Students Speak Out for Peace

Suggestions for planning an event on your campus.

Start by asking the following questions:

• Who do you want to speak?
• Who do you want them to speak to?
• Why do you want them to speak?
• Where do you want them to speak?
• When do you want them to speak?

What could this event include?

1. A short presentation on the Department of Peace
2. A presentation about Student Peace Alliance and student accomplishments
3. A speaker from the Student Peace Alliance National Coordinating Committee
4. Marianne Williamson- the Chairwoman of The Peace Alliance
5. Your Department of Peace state coordinator
6. A discussion on what action students on campus can take to effect positive change!
7. A discussion on how students can successfully lobby for a Department of Peace

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REMEMBER- This is YOUR event! 

Organize the event around what you think would be most interesting to YOUR campus!

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After you have the answers, follow these Initial Steps:

Getting Started:

1. Once you have a date, go IMMEDIATELY to the Conference and Events office at your school.  This office (which may be called something different) is the office that has control over renting rooms at your school.  You will need a small auditorium room for this event.  It is VERY important that you make sure you have a location before you take the next steps
   
   
2. Make sure that you also get your AV needs taken care of- you will most likely need at least two microphones and the ability to use a projector
   
   
3. If your school requires you to have a janitor clean up after an event, make sure that you know how acquire the janitor services
   
   
4. Solidify your speakers.  Keep in constant contact with the people you plan to have speak at your school.
   
   
5. Once you have the speakers set up, find out what time works best for both them AND your campus.  You want a time that is practical for both students and local community members.  This means a weeknight evening (Thursdays are generally good) or a weekend afternoon.  Keeping the event under an hour will GREATLY increase the attendance.

 
Example Timeline for Students Speak Out for Peace Event

3 Weeks Before Event

• Contact local DOP- what you need:
  
  
• DOP Materials
• Postcards- both Gandhi and the RHCP ones if possible
• 9 points of the Bill
  It is possible to print these out yourself if you have the ability to make many copies
• Summary of the Department of Peace
• Buttons
• T-shirts
  
  
• Funding
• If you are planning to serve any food or drink at the event, the local DOP might be able to help you provide either the food or some funding to buy food with.  If you have the funds, pizza is a great way to get students to attend!
  
  
• Reserve the state DOP banner if possible
  
  
• Ask them to sent out a preliminary email to the state list serve about the event

• Find other organizations on campus that would be interested in the event.  Possible partners include: Democrats, Republicans, Feminist Majority Leadership Association, and the Environmentalists.  Violence affects everyone’s life, so don’t be shy about asking for interest!
  
  
• Contact academic departments at your school about cosponsorship.  This can help you with both funding and publicity.  Possible departments would be: Peace Studies, Sociology, Politics, Women’s Studies, Psychology.

 
2 Weeks Before Event

• Create a Facebook event! 
  Get the word out about the Department of Peace.  Facebook is a GREAT tool for publicity.  Include pictures of different DOP Events and speakers, if you have someone of large interest coming.  Invite all your friends and have all your friends invite their friends as well!  This Facebook event will also give you a way to contact people interested in the Speak Out through messaging.
  
  
• Make sure you have funding (if needed) to:
• Rent the room
• Pay for janitor services
• Pay for food
• Buy any materials you might need for advertising
  
  
• Make fliers!  The fliers should be attractive and eye catching.  They need to include the date, time, location and names of speakers.  You should also have a brief description or catch phrase about the content of the event.  If you are offering free food make SURE to put that on the flier!
• You do not have to post these fliers around campus quite yet.  For now, email them out to the different academic department heads and organization leaders.
• Having this flier will also make your speakers feel more comfortable since they will be able to see something concrete about the event
  
  
• Create a short blurb about the event- what it is about, who is speaking, where and when it is, and why students should be interested (you will use this below)
  
  
• Get your event on the school calendar!  If there is an online event calendar for your school, get your event on it!
  
  
• Make sure that your event will be posted in any emails that go out to the entire campus (ie an email stating the possible student activities for the week)

1 Week Before Event

• ASAP- Post the fliers!  Put them near the entrance to every dorm and student center.  It is also very effective to put fliers in the bathrooms, especially inside the stalls.  Make sure you get approval to hang fliers in certain locations if approval is needed (some student centers might require this).  Have the fliers up a week before the event starts.
  
  
• Take your larger flier and make a smaller version to STUFF MAILBOXES with.  Every student on campus should have a mailbox in the mailroom.  Get a group of students together and get permission to stuff the mailboxes with your fliers!  It is effective to attach a piece of candy to the fliers so people aren’t temped to just throw them out.
  
  
• Pick a day during the week to stand in a central location of campus and hand out fliers and information.  Make as many individual connections with students as possible about the event so they really feel like they have a reason to come.
  
  
• Send the aforementioned blurb to your group and department cosponsors. 
  Make sure that they send out this blurb to their list serves!
  
  
• Send out Facebook messages reminding everyone about the event!
  
  
• Follow up on the individual connections you made- remind people that they said they would come!
  
  
• Have your members and your friends announce the event at the beginning of their classes and pass around a flier.
  
  
• A few days before the event make sure you email any speakers you have coming to campus to
• Agree on a time for them to arrive
• Make sure they have a student’s cell phone number to call upon arrival
• Get a short biography about them so that you can properly introduce them
  
  
• The day before the event make sure you have all your materials and any food you plan to set up the next day (unless its fresh food you have to get right before the event).  
• Decide who will get to the location at what time to set up.

Day Of Event

• Get there an hour early to set up.  Put the materials on a table in the back of the room and have another table for snacks if you are providing them.
  
  
• Make sure that all the AV equipment is working properly.
  
  
• Have people stand at the entrance of the room to hand out literature.
  
  
• Make sure you give everyone a chance to ask questions after the speakers are done.
  
  
• CLEAN UP WELL!  You want to make a good impression on your school so they will let you rent rooms in the future!

Possible Student Peace Alliance materials to have for event*:

• State Department of Peace banner
• At least one copy of the current bill (PDF)
• Sign up sheets for names, phone numbers and email addresses
• Red Hot Chili Peppers Postcards
• Gandhi Postcards
• Summary of the Department of Peace Campaign fliers (PDF)
• Highlights of the Legislation
• Student Peace Alliance brochures
• Department of Peace buttons
• Department of Peace t-shirts, for donation purposes, if you have them
• If you have, or are starting, a Student Peace Alliance group on campus, fliers with the date, time and location of your next meeting!
  

*numbers depend on expected attendance

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email or call Julia: 

• Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Cell phone:  (240) 476-8799