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HOST GUIDE FOR 3-HOUR TRAININGS

the99spring.com

#99spring

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THANK YOU! Thank you for hosting a 99% Spring training. Together, we are making history: never before has training for nonviolent direct action been attempted at anything approaching this scale. By bringing together 100,000 people all over our country in trainings like this one, we will deepen our connections to one another, educate ourselves about what’s happened to our economy, and prepare ourselves to take action to win real change.

The 99% Spring is the effort of more than 60 organizations from across the country – unions, community organizations, environmental groups, organizations of immigrant workers – and of dedicated activists like you.

We came together because our country is in crisis, and that isn’t going to change unless we step up and fight back together. This week of training is designed to prepare us all for six weeks of action. In the next six weeks, people across the country will be confronting corporations at their shareholder meetings, organizing actions on Tax Day to demand that corporations pay their fair share, challenging abusive employers and confronting politicians who have signed off on the 1%’s agenda.

This packet gives you everything you need to make your event a success. Please review it in advance, to make sure you have the necessary materials on hand for the various exercises that are part of the training and that you are prepared to lead those exercises. The 99% Spring video will walk you and your guests through most of the material, but you will need to pause the video at various points to lead discussions and exercises.

Thank you again for providing local leadership for the 99% Spring.

TRAINING GOALS

• Form a local community of people committed to non-violent direct action to forge a more just economy.

• Tell our families’ stories to let go of our shame, discover what connects us and build solidarity.

• Learn how others like us have responded to economic and social injustice in the past.

• Create a vision for a new, more just economy.

• Begin to prepare ourselves personally and as a community for nonviolent direct action.

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MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED

! Name tags (provided to guests as they arrive)

! Sign-in sheets (to collect contact information, including phone numbers and emails, for all your guests so you can follow up with them later)

! 99% Spring video (we strongly suggest that you

download this to your hard drive and/or burn to a DVD rather than trying to stream it during the training)

! Projectors & speakers (particularly for trainings over 15

people)

! A Participant Guide for each guest (some of the exercises draw on material in the Participant Guide)

! Markers/sharpies/pens

! Blank sheets of paper for notes

! Four sheets of large paper for your group’s “Story of Us.”

At the top of one, write “We Are;” on another, “We Are Struggling With;” on another, “We Want a Different Future Where,” and on the last “We are the 99% and we are coming together to write a new story.” Leave plenty of blank space – the group will fill in the rest.

! Sign up sheets for working groups to carry your group’s

activism forward (with sign up for coordinating teams on Actions, Recruitment and Outreach, Media, Resources)

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Section 1: We are the 99% (45 min)

Section 2: Nonviolent Direct Action: History and Practice (50 min)

Section 3: 99% Spring Action Planning (1 hour, 25 min)

WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS, & WHY WE’RE HERE (10 min)

HOUSE PARTY AGENDA (3 hours, 10 min)

We’ll start with introductions, a quick review of 99% Spring, the goals for this training, and what the training will cover.

WE ARE THE 99% (45 min)

Each of us will tell the story of how our families have been affected by changes in the economy, including what’s happened to our jobs, our homes, our schools, and our communities. We’ll identify themes and differences in our stories, places where we can find solidarity and common cause for shared action now. We’ll tell a story of us, who we are as a community, and identify the choices we face now.

VIDEO: POWER OF NON VIOLENT DIRECT ACTION (30 min) We’ll watch a short video on the “Power of Non Violent Direct Action” telling the story of our tradition of direct action in the United States of America and of our generation’s place in carrying that tradition forward. NON VIOLENT DIRECT ACTION: PERSONAL PREPARATION (20 min)

We’ll practice non violence to learn more about how we as individuals respond instinctually to conflict and power and how we can intentionally choose to respond differently.

NON VIOLENT DIRECT ACTION: ACTION PLANNING AND PRACTICE (1 hour, 10 min) Successful non violent direct action requires discipline, planning and practice. We’ll review action planning tools, then plan and role play an action together.

99% SPRING LOCAL ACTION PLANNING (15 min)

We’ll develop an action plan to follow up this training, identifying roles, establishing a specific timeline and committing to be part of 99% Spring actions in our community.

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Materials:

• Name tags (provided to guests as they arrive) • Sign-in sheets (including phone numbers and emails, for all your guests) • 99% Spring half-day training video • Projector & speakers (particularly for trainings over 15 people) Facilitation Tip: Keep the introductions quick! If someone gives more than a one-word response to the prompt, kindly cut him or her off and enforce the one-word rule. Everyone will have the opportunity to share more personal stories in the next section. You may want to ask one guest to be the official timekeeper and equip him or her with a bell or timer to help you keep time.

