National Youth and Student Peace Coalition

Teach-Ins & Film Screenings

October 16th-October 22nd

Teach-ins, panels and film-showings are a great way to get people discussing the war and raising awareness. Campuses usually have a number of people, students and professors, who are informed on the effects of war - through politics, economics, sociology, religion, other disciplines and experiences - that you could ask to speak. Historians Against War (www.historiansagainstwar.org) are also calling for teach-ins October 17-19 and you can check their site for speakers in your area or ideas and support for your teach-in. There are also a ton of amazing new films and documentaries on the war that are cheap and accessible to obtain, some of which are listed below.

Step 1: Talk to your group, brainstorm, decide on an action and set a time/place

Teach-ins - Make a list of potential speakers who are educated and passionate. Have those who personally know these speakers (professors/students/activists/veterans) ask if they would like to participate in the event. If you don't have anyone who directly knows the person, make sure there is a point person to reach out to him/her. Have the point people report back to the group and periodically check in with the speakers so they understand the format (are you asking questions, have a specific point you want them to address or are they just generally talking about the war?) and know where and when the event will take place. At the same time others should be reserving space in a large classroom or auditorium through the student activities or other office that handles such requests.
Films - Have someone order the film ASAP. Another point person should be reserving a room/auditorium and making sure you will have access to the audiovisual equipment at the time of event.

Step 2: Outreach!

Make flyers announcing the date, time and place of the event, with catchy graphics. Don't have funds to make copies? Talk to Middle Eastern Studies, History, Religion or other departments and student groups to co-sponsor the event for you and cover the costs of flyers. Cut costs by making quarter sheet flyers. If all else fails, buy some sidewalk chalk and/or make flyers by hand on the blank side of old flyers, be creative!
Contact other groups on campus to let them know when and where it is happening - this war affects everyone, so in your outreach highlight why they should be there.
Talk to professors - some professors offer extra credit for students to attend relevant events, others even require attendance at several events throughout the semester - have them announce your event and pass out flyers.
Most schools have a campus calendar where students can post events - it usually takes some advance work but it is a reminder that will reach thousands of people the day of the event via the school homepage.
Check out campus newspapers - they sometimes have free space to announce events. Campus radio will also announce things too.
Post it multiple times to your group listserv, the listservs of other applicable groups, list it as a myspace event or bulletin, put it on your group website if you have one and have people put it in their I.M. profiles.

Films

Reveille! Reveille! is an ongoing historical project for and by veterans. It chronicles the Iraq Veterans Against the War in their earliest attempts to prevent further atrocities and regain their humanity. See www.reveillefilm.com for more info.

The Ground Truth documentary powerfully tells the stories of young veterans through their enlistment, tours of duty and returning home. http://thegroundtruth.net

Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers makes the connections between the companies who profit from war and conflict and those who have the power to go to war. http://Iraqforsale.org

Sir! No Sir! is a film released in theaters earlier this year on the GI resistance movement during the Vietnam War. It powerfully outlines how troop resistance and action was key to ending the war and why it terrified the government. www.sirnosir.com

Why We Fight, a new film by Eugene Jarecki, outlines the rise of the war machine and the American empire with how the military industrial complex works. www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight

Other films you should check out:
Soldiers Speak Out www.empowermentproject.org/sso.html
Occupation Dreamland www.occupationdreamland.com
Shadow Company www.shadowcompanythemovie.com/