This section summarizes the student’s data-gathering process and key findings from survey, interview, or other inquiry methods.
I asked some fellow students a few open-ended questions about community organizing and activism. The respondents were already involved as changemakers on campus. They either work at the Impact Center or are involved in local communities.
Most respondents already have a sense of community that comes from their work, school, family, and hobbies.
When asked what helps them feel empowered to make change, most respondents said they needed safe spaces where they felt understood and appreciated. Consistency in community also contributed to a feeling of safety. Some respondents said they were empowered by their communities when those communities were “living things” that helped them express care for particular people.
Respondents defined community as a simple, small-scale means to care for people with similar goals and values. Community building can be done through efforts like joining clubs, going to events, or even just getting coffee with a friend. One student said, “It is good for your health even to be doing something,” and that community work is “rejuvenating.”
Respondents defined activism as something that is “a step past,” or more than, community organizing. While organizing is done within communities, activism is focused outward and centered on being seen. Many respondents agreed that organizing is a part of activism, but that activism is more than just organizing.
When asked whether community organizing and activism felt accessible, responses varied. Some respondents felt they could make change in some roles but were limited in other parts of their lives. Nearly all respondents cited time and/or money as the primary barrier to being involved. Fear of the risks involved, fear of vulnerability, and uncertainty about how to even begin tend to hold students back as well. One student said that although they are able to get involved, the people who need community the most are often the most isolated. On the other hand, one student said that already being a part of a vulnerable community made it easier to get involved. For some, community can be easy to find but difficult to access.
This section shares insights from a community partner interview, connecting their perspective to the Pathway theme.
I spoke with Boh, an organizer with the mutual aid group that puts on a RRFM in Provo, Utah. They have been working with their organization for about a year and a half. This is the first organization they have participated in that is structured horizontally, which means there are no titles or leadership structures. New members learn organizing skills quickly and have their voices heard. Boh said that it has been “surprisingly intimidating for most people,” but that organizing does not need to be as structured as we might think. The most important thing is building a base, which really just looks like making friends. That is how we learn what it takes for people to show up and build the relational skills necessary to make change. Community members need to start with small steps and find their niche.
Boh also emphasized the importance of failure when you are getting started. “Go in not knowing what you are doing and fumble through a couple of things and it will be a learning experience. People are afraid to be bad at stuff.” It is important to have an organizing culture that helps people overcome the fear of failure. When people trust their community to be a safe space for them, skills develop more rapidly. The change that needs to happen will happen when the community needs it, but you can’t control things as one person.
One of the projects that the community is proud of is their ride-share program, which is essentially a channel on their Discord server where they coordinate rides. It may seem small, but being able to get a ride to work or community events without the expectation of compensation helps build a community where people’s most basic needs are met.
I asked Boh if there was anything left to say, and they left me with the simple piece of advice: “It isn’t weird to do stuff.”
This section summarizes readings and research related to a relevant topic within the student’s Pathway and connects them to larger patterns or themes.
Really Really Free Markets, or RRFMs, have been getting more and more popular over the last decade. A quick google search will tell you that they are being organized in most major cities in the United States. Salt Lake Community Mutual Aid, an locally organized group says on their website, “The RRFM has been a great place for people to get to know each other while imagining alternative ways of sharing things().” This one example of the many of these events that are happening in Utah.
Why are these events so popular? The first reason is that they are fairly easy to set up, and in the organizing world easy means sustainable. A decentralized model also teaches people how easy it is to get involved. Organizers say, “so long as the idea is well-distributed, neither hierarchy nor central coordination is necessary to organize a ’Free Market. This makes the ’Free Market model helpful for those hoping to cultivate personal responsibility and autonomous initiative in their communities().” People are drawn in by the promise of free things and they stay for the community.
It is also a way to get people food that doesn’t feel like charity:
“In much of North America, the stigma around eating free food is strong enough that often only dropouts, radicals, and desperately poor people are comfortable doing so in public. The ’Free Market model, conversely, can be comfortable for almost anyone. In a consumer society in which shopping is the common denominator of all social activity, everyone feels entitled to pick through items at a yard sale—and the fact that they’re free just sweetens the deal. Middle class people, of course, need more than anything else to get rid of things: their houses are all so overfilled with unused commodities that the opportunity to do something with them is a godsend. This works out nicely for the rest of us!().”