TIME & MATERIALS

NOTES

6 min Introductions

If your guests do not all know one another, lead a lightning round of introductions. For example, give each guest 15 seconds to say their name, where they’re from, and one word about a person or belief or something they love that brings them here today.

(The next section of the training features a story-sharing exercise that will give your guests an opportunity to really get to know one another in depth, so don’t worry if these initial introductions are short.)

4 min Play the training video. The video includes a general introduction to the 99% Spring, and an outline of the training agenda.

(This flows directly into the next section – no need to pause the video.)

Welcome, Introductions & Why We’re Here Time: 10 min

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Section 1: We Are the 99%

Materials:

• “I Am the 99” card (a blank card for every guest, can be copied from the participant guide), or blank sheets of paper

• Markers/sharpies/pens for writing stories • Four sheets of paper for your group’s “Story of Us.” At the top of one, write “We Are”; on

another, “We Are Struggling With”; on the third, “We Want a Different Future Where” and on the last, “We are the 99% and we are coming together to write a new story.” Leave plenty of blank space – the group will fill in the rest.

Facilitation Tip: When you break into groups of 4, make sure every group has a timekeeper. It’s important that each person has only 4 minutes to share their personal “I am the 99%” story—or you might not make it through the entire training. Encourage the timekeepers to use a stopwatch or timer on their phones to enforce the 4-minute rule.

TIME & MATERIALS

NOTES

7 min Play video (up to first pause).

“I Am the 99%”: personal story sharing exercise

30 min

Materials:

Markers/sharpies

“I Am the 99%” cards

Break the group up into smaller groups of 4. (If you have an uneven number of people, include some smaller groups. Groups of more than 4 will extend the time required for this exercise.) Try to group together people who don’t know one another.

Distribute blank “I Am the 99%” cards or blank paper, one per guest or tell guests to find this page in their participant guides.

Tell your guests they will have 5 minutes to write their personal story on their card. These stories can include past struggles, challenges they or their family are facing today, or their fears about their future. If people are stuck, you can offer some questions to help guide them:

• What was the challenge that you faced? • What impact did this challenge have on you and your family? What

does it mean for your future? • How did that challenge make you feel? • How did you choose to respond to that challenge?

Time: 45 min

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When the 5 minutes are up, have the members of each group take turns reading their stories to the others members of their group. Each person will have 4 minutes to read their card, elaborate on it and/or take questions. (As host, you should help make sure the groups stay on track so that everyone gets a chance to share their story – for example, after 8 minutes let the groups know they should be halfway through with their story-sharing.)

When time is up, reconvene the full group and have everyone hold up their cards. Take another 5 minutes to identify common themes in the stories – what are some of the issues that your guests are struggling with? (For example, unemployment; falling incomes; lost retirement savings; health care costs; the housing crisis.)

Use this as an opportunity to reinforce the extent of the current economic devastation, and the need for change. Depending on the composition of your group, it may also be an opportunity to point out the variety of experiences within the 99% -- for example, professionals, manufacturing workers and service workers are experiencing the attack on workers differently; homeowners and renters are experiencing the housing crisis differently; college students, retirees and low-income folks are all being hit by budget cuts, but in different ways.

We also encourage you to have your guests take pictures of one another holding up their stories, and then to upload pictures to 99spring.tumblr.com/submit and wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/submit. (Use the extra cards if folks need to rewrite their stories more cleanly for the picture.)

2 min Resume video to next pause.

The Story of “Us”

6 min (the video suggests 10 minutes, but 6 is generally plenty of time)

Materials:

Sheets of paper with headings (“We Are”, “We Are Struggling With”, “We Want

Have your group fill in the prepared sheets:

“We Are”: who are the groups and kinds of people represented at your training? (For examples, union members, retirees, environmentalists, students, etc.)

“We Are Struggling With”: what are some of the issues and challenges in your group’s stories? (For example, racism, foreclosures, union-busting, student loan debt, etc.)

“We Want a Different Future Where”: what are some of the dreams about the future expressed by your group? (For example, good jobs are available for everyone who wants to work, health care is a right, everyone has a secure retirement, our energy comes from renewable sources, etc.)

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a Different Future Where” and “We are the 99% and now we are coming together to write a new story for our country.”)

Marker

Once you’ve compiled your “story of us,” have the group read it out loud together, concluding with, “We are the 99%, and now we are coming together to write a different story for our country. “

Celebrate your stories by applauding or leading a chant, like “We are the 99%”!

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Section 2: Nonviolent Direct Action: History and Practice

Video:!Power!of!Nonviolent!Direct!Action!

