Too often, student activists possess strong convictions and enough motivation to invoke change but aren’t sure how to mobilize forces and get key decision-makers on their side.
A handful of Kansas University students this weekend are getting a lesson in grassroots advocacy through a three-day campus conference put on by the United States Student Assn.
“It’s to give students the skills to do issue organizing on campus,” said Adam Klaus, coordinator of the Grassroots Organizing Weekend (GROW) program. “We want folks to come out of here with a sense of empowerment.”
About a dozen students representing organizations like KU Greens, National Panhellenic Council, Amnesty International and Delta Force put their heads together Saturday to devise strategies to change a hypothetical law that prohibits voter registration at college residence halls. They charted their plans in Magic Marker on oversized paper, presented their ideas and were critiqued by other conference participants and GROW trainers.
Through those exercises, role-playing activities and group discussions, participants learned how to choose a topic for advocacy, develop a strategy to achieve change and recruit people to assist with the cause.
Similar GROW conferences have trained more than 10,000 students since they began in 1985, Klaus said.
KU student Sheri Johnson said that she was relatively new to organization and leadership but that participating in the conference had given her confidence that she could address issues of concern to her.
The U.S. Student Assn. has been the official voice for students in the nation’s capital for more than 50 years. Its mission is to increase access to education for all people.
Too often, student activists possess strong convictions and enough motivation to invoke change but aren’t sure how to mobilize forces and get key decision-makers on their side.
A handful of Kansas University students this weekend are getting a lesson in grassroots advocacy through a three-day campus conference put on by the United States Student Assn.
“It’s to give students the skills to do issue organizing on campus,” said Adam Klaus, coordinator of the Grassroots Organizing Weekend (GROW) program. “We want folks to come out of here with a sense of empowerment.”
About a dozen students representing organizations like KU Greens, National Panhellenic Council, Amnesty International and Delta Force put their heads together Saturday to devise strategies to change a hypothetical law that prohibits voter registration at college residence halls. They charted their plans in Magic Marker on oversized paper, presented their ideas and were critiqued by other conference participants and GROW trainers.
Through those exercises, role-playing activities and group discussions, participants learned how to choose a topic for advocacy, develop a strategy to achieve change and recruit people to assist with the cause.
Similar GROW conferences have trained more than 10,000 students since they began in 1985, Klaus said.
KU student Sheri Johnson said that she was relatively new to organization and leadership but that participating in the conference had given her confidence that she could address issues of concern to her.
The U.S. Student Assn. has been the official voice for students in the nation’s capital for more than 50 years. Its mission is to increase access to education for all people.
Too often, student activists possess strong convictions and enough motivation to invoke change but aren’t sure how to mobilize forces and get key decision-makers on their side.
A handful of Kansas University students this weekend are getting a lesson in grassroots advocacy through a three-day campus conference put on by the United States Student Assn.
“It’s to give students the skills to do issue organizing on campus,” said Adam Klaus, coordinator of the Grassroots Organizing Weekend (GROW) program. “We want folks to come out of here with a sense of empowerment.”
About a dozen students representing organizations like KU Greens, National Panhellenic Council, Amnesty International and Delta Force put their heads together Saturday to devise strategies to change a hypothetical law that prohibits voter registration at college residence halls. They charted their plans in Magic Marker on oversized paper, presented their ideas and were critiqued by other conference participants and GROW trainers.
Through those exercises, role-playing activities and group discussions, participants learned how to choose a topic for advocacy, develop a strategy to achieve change and recruit people to assist with the cause.
Similar GROW conferences have trained more than 10,000 students since they began in 1985, Klaus said.
KU student Sheri Johnson said that she was relatively new to organization and leadership but that participating in the conference had given her confidence that she could address issues of concern to her.
The U.S. Student Assn. has been the official voice for students in the nation’s capital for more than 50 years. Its mission is to increase access to education for all people.
Too often, student activists possess strong convictions and enough motivation to invoke change but aren’t sure how to mobilize forces and get key decision-makers on their side.
A handful of Kansas University students this weekend are getting a lesson in grassroots advocacy through a three-day campus conference put on by the United States Student Assn.
“It’s to give students the skills to do issue organizing on campus,” said Adam Klaus, coordinator of the Grassroots Organizing Weekend (GROW) program. “We want folks to come out of here with a sense of empowerment.”
About a dozen students representing organizations like KU Greens, National Panhellenic Council, Amnesty International and Delta Force put their heads together Saturday to devise strategies to change a hypothetical law that prohibits voter registration at college residence halls. They charted their plans in Magic Marker on oversized paper, presented their ideas and were critiqued by other conference participants and GROW trainers.
Through those exercises, role-playing activities and group discussions, participants learned how to choose a topic for advocacy, develop a strategy to achieve change and recruit people to assist with the cause.
Similar GROW conferences have trained more than 10,000 students since they began in 1985, Klaus said.
KU student Sheri Johnson said that she was relatively new to organization and leadership but that participating in the conference had given her confidence that she could address issues of concern to her.
The U.S. Student Assn. has been the official voice for students in the nation’s capital for more than 50 years. Its mission is to increase access to education for all people.
