Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003• How to speak in public• How to write a petition• How to hold a press conference§ 8.8 Carrying Out the CampaignThe execution and development of the campaign depends on the participants themselves. Theparticipants need to develop a sense of ownership in the campaign and to adopt the motto “If it isgoing to be, it is up to me.” If the campaign is truly to be led by immigrants, then the immigrantsshould have the liberty, with input and direction from the advocate, to decide the shape andprogress of the campaign. From time to time, the participants may need a little push and somemotivation; the organizer needs to be able to distinguish these situations from those where theparticipants need space to run the campaign on their own.The activities undertaken in the campaign will be shaped by whether the campaign is focused oninformation or advocacy. In turn, the type and number of participants who will be needed forparticular events will be shaped by the activities. Activities might include all or some of thefollowing:• Community meetings• Press conferences• Letter writing campaigns• Signature gathering for a petition• Legislative visits• Leaflet distributionThe AB540 campaign was primarily an information campaign, and involved a significantnumber of community meetings that were used to inform the community about the benefitsoffered by AB540. Each meeting required just a few participants to give the presentation. Thestudents decided to take turns delivering the presentation, which were given at different sites,such as schools and immigrant community organizations.On the other hand, an advocacy campaign might require a large number of participants to beinvolved in any one activity. For example, Padres Unidos and other groups advocating for theissuance of drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants attempt to gather as many signaturesas possible in support of a petition. In this case the greater the number of participants, the greaterthe number of signatures that can be gathered and submitted.Ultimately, the number of participants is less important than how prepared and motivated theyare to carry out the campaign. The advocate’s role is to both equip the participants with thenecessary skills and to ensure that they understand how vital they are to the success of thecampaign. Essentially, the advocate will help facilitate the work of the community memberswhile the community members actually carry out the campaign.8-6