Are you interested in hosting a meeting to support the Jubilee USA Network’s Change Not Change Campaign?

In 2008, the grassroots efforts of the Jubilee USA Network activists and councils made many great strides towards passing the Jubilee Act.

With the global economic crisis, 100 million more people will be pushed into extreme poverty in 2009, and poor countries are slipping further and further away from reaching the Millennium Development Goals.  

That is why we are asking you to host a Jubilee Action Party to get your local Jubilee supporters involved in our Change Not Chains campaign to pass the Jubilee Act. The purpose of this meeting is to bring together current and potential supporters of the Jubilee movement to learn more about Jubilee and to take action in your local community.  

We have developed the following materials with tips and suggestions for you to be able to host your meeting and to get people to campaign for the passage of the Jubilee Act. 

PARTY PLANNING MATERIALS: 

• Guide to Hosting a Jubilee Action Party

ACTION IDEAS & PLANNING GUIDES: 

• Guide to Meeting with Your Member of Congress
• Candelight Vigil Guide
• Coin Delivery Guide

Your meeting should be held by mid-January to give you and fellow activists time to plan and organize an action for the Change Not Chains Week of Action, which will be held February 15-21.  There are many easy ways that your group can participate in the Week of Action.  Once you pick your action, you can use the linked worksheets to help you plan the event in the organizing meeting. 

• CLICK HERE to sign up to host a Jubilee Action Party or get more information

If you have any questions, contact Brooke Harper, Jubilee's National Field Organizer, at brooke(at)jubileeusa.org or 202.783.3566 x103

The Jubilee USA Team has put together some helpful tips for you to have a successful organizing meeting.

Step 1: Contact your national field organizer, Brooke Harper at 202-783-3566 ext. 103 or email her at brooke@jubileeusa.org to let her know that you are hosting an organizing meeting.  We will send you a DVD and a packet of helpful information and handouts to help you host your meeting.

Step 2: Recruit! Recruit! Recruit!  Ask like-minded activists and persons whom you know are supporters of the Jubilee movement to attend your organizing meeting.  Let them know that there will be a chance to learn about the Jubilee movement and for them to get involved in our February Change Not Chains 

Week of Action.

Step 3:  Join a call to connect with other organizing meeting hosts.  Jubilee USA will convene a conference call with other hosts from around the country to learn about how to facilitate their meetings and gain helpful tips from experienced activists and answer any questions that you may have!

Step 4: Make sure you send out reminder calls and emails to all of your invited guests that have confirmed.  This is a really important step!  

Step 5: Follow some of the helpful tips below help you prepare the day of your meeting.

• Make sure you greet guests as they come in and make sure all guests sign in so that you can follow up with them to thank them for coming and to engage them in next steps.
• Test your audio visual equipment to make sure that you can play the short film.
• Set out refreshments or ask guests to bring a dessert or covered dish.  Food always makes for a great party.
• Make sure you have enough seating for everyone.
• Make sure you have all materials set out, talking points, handouts, and worksheets to plan your activities.
• Have Fun!

1. Gathering (10 minutes) 

1. Introductions (15 minutes) - Hosts should have everyone introduce themselves and give a brief background on the Jubilee Campaign and the film they are about to see.

2. Show Movie (20 minutes) - You and your guests can watch a short film about the debt crisis (see examples below)

3. Discussion about film and the Jubilee Act (15 minutes) - You and your guests should discuss the film and one thing that you have learned from the film.  The hosts should lead the discussion and answer questions.  (Jubilee Staff will be happy to provide you with talking points and fact sheets.  You DO NOT need to be an expert on these issues).  Hand out copies of the Jubilee Act summary, and briefly go over how it  will help alleviate global poverty by expanding debt relief eligibility and setting up frameworks for responsible lending. If there is a question that arises that you don’t know the answer to simply tell them you don’t know and the Jubilee Staff will be happy to assist you.  This is a great opportunity to follow up with guests.

4. Change, Not Chains Action (30 minutes) – The next big push for the Jubilee Act will be local actions around the country, during the Change, Not Chains Week of Action February 15-21, 2010. Begin a discussion about what your group will want to organize in your community during that week.   Here are some ideas to get started:

• Do a chains delivery and drop off to your member of Congress. As part of our Change not Chains Campaign we are emphasizing that in order to cancel the bilateral debt of the additional countries in the Jubilee Act, it would cost only 40 cents per US resident. If each citizen paid 40 cents per year we could eliminate the debt service to the US by some of the world’s most impoverished countries. Poor countries currently must send $100 million a day in debt service payments and free up their monetary resources for vital social services such as healthcare, clean drinking water, and adequate housing.  One interesting way to illustrate this is for your group to deliver a jar full of this “pocket change” to your Member of Congress’s district office.  
  • CLICK HERE for a handy guide
  • CLICK for Jubilee Act Resources:
    • FAQ
    • Summary
    • Talking Points

• Hold an In- District Meeting with your Member of Congress.  Meeting face to face with your member of Congress or with one of their staff members is one of our most important tools to affect change in the U.S. policy on debt and World Bank/IMF (International Monetary Fund) reform.  We strongly encourage you to choose this option for your action if you live in strategically important states of Indiana, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, or Tennessee
  • CLICK HERE for a guide

• Hold a Candle light Vigil for Debt Relief. Holding a candlelight vigil is a powerful way to make a statement and educate your community.  A candlelight vigil can help illuminate the poverty that people will face if they do not pass the Jubilee Act.  Each day thousands of people needlessly suffer because they do not have adequate healthcare, housing or access to clean water. One of the ways that you can participate in our February week of action is to hold a candle light vigil in your community.
  • CLICK HERE for a guide

5. Choose Your Group’s Action and complete the worksheets that will help you plan your actions.(15 minutes) – Encourage that people volunteer to help organizing the action.  

6. Go Over Next Steps. Review Everyone’s Responsibilities for one of the actions below and make a plan for the next time your group will meet.