Facilitation Tip: After the video, you’ll have 12 minutes to discuss and share reactions. To give participants as much time to talk as possible, break people into groups of 3. This is not intended to be a long discussion, so after 12 minutes wrap up the conversation and move to the next section.

TIME & MATERIALS

NOTES

18 min Resume video to play the “Power of Non Violent Direct Action”

12 min Pause the video.

Break people into pairs or groups of three to share reactions to the video. Use the following questions to spur conversation:

• Was there anything in the video that surprised you?

• What choices did the 1% make at various points in history, and why (and who, specifically, in the 1%)?

• What choices did activists and organizers in the 99% make at various points in history, and why (and who, specifically, in the 99%)?

• What lessons can we learn for the 99% Spring?

This is not intended to be a long discussion – after 12 minutes wrap up the conversation and move to the next section.

Time: 30 min

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Section 2: Nonviolent Direct Action: History and Practice

Personal!Preparation

Facilitation Tip: The debrief of the “hassle line” exercise is an opportunity to reinforce a couple of key points about nonviolent direct action: first, that we always have choices; and second, that we can be most effective when we approach action strategically and intentionally (that is, we are disciplined, not just reacting).

TIME & MATERIALS NOTES

4 min Resume video until first pause.

“Hassle line” exercise

3 min

After watching the video of the “hassle line” exercise, in which actors practice a confrontation, break the group into pairs (3 is fine if there’s an odd number) to do the exercise. One person is a protestor closing his or her account and flyering others to encourage them to do the same. The other person is the bank manager.

Before you start the exercise, tell the group that you’ll yell “stop” in 60 seconds. When they hear the word “stop,” everyone should freeze.

Role-play for 1 minute and then stop. Yell “Freeze!”

Have the pairs switch roles and repeat the exercise for 1 minute and then stop.

2 min Resume video until next pause.

“Hassle line” exercise #2 & Debrief

8 min

We are now going to practice “cooling down.” Instruct your participants to go back to their partner and to the initial roles. This time, the bank manager should practice “cooling down” or de-escalating the exercise. The activist should try to escalate the situation.

Go for 60 seconds and then yell “Freeze!”

Switch sides for 60 more seconds and then yell “Freeze!”

In pairs, debrief the experience for 3 minutes: How did it feel? What worked? Was there anything that surprised you? What choices did you make?

3 min Resume video to hear tips and reflections on this exercise.

(The video will continue through to the next section – no need to pause.)

Time: 20 min

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Section 3: 99% Spring Action Planning Nonviolent Direct Action: Action Planning & Practice

Materials:

" “Action planning part 1” – included in the Participant Guide " Sheets of paper to write on " Pens

Facilitation Tips:

• In the action planning exercise, make sure you cut off the group after 20 minutes of planning. Most groups won’t have gotten through all the questions – and that’s ok. It’s more important to keep moving in the training than to let people finish answering all the questions. This training is just an introduction to direct action, then we can all coordinate to lay concrete plans in the next few days.

• When you get to the actual role play, the time allocations in the trainer guide are different from the times suggested in the video. Please follow the times in this guide instead. They’ll make for a better role play and a richer learning experience.

• Setting up and debriefing the action role play might be the trickiest part of the trainings. Make sure you ask for 3-4 volunteers who can play non-activists in the role play. If you know people who are coming to the training, you might want to ask them in advance.

• Be sure to cut off the role play after 10 minutes and take 10 minutes to debrief the role play using the debrief questions provided below.

TIME & MATERIALS NOTES

8 min Continue video up to first pause (to allow anyone in your group who’s working on a local campaign to describe it.)

3 min Describe local campaign(s) – optional; if no one is working on a campaign, proceed with video . . . if multiple campaigns are represented in the room, give them each a minute. Be sure to cover what the issue is, what the goal is, what’s already been done, and with whom they’re working.

3 min Resume video to next pause (when action planning exercise is introduced)

Action Planning exercise 25 min

As a group, choose whether to use a local campaign for the exercise, or the “Mega Bank” example described in the video (in which a group of anti-foreclosure activists who’ve been trying to help homeowners individually decide to take their action directly to the bank responsible, in an effort to get the bank to negotiate fairly with homeowners). Break into manageable groups (there is no hard and fast number for this exercise, but more than 10 is likely to be unwieldy), and instruct your guests

Time: 1 hr, 10 min

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Materials: A “Action

planning” handout

A Paper (for each guest)

A Pens

to go through as many steps in the action planning exercise as they can in the next 20 minutes. Call time after 20 minutes and debrief the planning exercise for another 5 minutes. Key questions to discuss:

• What was the overall vision for the action we planned? • What was the specific goal? • What was the strategy? • What tactic did they choose, and why? How would this

tactic move them toward their goal? • Which parts fell into place easily, and which were

stumbling blocks?

