Starting a Group
You've decided to start an Amnesty group at your school? Good for you!
Grab some like-minded friends, roll up your sleeves and get busy - here are some simple steps to help you get started.
Before your first meeting:
get the word out
One person an Amnesty Youth and Student Group does not make. Spread the word that you want to start an Amnesty group. Talk to your friends, their friends, student leaders and other issues-centered groups at your school to find people who will help get the group off the ground. Five people would be a really great base with which to start your group.
find staff support
If you're in high school, you may need to find a staff member to supervise/support your group. Check with your school administration to find out for sure. If you're in College or University, you may wish to check with your Student Union to see if there is a special procedure for setting up a group or club.
contact the national office
Call (or write, or e-mail) the national office for information on setting up a group. We can hook you up with all kinds of goodies, advice and, of course, a registration kit.
plan some action
It's a good idea to have a tentative plan for an event/action your new members can undertake during or shortly after the first meeting. This could include a letter-writing or postcard action at the meeting or planning a day of tabling at your school. This gives members an opportunity to become more involved (if they want to) and gets you started right away!
get more word out
Once you've established a group of people to help plan and execute the first meeting, it's time to gather some more. You might advertise your first meeting over an announcements system, by e-mail or through the traditional posters-and-flyers method.
After your first meeting:
Organizing Your Group
It happens to us all. You're looking at the massive sign-up list from your first general information meeting, and you're wondering: will they all show up again? And if they do, that's wonderful but also a little scary. How will they all be involved?
While group structures vary, most groups settle into these levels of involvement:
Core Group
Typically the core group is made up of key organizers and "enthusiasts" who may have been involved with the group in previous years and, in the case of a high school group, a staff advisor. For one reason or another, the core people have the time, energy and inspiration to be the "engine" behind the group. While they may not generate all the ideas or do all the work - and should not be the exclusive decision-makers - they often take primary responsibility for planning and carrying out that major activities of the group including organizing groups meetings (schedule, place, agenda and so on).
General Members
This crowd attends meetings, participates in general discussions including brainstorming ideas for actions, writing letters, helping carry out projects, and so on. Some general members may be interested in joining the "core group" at a later stage and being more involved, while others are quite comfortable in this niche.
Supporters and Sympathizers
There may be a lot of people who initially indicated interest, but find that they can't get involved after all due to other commitments or simply can't make it to meetings due to scheduling problems. You usually can count on this crowd to support your work by dropping by information tables and special events, signing petitions and postcards and dropping coins in a donation jar. Sometimes a supporter or sympathizer can get more involved in a special role to support one of your activities. For example, drama club members helping out with street theatre during a march or demonstration or even to liven up a school assembly. Another person might be interested in helping set up or maintain a web site or e-group.
Executive or Co-ordinating Positions
Set aside labels other groups may use (like "president" and "secretary") and instead discuss what your group really needs. For example: do you need someone to run meetings? Take notes? Handle publicity? Look after materials? The money? Keep in touch with student council? This list can get pretty long, so focus on what is really important for your group.
Once you've figured out what your group needs, think about how much time is involved in each area. Does the work have to be done by different people or can some tasks be combined? Choose simple names for jobs that actually describe the work such as "publicity coordinator" - it may not be zippy but at least there won't be misunderstandings. This kind of approach will be helpful for people who join your group later in the year. If the roles are clear it will not only give the impression of good organization, but the group will also seem less like a clique.
It's very easy to divide tasks this way, as responsibilities are pretty clearly defined, but be sure to keep things flexible. New members can feel shut out if they arrive after elections and no positions are available. Group members may feel that there is a hierarchy or even a "clique"-y feeling; that the "executive" members have total control over the group.
You can combat this by creating short-term co-ordinating roles for events and campaigns. This can make leadership roles seem less intimidating and boost the size of your core group.
If you decide to go with the traditional structure, be aware of the feelings of other group members. Be sure that, despite your level of structure and organization, you are still able to be flexible, inclusive and adaptable.
However, there are two positions you will definitely need:
- A money-manager: someone to keep records of money coming in and out of your group.
- National Office Contact: needs to remain in contact with the National Office to receive updates and In the Mix, and to complete registration and re-registration forms for next year.
Executive or Co-ordinating Positions Before you race into an election (or plead for volunteers) there is one more thing to consider:
The Ups and Downs of A Group: Things to Watch Out For
BURN OUT
People often leave because they were asked to do too much too fast. Others take on too much because they don't trust others to carry out what they've committed to. Try to do "reality checks" on workload and ensure that meetings are really a safe place to discuss workload.
CHILL OUT
This is even more important than "burn out": more people leave groups because there was no opportunity - or no invitation - to contribute. If someone is very new to Amnesty or to being part of a group, they may not simply "jump in", especially if they perceive the leaders of the group to be very active or in control of everything. The person who is "just sitting there" may very well be hoping that someone will ask them to help out. When in doubt, invite people to pair up to do various tasks - it's a lot less intimidating than being asked to do something all on your own.
BLOCKED OUT
Many groups are started by a few close-knit friends and it's easy to carry all the behaviors of that closeness into a group meeting. Similarly, members who have been around for a year or two tend to sit together, make side comments to each other, and so on. That can be a tough scene to break in to if you're new to the group! Try simple things to make newcomers feel welcome, such as saying the names of new people when talking to them and making sure that all of the "experienced people" aren't all in the same corner of the room. Use facilitation techniques that give everyone an opportunity to contribute: for example, a go-around in which everyone has a chance to say only one work or idea (as opposed to long and enthusiastic lists from the first few speakers thereby leaving everyone else with little space to say anything!).
SAME OLD SAME OLD
Settling into a routine can be comfortable and reassuring, but it can also become boring and that rarely benefits a group that is trying to grow. Try to keep things moving by rotating the chairing of meetings. And even though Amnesty deals with serious subject matter, that doesn't mean that fun and creativity can't be part of how you approach your human rights campaigning.
EVALUATE AND APPRECIATE
Once an event is over, don't cross it off the "to do" list until people have had a chance to talk about how things went and what they learned from the experience. Be sure to acknowledge the work people have done. This helps build a creative and appreciative environment that people will want to continue to contribute to.