From the Road: Creative Activism and GOHV

Hey there everyone, it's Val Vilott, a National Campus Organizer at FMF. I'm currently on the road in Ohio this week with my colleague Danielle Geong. All the organizers are out in the field right now, actually - Danielle and I are a few days into a trip as a part of our Get Out Her Vote Campaign that includes Cleveland State, Oberlin, Bowling Green, Toledo, Kent State, Case Western and more!

The most encouraging part of these travels thus far has been to see that so many students are really thinking outside of the box. The importance of creative activism is something that I can't emphasize enough - it really is what can set your efforts and initiatives on campuses apart. Especially in the midst of the election-year fray, voter-related events on campuses are not particularly unique, and unfortunately can start to blend into the background.

It seems that what makes or breaks events or campaigns on campus is their ability bring something new or fresh to the conversation that resonates with students and tune them back in to the civic engagement efforts. Voter registration tables are really important, but dynamic and exciting programming is what truly gets a campus community fired up. So how do you do it?

As a student organizer, I always wanted my events to be successful and interesting, but it's certainly not as easy as it sounds. From my experiences and talking with students over the past couple days, here's a few tips to get your brainstorming started:

• Examine what is already being done around the election on campus, and determine what gaps exist. You don't want to develop programming that doesn't meet a need on your campus!
• While you're looking at what's already in the works, see what opportunities there are for collaboration with other groups. Consider turning several scattered events into a cohesive series of events, so that you can publicize together and build momentum together. Example: Do a "Spotlight On:" Election Series - the Multicultural Students Organization event can address voting among minorities, the Economics Club/Department can highlight and explain economic issues in this election, and your group could have an event to focus on women's issues and what's at stake this November.
  
• Remember to be in tune to current issues on your campus and community - pay attention to other initiatives or referenda that might be on the ballot that could affect your school!
• Encourage people to think past voter-registration. Registration is obviously key, but getting those who are registered out to the polls can sometimes be an even larger task. Organize election-day trips to the polls, contact your county or municipal elections board about working at the polls, and make sure that there is a polling place on campus.

Finally, before Danielle and I run off to meet with some more students, I just want to remind you all that the campus team is always interested in hearing from you all - what's working, what isn't, and what we can do to support your efforts on campus. Feel free to contact us if you want to bounce ideas off of someone, are running into problems, or just want to introduce yourself. We look forward to hearing about the great things being done on your campus!