1 min Resume video up to the next pause (for action role play exercise)

Action role play 30 min:

• 10 minutes for set-up

• 10 minutes for the role play

• 10 minutes to debrief

Using the plan developed in the earlier exercise (or one of the plans, if there was more than one group), give your guests an opportunity to actually role play the action. In most cases, you’ll want the group to pick just one action to role-play (even if there were several groups planning different actions). However, if your group has several trainers and more than 30 people and is in a large enough space, you might want to set up two different role-plays. Note that these times are slightly different from the times suggested in the video – please follow these times instead. They’ll make for a better role play and a richer learning experience. Set up the role-play (10 min): Break into two groups: activists and non-activists. Take 10 minutes in these groups to plan the action and/or your roles. Group 1: The majority of the guests should be activists – the activist group should decide among themselves who will play the various roles identified in their plan. Group 2: You’ll need 3-4 people who can play non-activist roles: representatives of the target institution (e.g., bank manager, other bank employees like tellers and security guards), reporters, and passers-by. (Since this training is not intended to prepare people for arrestable actions, we strongly discourage you from including police as characters in the role play – in fact, if the role play escalates to the point that police would likely be called, you should end it there.)

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It is likely that the activist group will not be ready to start the role-play after 10 minutes—but it’s important that you start it anyway. This mimics real-life planning scenarios and creates a rich learning experience. Actual role play (10 min): Groups assume their roles and role play the action. Call time at 10 minutes. Debrief the role play (10 min): Use the following questions to debrief and pull out key learnings.

Debrief Questions Learnings

1) What was your goal with this action? Did you reach your goal? Why or why not?

Things change and don’t always go according to plan. New developments emerge that were not in your original scenario. Have a plan A, B, C, D! After you make your plan, ask yourselves “What if __ happens?” over and over until you’ve accounted for every reasonable contingency. Mention that in this circumstance the facilitator mapped out the area, but in the future, you need someone to “scout” the area in advance so you know the location you are working with!

2) What roles did people take on? What went well? What roles were missing?

There are many potential roles we can have in an action for before, during and after. There is an important role for EVERYBODY, regardless of how much time we each have or how much risk someone will take.

3) If you role-played an observer or employee of the target institution: What messages did the action communicate to you? What was the tone of the action? Was it effective? How did it make you feel? 4) If you role-played an activist: What message did you want to communicate? Do you feel you effectively did so? Why or why not?

We need to think about how our action is conveying the message that we want to communicate in our materials but also in how we carry out the action itself.

5) How did you make decisions in the action? How would you have made decisions if circumstances changed?

We need clear decision-making and communication between groups in an action.

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Section 3: 99% Spring Action Planning Local Action Planning

Materials:

Sign up sheets for each working group (Actions, Recruitment and Outreach, Media, Resources)

Facilitation Tip: Refer participants to the 99% Spring action toolkits at http://the99spring.com/tools/ and the Action Tool (where everyone can post or find local 99% Spring actions) at actions.the99spring.com

TIME NOTES

3 min

Resume video up to instructions to pause to develop follow-up plan

10 min Work with your guests as one big group to develop a follow-up plan if you have less than 20 people. If more allow them to beak up into groups by region, constituency or affiliation. This is crucial: the purpose of 99% Spring is to move people to real actions! To keep things moving forward, you should:

1. Identify two people to coordinate your working group as you move into action.

2. Identify individuals to take lead responsibility for specific roles.

3. Make sure everyone signs up for something and provides contact information.

4. Set a time for the group’s coordinators to have a phone call or meeting in the next two days to lay out an action plan for the next 6 weeks!

Specific roles to offer your guests are:

Action – take the lead on identifying actions to participate in. (The Action Calendar and Action Toolkits available through the99spring.com are great resources.)

Recruitment and Outreach- reach out to people to recruit them into 99% Spring and engage them in action; do outreach to other organizations who should be involved

Media (Traditional and Social)- figure out our narrative, create materials, reach out to both traditional media and social media

Resources - find meeting space, get food donated, help raise money, etc.

Circulate a sign-up sheet for each of these roles.

2 min Resume video through conclusion.

Time: 15 min

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Close by celebrating the beginning of 99% Spring!

Tips for closing: provide music, have someone read a poem, or lead your guests in a chant. We also encourage you to do a quick evaluation with your guests – what did they like best about the training? What needs improvement, and how? Our goal is to debrief hosts each night and pass learnings along to other hosts, so that the trainings can keep getting better!!