INTRODUCTION

Introduces participants to the GROW training program, the United States Student Association (USSA) and Midwest Academy. The basic principles of Direct Action Organizing (DAO) and a broad context of what will occur during the weekend training session are covered here. All of the GROW sessions are designed to be interactive and build upon one another. Each topic is approached by first presenting the theory to participants, providing an exercise to put the theory into practice, and finally debriefing each session in light of the theory and how it was applied in the exercise.

UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONS OF POWER

This begins with a role play that clearly demonstrates the institutional relations of power and how they are played out in real-life scenarios. If you’ve ever wondered why you weren’t able to reach your goals in a campaign, after you had a clear plan and great events, than pay attention here! Understanding the relations of power is critical to developing a good strategy and getting what you want!

CHOOSING AN ISSUE

This session helps outline criteria to help us choose the best solutions to the problems we face. From there, students can strategize how we can win concrete victories on our campuses by eliminating these problems and building student activism.

STRATEGY GUIDELINES

The heart of the GROW training, this session pulls together all of the previous sessions and the whole weekend to help students outline a successful strategy. It is a simple tool which can make a remarkable difference in the success and outcome of student organizing campaigns.

STRATEGY EXERCISE

This session gives the participants the opportunity to use their own hands and minds to develop a strategy chart in a given situation. Participants work in groups to develop strategies, which are later presented to the group as a whole and critiqued to ensure a full understanding of how to use the chart.

COALITIONS

Working in coalitions can be the most rewarding as well as the hardest part of campus organizing. This session offers time-tested guidelines for successful issue-based coalition building by addressing the various challenges they often face. Participants then have the opportunity to examine hypothetical coalition partners and learn how to develop relationships that benefit all involved.

CONTEXT OF OUR WORK:
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS RECRUITMENT

This session focuses on the crux of student activism. What students are facing on a national scale, why we work the way we do and what we can do together to build a better future. There will be updates on federal legislation and current USSA campaigns and how students can make a difference by working together on a national level.

Recruitment is the foundation to building a strong organization and ensuring that your activism reaches well beyond your tenure on campus as a student. This session goes over basic components to your organization, how to develop leadership to strengthen your group and basic tips for one-on-one recruitment. Participants will also practice their techniques on each other and share suggestions...

ACTIONS

Our activities lead us to a point where we have to directly ask someone to change a law, create a program, or support students on an issue. Participants learn how to plan face-to-face meetings with the person who can say yes or no to your demands. In the role play, these skills are put into practice through an exercise where participants plan and act out their strategy in a role play.