One goal of SAGE is to be able to insight activism among other students, and build coalitions with people who are already working for social justice. Ideally, SAGE will start on a regional and then national level. The name SAGE could work for your group as well (Student Activists for Global Equity). The first thing you might want to do is think about other people you know who might be interested in the environment, social justice, or activism. You'll find that many people who never considered themselves activists will quickly become one! Try to get together a few friends to help you start your group. We of course don't expect you to do all of these things, but they might be helpful hints to get you goingÉ

-- Hang up flyers explaining that your starting a new organization on campus. Put flyers in dorms, classrooms, bathroom stalls, etc.

-- Send out e-mails to your friends and faculty, as well as a campus-wide e-mail inviting people to your first planning meeting.

-- Advertise in the school newspaper, and if you can, write an article or a letter to the editor about your group.

-- Talk to student groups that would be possible sympathizers: womenÕs organizations, environmentalists, volunteer organizations, political groups, black students union, Hispanic organizations, young democrats, etc. Try to give them an idea of how their interests fit into the larger framework of global society. (i.e. racism, sexism, and environmental injustices are happening on a global scale!)

-- At your first meeting (don't be worried if not many people show up), have everyone introduce him or herself and say why they came. Explain what you want to do, and see what everyone thinks. The greatest aspect about SAGE is that no one is in charge. This way each person feels important (and they are). Each person can put as much effort into a project as they would like, depending on their level of interest and amount of time. Don't pick presidents, secretaries, or treasurers. SAGE is non-hierarchical, and while you may have come up with the idea to start a group, people are a lot more responsive if no one is in charge. At your first meeting, have everyone make a sign about a social or global justice issue and have them hang it up by the next meeting. Talk about what everyone is interested in doing. Bounce ideas off each other, and think about goals. One reason SAGE has been so successful is that we don't hold regular meetings. We hold meetings only when there is something to be done, and they are as long or short as they need to be.

-- Try to get faculty sympathizers as well. They will be able to give you information on previous groups that have existed, who to talk to, etc. Announce in your classes about your group and when your meeting is (especially for classes dealing with globalization, environment, sociology, poli sci, etc.)

-- The best recruitment we ever did came from asking professors if we could go into their classes and talk to them (make sure you know your facts before you do this). This way everyone can ask questions, and it's cooler to learn from other students rather than faculty sometimes.

-- Get speakers to come and talk to the campus about globalization and activism.

-- Plan for an action that is feasible to you. Whether it is local or large scale, make sure you have people to help out. Connect to other people in your area or community who you know may be interested in supporting you (church groups, meals on wheels, homeless shelters, green party, etc.).

-- When planning an action, be sure to invite local media to attend. Look up your local television stations, newspapers, and radio stations in the phone book, and call them well in advance to tell them what you're planning. This helps get the word out about these issues to your local community.

-- Another reason SAGE has been so successful is the way we plan for an event. We only hold meetings when there is a task at hand, so people donÕt get bogged down with things to do. Hold planning meetings for specific actions. Don't hold a meeting for no particular reason (unless you want to hang out and have fun!) People within the group can pick and choose which issues they want to focus on, and which meetings they want to go to. One group could be working on an anti-sweatshop campaign on your campus while another group is working on planning to go to the next WTO protest. SAGE delegates jobs so that no one is in charge of everything and everyone is in charge of something. Each aspect of the planning that needs to be dealt with is discussed in the large group, and then we break up to do tasks. (joe will hang up the posters, sue will call the media, frank will get funding, etc.)

-- After you've done an action, talk about it as a group: Did you succeed? What could be done differently? What would be more effective? etc. Always keep in mind how to keep people interested and recruit more people. For example, if you attend a protest, hold an open forum night for the whole campus community and give a presentation on why you went and what it was like. Let people ask questions.

-- Don't let yourself get burnt out, because one person shouldnÕt be doing more than their fair share. This was hard for us to do, and takes a lot of practice because people are used to having groups with leaders. But this is what is so powerful about our movement. Each and every person is an important part of an action and an integral part of the larger movement. Many people don't understand how we can function like this, but it is in fact most powerful. If every person is knowledgeable, than every person can talk to the media. Another plus with this structure is that opponents can't target one specific leader. ItÕs a group of individuals acting together.