Here are some ideas for events that you can organize on campus:

Public Events

Public events such as vigils, protests, rallies, or street theater events can help draw attention to the impacts of US policy in Latin America. Vigils or other events in front of the offices of your members of Congress can be a useful tool for getting your message across before a crucial vote. See our issue pages for more information on critical dates when these efforts will be necessary, and make sure to have information to hand out at the event for passers-by. Remember that you may have to get a permit, sometimes far in advance, for a vigil or rally in a public space.

One of the best ways to get through to your member of Congress is to organize a letter-writing event. Around crucial votes in Congress, you can write a letter that raises the issues and urges the member to vote a certain way. During other points in the year, letters to members help keep the issues on their plates, and can encourage them to take leadership roles. Members of Congress generally respond better to letters sent by post than by e-mail; a hand-written or typed letter shows you care enough about the issue to spend some time writing to your member of Congress about it.

Here are some tips when you organize a letter-writing event:

• Letters do not need to be very long. Your main goal is to talk briefly about your issue, express your concerns, and make a simple request.

• If you have lived or studied in the country or have met people from the country (during speaking tours, etc), mention it-personal experiences lend more credence to your concerns.

• Make sure your letter has a concrete "ask" at the end-that the member vote a certain way on a bill or amendment, that they sign a letter, etc (see our issue pages for recommendations on what to ask your members of Congress to do, or call our office for advice).

• Don't assume that the member of Congress knows a lot about the issue you're writing about-their job by nature makes them generalists. Don't condescend, but raise specific, concrete points in your letter to strengthen your "ask."

• See our issue pages for sample letters and information on how to contact Congress.

Hold a Teach-In

Teach-ins are great ways to combine education and action. You can present information yourself or bring in others to present; allow time for a discussion of the issues with the audience; and give participants an action to take at the end.

Here are some tips for holding a teach-in:

• Be sure that the location is accessible to the community. The space doesn't have to be formal, but should be large enough that your group can have space to work on the action activity.
  
• A member of your group can open the session with an introduction that gives information about the group that organized the event, the type of activities that you have been working on, and background information on the issue. If you have a speaker that you are hosting, the intro can be short, telling a little about the group and introducing the speaker.
  
• Afterwards, even if you have a hosted speaker, allow for questions and then try to link the issues that were raised in the talk with an action that participants can help with. You can also work an "action brainstorm" into the discussion section of the teach-in. Having a letter-writing table at a teach-in is a great way to educate and then give people a way to translate that knowledge into action.
  
• Have a sign-up sheet available for those interested in getting involved.

For information on speakers, please see our "Hosting a Speaker" section under general tools.

Use Chalking

Chalking sidewalks on your campus, if it's allowed, is a great way to publicize your group's events or to raise awareness about an issue. Chalking should be done in strategic areas where people are likely to take note of writing on the sidewalk.

There are many ways that you can help educate your community about the impact of US policy towards Latin America by using different artistic media. Here are a few ideas:

• Film Festival. Ask your local movie theater to sponsor a series of films with a Latin America/human rights theme, or plan your own film festival on campus.

• Thematic Meals. Host a dinner featuring dishes from Latin American countries, either by preparing food yourself or gathering at a local restaurant. Have a theme, play international music, and decorate-and then hand out information, or give a short talk about the issues you are working on.

• Art Shows. Ask art students or local artists to create and donate works with a peace and justice/Latin America theme for exhibition and/or raffle.

Thanks to Amnesty International, the Student Peace Action Network, and Student Pugwash USA for some of these ideas. Please see their websites for more tips and info.