The idea of a demo might seem a little scary and overwhelming, but you may be the only force standing between a local park and a bulldozer. Our guide will help you go through the motions without even breaking a sweat.
What Is It?
A demo is a local protest, organized by you (and maybe a few friends) against companies that are hurting the earth, abusing animals, or carrying out any other practices you know to be wrong.
Materials
You're going to need to make signs, flyers and anything else you'd like to give out (ex. stickers, magnets, buttons).
Signs
Your signs should be short, sweet, and to the point. Something like "SAVE OURTOWN PARK" works great. You'll need a few skinny planks of wood for the handle, a skinny sheet of wood for the slogan area, and some paint. Or, get a large sheet of cardboard and some markers. After that, you're on your own. Go crazy and be creative. Make sure your signs are eye catching, but simple (you want people to be able to read them quickly if they pass in their cars).Flyers
Flyers should describe the cause of the protest, what company you're protesting against, the time, date, and location of the protest, and a phone number or e-mail address where people can reach you to ask questions. A picture, or some neon paper is eye catching and will most likely get more people to look at what you're handing them. While you're at it, print on recycled paper to really get your eco-message across.Petitions
Create and print at least 20-30 petitions on some recycled paper. At the top there should be a short, 3-4 sentence paragraph explaining what they're signing. Make a table in word with 3 columns: one for a printed name, one for a signature, and one for an e-mail address. A small picture (color or not) will help draw interest and further define what you're doing. After the demo, mail (or scan and e-mail) the petitions to the company. Once they see how many people are concerned, they're sure to listen.Extras
To make stickers or magnets, design a nice, clean (but eye catching) message, and buy some sticker or magnet paper from a local craft store. Then all you've got to do is print them out and hand them out! For buttons, buy a button maker from a craft store, and draw or print out your message, then snap them into the button maker and get crafting.
Organize
You don't want to show up at a demo all alone, so do all you can to get other people involved.
Myspace & Websites
Myspace & the internet are powerful tools to connect to tons of people at a time. Post a bulletin to tell all your friends what's going on, and have anyone else involved do the same. Ask people to RSVP in a message or comment so that you can know how many people to expect.Television
Contact your local television stations to get some publicity for your protest. Give them all the info about the protest, and see if they'll run a story on it before you actually go (something like, "This Tuesday at *site* there will be a protest against...). Be sure to call several news stations to ensure some air time. This could even lead to a new interview!
At the Demo
You're going to know how to look and act for people to take your cause seriously. Nobody wants to support a cause with a bunch of rude supporters.
Etiquette
Be sure to act professional and polite to everyone. Using proper titles like Sir or Ma'am will help people take you more seriously. Slang won't get very far with an older crowd (how are they ever going to understand you?), and cursing will definitely make them see you as disrespectful, and make them less interested in your cause. Be sure to stand proud and tall, and smile a lot. If you look friendly and professional, people will be more interested. Be sure they can see your face from behind your signs!Clothing
Try to dress up a little. While we're not talking ball gowns & tuxedos, it's nice to have a button down shirt and pants. Shirts with rude sayings or slang might draw people away, so if you're going to wear a t-shirt try to wear something clean and polite.Talk the Talk
People are definitely going to be asking questions, so be prepared. Make sure you have in-depth knowledge about your subject of protest, and prepare small sayings that you can work into an interview or a question answer. Practice with a few friends, and in front of a mirror. When the moment comes to speak publicly, you'll be ready and a lot less nervous! If people attack your views, remember that you don't want to fight, so try to be calm and educate. However if it gets too violent, you do have the right to call the police.Positions
Don't all stand on top of one another, instead have people split up and take different areas of the sidewalk. This will let many more people see you. Or, stand about a foot away from one another to make your demo look bigger. NEVER block doorways, or clog up a walkway - that's illegal.
After
Even after, you can still get the message out and make yourself available for more demos.
Local Newspaper
Write a small letter to the editorial section of your local and statewide newspapers detailing the event. If your letter gets in, imagine the impact it could have! Hundreds of people read local papers, so if you put your e-mail into it you may get many offers for more demos, and more ways to save the planet.School Newspaper
If you're still in school, head over to your newspaper room. See if they'd be interested in interviewing you or running a story on the demo. This is a great tool because it will get more kids your age, from your school to go. These people can become powerful allies for setting up the next demo or even making environmentally active changes within your school.E-mail
Take all the e-mails that you got from your petitions and send a thank you e-mail saying how grateful you are that they came, participated, and signed.