Lessons from a College Organizer

by Aidan Yoder

Photo by Luis Felipe Lins on Unsplash

Gen Z is no stranger to “once in a lifetime” events (school shootings, Trump 1, the Black Lives Matter Movement, COVID, the Russia-Ukraine War, the Genocide in Gaza, and now Trump 2.) But as college students, our newfound freedom gave us agency in confronting how we would respond to our world. Throughout college, I found myself stepping in as an organizer to help support and encourage the students, faculty, and staff on campus to take on these issues. I am not a perfect organizer, but I have learned a lot from those experiences, from both our successes and failures. Here are a few of the lessons I have picked up:

1. Involve the Community- Beginning a campaign is not something that you can do by yourself. Form a group of friends, classmates, and those who care who can help plan your organizing on campus. Once you have created a framework for your campus campaign, try to create roles and tasks that can be easily delegated to new supporters who would like to get involved. Sometimes, what you may assume is apathy is really just people not knowing how to get involved in the causes they support.

In a push for our administration to support a ceasefire, I was part of a bell ringing on campus, one pull of the rope for each person who had died in Gaza and Israel. The event required someone to be bell ring for over 36 hours, which we spread over 3 days. We asked students to sign up for hour-long slots when they would commit to ringing the bell once every four seconds. We also sent out an ask for community members to support the bell ringers by encouraging them and bringing snacks. We ended with 50 people taking part in the bell ringing, and 40 community members who supported that action. The outpouring of support showed us that people were just looking for a way to be involved.

2. Strategic Escalation- Movements that make big changes don’t start out of nowhere. Part of beginning a movement is drawing people in and making sure they know what the issues are. Before you can take big actions, you need to build the commitment level of your movement. One way to do that is by starting small, and working your way up to increase pressure and momentum to push for your goals. Build your community through low-stakes events, educational meetings, and work your way up to more demanding actions. This principle also applies to the strategic planning of your campaign. Don’t start with intense tactics when a simple conversation might reach your goal. Generate momentum for the movement as you can increase your intensity and participation levels.

Our campaign on campus didn’t start with the bell ringing; there were many steps preceding that action. It began with students and faculty hosting a number of educational events about what was happening in Gaza. From there, we organized a student petition (which was quickly joined by faculty and staff) to our university president and board. That petition led to in-person conversations, but when those didn’t succeed, we worked to enlarge our movement and go bigger by writing chalk messages across campus, continuing to host public events, and showing up at board meetings. All of this led to walking out of a presidential address and beginning the bell ringing which could be heard from anywhere on campus. We increased pressure by publicizing our actions in our local radio and news media. These escalations eventually helped us reach our goal. Our school began supporting a ceasefire. They began clarifying their investment practices.

3. Develop Younger Leaders- Recognize that you are not going to be able to work on this forever. College only lasts four years, so to ensure that the movement lasts after you graduate, you are going to have to elevate others who are younger. Start by identifying people who show a high level of interest in your goals and who are ready to get more involved. The next time you have a task or role needing filling, ask your volunteers if they can help. Provide encouragement and support to them, and then reflect with your team about their success. If it went well, and you see potential in your volunteer’s leadership skills, give them progressively more involved tasks. This is called the leadership ladder, which builds skills, commitment, and can help you develop future leaders for your movement.

Our campus organizing began with junior and senior leaders. These students would soon be graduating, so we intentionally reached out to some younger people who were showing interest. We started by asking them to help us make signs and posters for our actions. Our bell-ringing action grew closer, and we realized we needed someone to help develop the program. So we reached out to a couple of these younger leaders to plan the action. These younger students developed skills and confidence, and we added them to our circle of leaders where they have continued our campus organizing.

Organizing is messy and can be difficult, but it has been so rewarding, especially when we were successful in pushing for justice. In a time like today when we see our neighbors being snatched from their homes, healthcare being ripped away from the vulnerable, and the climate continuing to get warmer, it can feel like changing these large issues is futile. That is why working on a local level can be more effective at solving issues. We are stronger when we organize together as a community to work for justice.

Aidan Yoder Bio:

Aidan Yoder grew up in Southeast Iowa, and attended Eastern Mennonite University, double majoring in history and political science. He is an activist and teacher.

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