CU Student Activist Organization

 

(Photo from a previous meeting)

A group of area students met Tuesday night to get organized and active in local political issues that affect their lives. The Student Activist Organization (SAO) includes many students and student leaders who had met and organized around the recent marches, walkouts and town halls concerned with gun violence and possible reforms. In last night's meeting of two dozen students, they laid out preliminary organizational structures and broader issue and project teams.

Some of the future work proposed included tutorial videos and educational tools for students to understand how local government works and how to effect policy changes they'd like to see. Issues such as improved sexual education with an emphasis on consent, drug policy and marijuana decriminalization, protections for marginalized groups in the community, as well as gun reform were discussed among others. They will be soliciting input from interested students about interest in committees that would be teams working on various issue areas and administrative roles.

There were a couple local candidates who offered advice and ideas as well. Urbana Alderman and County Clerk candidate Aaron Ammons was in attendance as well as Ben Chapman, a County Board candidate for District 1. Ammons encouraged them to focus their efforts and advised them how to avoid organizational pitfalls that political activist groups often face. Chapman offered examples of similar college organizations and committee structures they could either work from or modify to their specific goals.

Many students were already planning to participate in upcoming political actions on immigration, canvassing for candidates, etc. They already had the beginnings of a newsletter and a broad social media presence to help keep members informed and connected. They had assembled and were expanding a press list and discussed media strategy. Ammons offered advice on using local groups already specialized in various areas and projects to avoid re-inventing the wheel, but also as experts in their own perspectives and concerns to help inform government bodies and leaders of their needs and the issues they face. Local radio show opportunities through WEFT and the Independent Media Center were discussed along with a YouTube channel for more direct outreach on demand.

Overall there was a desire to learn more and help others know how local government works, which government bodies to go to for various issues, and long term solutions as they see projects through from conception to policy and/or law. Like many adults they found the initial foray into local government organization a bit intimidating, but were highly motivated to overcome the learning curve and encourage better civics education among themselves and for future students. They discussed a serious need in our schools to better prepare citizens for participating in their actual democratic institutions.

After having settled on next tasks until their next meeting they adjourned the general meeting and the design committee went to work on some of the logos and graphics they had designed and proposed.

It would have been an impressive start for adults organizing an indivisible or similar political activist group to get involved. I think it's safe to say that these students shouldn't be underestimated. Check them out on facebook, twitter, or their instagram at cu_sao.