Maybe this isn’t what you imagine organizing and activism to be in your head. Maybe it sounds too easy. Is a bunch of people hanging out and getting free stuff at a park really going to change the world? Well according to most contemporary organizers, the answer is yes. In adrienne marred brown’s book “Pleasure Activism” she posits an organizing framework that puts pleasure at its core. On the very first page of the book she says that, “pleasure is a measure of freedom().” This is a claim that most people would agree with. If our work never brings about pleasure, then why are we doing it in the first place? brown is one of the most visible people working in the organizing space, but it is quite common to hear similar philosophies if you go out and talk to anyone in the activism space. Forgetting to focus on pleasure leads to burn out, which leads to giving up.
There are limitations to RRFMs. Without proper care, they can fall apart quickly. Organizers advise to make sure that you are consistent in the place and time so that people can show up consistently. They also caution against letting it be a place for a single group or subculture. The more different kinds of people with different interests you can get at your market, the more sustainable and welcoming it will be.
This section highlights helpful tools or guides that support real-world application of the Pathway.
You may have seen the term “mutual aid” get thrown around in this post or in real life organizing spaces. Mutual aid is a model of organizing that makes sure that people’s needs are met. If you want to learn more about mutual aid, you can look into Dean Spade’s book, “Mutual Aid.” It is an accessible manual on organizing best practices. You don’t even have to read the whole book to get something useful out of it, there are plenty of charts and templates that you can find in the book or online. His website is a great place to find organizing resources in general.
Maybe you read through this post or hear about organizing work and think, “I don’t have the skills required to make a difference.” In this podcast two experienced organizers talk about the skills that you already have. Do you know how to cook? Do you use dating apps? Do you have access to a button maker or a car? Everyone has skills that can make them a great organizer.
This section reflects on a firsthand or immersive experience related to the Pathway topic.
UVU’s Really Really Free Market was a great example of bringing an idea that started in organizing and activism communities to everyday students at UVU. This event is a little different from others that I have been to. A typical free market sources clothing and all of its items from community members. You bring some things if you have it (but no pressure), and so does everyone else. Usually people have enough that they need to get rid of that there is plenty to go around. From garden fresh produce to small furniture, the RRFM is a place to shop without spending money and spend some time with your community. UVU’s market focuses on clothing and sources things a little differently, but they maintain the most important part: everything is absolutely free.
When I went I heard plenty of students asking “is it really free?” The answer to that question is always yes. The clothing is sourced from local thrift stores, other community markets, and even the UVU lost and found. You will probably run into Carlos, a professor at UVU who is plugged into the local community and always happy to chat. He also DJ’s for the sustainable fashion show, which students are welcome to participate in. All you have to do is find an outfit from what is available and hop up on stage. My favorite part of the market is the loads and loads of free water bottles. Who hasn’t misplaced a few good quality water bottles? It feels a lot better knowing that you will be able to get a new one for free at any of these markets. There were plenty of lightly used Owalas, Stanleys, and Hydroflasks.
The UVU Really Really Free Market is about community building and sustainability. Students are getting an idea of the kind of organizing that is possible without money and reducing their environmental footprint at the same time. Additionally, this event shows what it can look like to fit an event to the needs of a community. This on campus event has been fitted to meet the needs of students who can stop by in between classes and pick a few things up. If you want to learn more about Really Really Free Markets, look at the Current Discourse heading.
This section offers closing reflections and invites readers to consider how they can apply the insights in their own lives and communities.
If you are looking to start an org or a project in your local area, don’t be intimidated. Think about the skills that you have and how those skill could help your community. Think about causes that you care about and find people who care about the same things. We all have skills, friends, and access to resources that can help make positive change in our communities.
If you don’t know where to start, consider starting a really really free market in your area. Once we start to build community and have our basic needs met, ideas and projects quickly follow. The most important part of organizing and activism is meeting people who want the same things that you do.
If you are part of an organization that wants to empower individuals to make change, focusing on inclusivity and pleasure will help you to reach those who need you. Interpersonal skills and relational care are what makes an organization resilient.
When organizing work feels obscure and impenetrable, we will struggle to find people who are willing to put in the work. When it feels good and life-affirming, it becomes easy to imagine new ways of living.
