Speak Up!. Laura Coryton
that you want to challenge? And who are you to be leading this fight? You are you.
YoU aRe aWeSoMe.
You are unique. You are powerful and your voice matters. It’s time to
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ChApTeR 2
SpeaK Up ToOlkIt
Now you should be all fired up and ready to speak up. But how? I didn’t know anything about campaigning when I started, and it can seem like an overwhelming task. Who am I to tell the world to change?
I’m mE. AnD yOu’rE yOu.
AnD oUr voIcEs aRe vAlId
aNd ImpoRtAnT.
BuT hOw dO we gEt
oUrSeLvEs hEaRd?
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Here’s where my speak up toolkit comes in! I’m going to share everything I’ve learned about campaigning with you in this chapter. In my work, I have identified fIvE steps to get you from having an idea to launching a campaign. We’ll cover how to:
1) Be specIfIc: IdEntIfY yOuR GoAlS
2) Be fOcUsEd: fInD yOuR DecIsIOn MaKeRs
3) Be sMaRt: dO yOuR ReSeArCh
4) Be cReAtIve: decIdE oN yOuR PlAtfoRm
5) Be cOnfIdEnT: pLaN yOuR LaUnCh
Each section rounds up with handy action tips for activists.
ArE yOu rEaDy?
LeT’s gO!
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StEp OnE
Be SpEcIfIc
GoAlS
To launch a killer campaign you must first select a killer, specific campaign goal. This is major. It will form the crux of your campaign. It’s important to get it right! Here’s how to zoom in on your choice of an issue to tackle:
1) In the most
general way
possible
thInK aBoUt
tHe thInGs tHaT
aNnOy yOu.
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We’ve got to start by thinking big here. Society is filled with inequality. Depending on who we are and where in the world we are born, some groups of people will have greater advantages and opportunities than others.
SaDlY, mAnY oF uS
cOmE uP aGaInSt bArrIeRs.
These barriers vary depending on our race, gender, religion, social class and other things – some are a result of our own life choices, others are just a by-product of who we are and when and where we were born. Sometimes these are called ‘institutional problems’, meaning that they are
a result of how our society has set up institutions like government, schools and industries. And if no one challenges them, these issues just continue.
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My End Tampon Tax campaign
fell under the institutional
problem of sexism. But I didn’t realize
this at first – not for a long time.
AlL I kNeW
wAs tHaT I wAs
aNnOyEd.
I was annoyed at being catcalled on the street. (FYI if a catcaller is reading this, please save the ‘Hey, sweet cheeks’ for actual legit cats. OK bye.) I was annoyed at the boys at school dominating science, maths and IT while it was presumed I would only like art, food tech and dance. I was annoyed that
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everyone at school would watch the boys play basketball while nobody supported the sports that us girls played, including Julia (my twin) and me practising taekwondo where we literally kicked ass (FYI Julia earned her black belt and became a pro ninja while I tapped out at green belt – we can’t all be ninjas!). I was annoyed!
Initially I thought that I was annoyed at being a girl. But I wasn’t.
I wAs cOnFuSeD bY tHe
wAyS In whIcH gIrLs aRe
tReAtEd, aNd tHaT bOyS
wErE tReAtEd dIffeReNtly.
Basically I was angry at sexism. That’s when I knew I had to change something. I knew I wanted to help tackle the institutional problem of sexism.
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BuT wHaT cOuld I do?
This question sat with me for a few years. I knew I couldn’t just start a movement calling for sexism to do like a dinosaur and instantaneously become extinct but I wasn’t really sure why. For years I was forming these questions unconsciously, challenging the status quo in my mind, and slowly
I lEaRnEd tO
rEcOgnIzE InStAnCeS oF
sExIsM In eVeRyDaY lIfE.
WhIcH aNnOyEd mE.
EvErY. DaY.
Since then I’ve realized something. Sexism is complicated. It’s not a single thing, but rather
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a large array of many specific issues. It’s the media’s hyper-sexualization of women that adds to this concept we call ‘sexism’.
It’s tHe pReSuMptIoN
tHaT CeO’S wIlL bE mAlE.
It’s tHe mAsS sExUAL
hArAsSmEnT OF wOmEn.
It’s tHe sIgnIfIcAnT pAy
gAp tHaT sEpArAtEs
tHe sExEs.
All of these examples of gender injustices strengthen the wider concept that we call sexism.
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This can be applied to racism, ableism, ageism and many other awful-isms, and these are all big, institutional problems, which reveal themselves everywhere from many, many smaller everyday actions and big policy decisions.
If thIs aNnOyS yOu tOO,
tHeN gOoD.
It sHoULD!
Never stop being shocked and annoyed by the problems that hold people back. But always remember that
yOu hAvE tHe pOwEr
tO cHaNgE tHeM.
Just like my twin sister always tells me: ‘We can do anything.’ Try to think about exactly what it is that
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annoys you, and which institutional problem you might want to tackle through campaigning. Do you want to help reduce racism, sexism or classism? Maybe you want to protect the environment, save animals or support people with disabilities? There are lots of things to be shocked and annoyed by. Choosing just one or maybe a few barriers to tackle can be really difficult. I chose to focus on the problem that I had the most experience of battling – sexism.
This is important to remember. Just like most other institutional problems, thousands of issues constitute sexism throughout almost all societies across the globe. To truly get rid of such problems we need to tackle these more specific issues, one at a time.
2) NaRrOw yOuR fOcUs:
fInD yOuR sPecIfIc IsSuE
Now we get to the important part: choosing the right issue for you to tackle. This is exciting. This is the moment that you get to choose the focus of your campaign.
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While all issues will look different