was their experience like? What can we learn from these experiences? 4. Do we have... a media list? How can we build this? 5. Do we have... coalitions with other groups/connections with other networks? How can we leverage this? 6. Is there an Indigenous presence in our region? If not... why not (hint; use this as an opportunity to learn more about the land you're on, and how you can bring this knowledge to the community). 7. Do we have... connections with local businesses? Politicians? What connections can we build upon/leverage? 8. Do we have... access plans (e.g. transportation/online access)? How can we build this? What are some other strategies we can use to connect us (e.g. dating apps? Yard signs? Socials?) 9. Overall, from the list of suggestions provided in this section... what are we currently practicing? 10. Based on our reflections in this section.. what are some new approaches/practices we like that we could implement...a) today? b) over time? |
Reflecting on narrative and messaging |
11. What strategies are we using, or have we used, to gather the concerns of our community members? Are we including these in our campaign priorities, or do we need to go back to the drawing board to include them more strategically? 12. What stories are we telling that our community members can relate to in their daily lives? What stories can we tell? 13. Is the language we're using accessible, or do people need a certain level of awareness/education to understand our message? Is there any part of our messaging that could be improved on this? 14. Do we have... connections with teachers? Doctors? What connections can we build upon/leverage? 15. Can we leverage... care-based framing? Experiences with nature? 16. Can we include local businesses and oppose corporate corruption in our framing? 17. Overall, from the list of suggestions provided in this section... what are we currently practicing? 18. Based on our reflections in this section.. what are some new approaches/practices we like that we could implement...a) today? b) over time? |
Reflecting online presence |
19. Are we offering hybrid/online meeting options? Can we improve this at all?
20. What online organizing tools are we using to make it more accessible and easy to engage and include people? Are there any new platforms we could try? 21. Do we have a social media presence? How can we use social media to reach more people (what platforms should we use more? Are there groups that can amplify us)? 22. Could we benefit from building an email list if we don't have one? If so, what kinds of information could we distribute? 23. Where are we currently collecting our audience? Where do we send them to get updates about our group? Do we need to try something new, or is this working for us? 24. Overall, from the list of suggestions provided in this section... what are we currently practicing? 25. Based on our reflections in this section.. what are some new approaches/practices we like that we could implement...a) today? b) over time? |
Reflecting on tactics and strategy |
26. Do we use our imagination to plan actions (or do we plan the same action every time)? What are some new ideas we could try that could target specific audiences (e.g. families, artists etc)? 27. What kind of engagement numbers (on an email list, on social media, at actions etc) would it take for us to feel good planning a march, rally, or blockade? 28. Are we engaged in any local political matters, or with any politicians who we're aligned with? How can we leverage elections for mobilization purposes? 29. Are we offering different levels of involvement in our group? How can we improve this? 30. Are we promoting hope in our community (or only sharing our fears)? What could we do to improve this? 31. Overall, from the list of suggestions provided in this section... what are we currently practicing? 32. Based on our reflections in this section.. what are some new approaches/practices we like that we could implement...a) today? b) over time? |
Closing reflections |
33. How do we feel about the ideas shared in the 'key takeaways' section. What resonates for us? Anything ideas worth applying to our group? 34. Based on the strategies raised throughout our reflections... which could we apply to address the barriers identified in question 1? Is there anything else we could try? 35. What questions are we left with? |
Further resources
Neighbours United's Deep Canvassing Playbook (having vulnerable, emotional, and nonjudgmental conversations with someone who feels differently about an issue to engage them)
Rural and Remote Toolkit by Climate Reality Canada and the Climate Justice Organizing Hub (local governance structures, organizing tactics and case studies)
If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/organizer-toolkit-leveraging-yard-signs-rural-communities
- ↑ https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities
- ↑ https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement
- ↑ https://actionnetwork.org/forms/running-campaigns-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities
- ↑ https://ruralorganizing.org/blog/resource-progressive-strategies-rural-engagement