Organising Bootcamp

Come along to an afternoon of workshops on key campaigning skills run by and for student organisers. Open to all students interested in campaigning for change (beginners encouraged!). 

The workshops will be interactive and you will be invited to share your own thoughts and experiences. 

The whole day will take place from 1pm - 7.30pm but you are welcome to drop in and out for the sessions that interest you. 

The details of each session are below. Please sign up for the sessions that interest you as there are limited spaces available. If you need to cancel your sign up send us an email at activties@cambridgesu.co.uk so someone else can have your space. 

The events will take place in the SU Lounge but may move outside depending on the session (more information coming soon).

Sessions

Welfare, Accessibility, & Decision-making in Organising Spaces (1pm-1.45pm)

Run by student campaigners, this session will cover different ways to embed welfare and collective care in your organising groups. It will look at how to have a strong campaign group that can build trust and make decisions together. It will also cover how to make your organising feel more accessible and build an organising space that everyone can be a part of. This ticket is called '1pm [Accessibility]'. 

How To Build Your Campaign & Win Big! (2pm-2.45pm)

This session will cover how to grow your campaign, effectively strategise, and win! It will introduce the ‘‘Organising For Power’ principles commonly used by Unions and apply them to a Cambridge-University context. No need to be part of a current campaign to come along. This ticket is called '2pm [Campaigning]'. 

Using Press & Social Media Effectively (3.15-3pm)

Led by the student campaign group ‘Cambridge Climate Justice’, this session will cover everything ‘comms’ from how to utilise social media to how to write a press release. This ticket is called '3.15pm [Press].'

Direct Action Workshop (4.15pm-5pm)

We’re lucky enough to be joined by the national student-organising network ‘People and Planet’ who will be leading a workshop about ‘direct action’. This will cover different techniques of protest that have been used in University campaign contexts across the country. This ticket is called '4.15pm [Action]'. 

Archiving Activism: Interactive workshop (5.30-7.30pm)

The final session of the day, this will be a longer session discussing the importance of ‘archiving’ student activism. We will be joined by video-call by the creator of the online Cambridge ‘Radical Archive’ who will take us on a virtual history of Cambridge protest. We will also have the original copy of the ‘Disorientation Guide’ to look through and discuss, alongside other archival materials. Attendees will also have the opportunity to add to the virtual archive and create their own materials at the end of the session. This ticket is called '5.30pm [Archiving].'

There will be a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free pizzas for this session. 

Access info:

The SU Lounge: There is  step-free and wheelchair access via the lift. There is a variety of padded seating, an accessible toilet, and a gender-neutral toilet. There isn't a hearing loop, a BSL interpreter, general car parking, or blue badge parking. 

Outside: Depending on the accessibility needs of attendees, we may move to an outdoor space. Any outdoor spaces would be within a 2 minute walk of the SU Lounge. Most seating will be on picnic blankets but there will be a variety of seat options too. 

The event: Each session will be around 50 minutes with a 10 minute break in between each. There will be two half hour breaks. There will be water and snacks available throughout the day and a selection of snacks (all snacks will be vegetarian and nut-free, there will be vegan and gluten-free options. The sessions will have a relaxed atmosphere and you are welcome to leave at any time or take any breaks you need. 

If you have any questions about the workshops get in touch with daisy.thomas@cambridgesu.co.uk.