Steps in organizing your Teach-In
While every Teach-in — and the process of organizing it — will reflect the unique situation, relationships, and creativity of its organizing team, there are some basic steps that will be involved in organizing any Teach-In this Fall. The important thing is to get started, using what you have at hand.
First, reserve space. Because space can often be difficult to secure without advance reservations and agreements, this is one of the most important steps to take as early as possible in your planning process. You will want to begin doing this now, even if its before you have your team fully assembled. You can and likely will make adjustments later on.
Second, assemble your team and begin to spread the word. Just as building the next system is a cooperative, co-creative process, none of us can (or should) try to pull off a Teach-In alone! Start small, with people you have worked with in the past, and build participation from there, reaching out to include new partners. As with most projects, different team members will contribute differently in terms of ideas, connections, time, and energy. Make the most of what each person or organization is able to contribute.
Third, plan what will happen at your Next System Teach-In. What kinds of sessions and events will take place at your teach-in? Where and when will they take place? What people, material resources, technologies, will be needed to make each part of the Teach-In a success? Who is taking responsibility for each session/event? On this last question — remember that you don’t have to organize everything: Ideally, different organizations, programs, departments, groups, or individuals will contribute different parts of the Teach-In program.
Fourth, make sure everyone knows about the Teach-In. Your goal, to the best of your ability, is to make sure that everyone at your campus/community knows that the Teach-In is happening. We often describe Teach-Ins as taking a “wall-to-wall” approach, an old labor union expression that refers to organizing all of the workers between the walls of a particular workplace, regardless of their job. We need that same approach here:
- If you are at a university, college, or school, map and reach out to all the students, all the faculty, all the staff, all the community partners at your institution/campus.
- If you are organizing a community-based Teach-In, map and reach out to all the organizations and neighborhoods that are part of your community.
Try multiple ways to reach people. Emails, texts, phone calls, social messages, social media posts are only a start. Put up posters, hand out flyers, set up tables in busy areas. Go door to door, class to class, or dorm to dorm. Get your Teach-In put up on video displays. Chalk on sidewalks. Use the tools you already know how to use and be creative.
Fifth, do it! Have an important and great time with your Next System Teach-In.
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