Case Study: Stronghold Society

WHEN

2008

WHERE

Denver, CO

PRACTITIONERS

Walt Pourier and Jim Murphy

FURTHER INSIGHT

http://strongholdsociety.org/

http://www.woundedkneeskateboards.net/

Contributed BY

Skyler Anselmo

For many years the Pine Ridge indian reservation has been ridden with much historical trauma that is still prevalent today. Currently, it is estimated to have a population of 44,000 enrolled members, half  of which are under the age of 19. Due to high rates of alcoholism, suicide, and substance abuse, the life expectancy rate on the reservation is the lowest among the US and the second in the western hemisphere. Suicide is two times the national rate and four times the national rate among teens. One in four children are born with alcohol fetal syndrome or effects and the infant mortality rate is three times the national average.

Walt Pourier, an Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge, who is now and has been a Denver native for +20 year is now at the forefront of making much needed changes. With all this going on in the homeland of his ancestors and family, Walt has taken it upon himself to try and create a safe space for the community to use as a catharsis from all the negativity that is so common on the reservation.

“The stronghold is a place where a community regroups, a place to stand your ground and together face all of life’s challenges… to ride out the coming storm. Lakota’s have a word, “SKAN”, interpreted as something that moves. Spiritual vitality, the force of life itself, is something each of us and all of life possess within. It is believed the black birds fly to warn of the approaching storm, of hard times to come, but it is not to create unease. It is to build compassion, togetherness and hope amongst the people, for once the storm passes, we get renewal. This is our Stronghold Society call to action”

This renewal is brought through the arts and creativity and to lead the way of that mission is through skateboarding. Skateboarding is seen as an expressive outlet that contains self determination as well as a creative approach in order to progress in the medium.

Stimulating both the mind and the body, skateboarding is a universal activity growing every day and can be used to motivate the youth around the world to better oneself.  Walt’s vision is to, “create a future where youth of Native communities and non-Native communities will live a successful, healthy way of life, both mentally and physically, to become the leaders of tomorrow”.

Walt’s main motivation is to inspire kids or have them “in spirit” with themselves. By creating arts programs, skateboarding and athletic activities he is encouraging youth to take action to live a healthy life in mind, body, and spirit. This is Walt’s, “Live Life Call To Action Campaign”.

The campaign has lead to the creation of two skateparks on the Pine ridge indian reservation (Pine Ridge and Manderson). The non-profit organization has fundraised with organizations, such as the Tony Hawk Foundation, Montana Pool Service, etc. and has placed skateparks in some of the most impoverished places in the US. The Stronghold Society also puts on the One Gathering Skate for Life event every year to promote their mission as well as giving out product, healthy foods, art activities and skate competitions for the kids. It recently had its 11th annual event.

WHY IT WORKED

Skateboarding is such a fast growing sport/lifestyle that many people can feel that connection without even being from the same place. It connects people. The skating culture and Native culture both share some similarities. The culture of letting people into a creative community without judgment and sharing stories, skills, etc. All people are welcome which is why more people from all walks of life are willing to contribute.

KEY PRINCIPLES

Youth Activism-Inspiring the youth through healthy, creative and encouraging activities to promote them to be future leaders.

BT:

Lead with Sympathetic characters- Walt Pourier knows his traditions, culture and is a messenger to link the youth, in native and non-native communities, with the medium of skateboarding. Aiding a healthy development through the mind, body, and spirit.

Make New Folks Welcome- Skateboarding is a universal sport/lifestyle that welcomes all.

Take leadership from the most impacted-  Walt Pourier has devoted his life to become the leader for this cause. He was born and raised on the land he wishes to help as well as finding peace for many of his family, friends, and loved ones that have been affected by the conditions on the reservation.

Rafael Fajardo: Crossings Exhibition Thursday

Thursday June 1 at 4 (or later if you have to be later--we will be there until at least 5) please meet at Emmanuel Gallery, Auraria Campus (1205 10th Street Denver, CO 80204).

The exhibition features Crosser (2000) and La Migra (2001), two artist videogames that comment on realities at the US - Mexico border. Crosser and La Migra are a product of SWEAT, a loose collaborative dedicated to the creation of socially-conscious games. There will also be new works based on the themes explored in these ground-breaking games.

Here's a link to the gallery. 

Here's a short doc his son Diego made about his work.

See you there!

Case Study: Xiuhtezcatl and the Earth Guardians

Case Study: Divest DU

Case Study: Divest DU

Where: University of Denver campus, Denver, CO.

Practitioners: Carly LeRoy, Divest DU club

In 2014, a group of DU students found a contradiction in the university’s mission statement. During tours DU describes themselves as a, “great private university dedicated to the public good”. The students realized that the university was not that dedicated to the public good. While the school publicized that they were looking out for the community and the world, the majority of the school’s investments are in fossil fuels. The students, who believe that Universities should be at the forefront of social movements decided to do something about the irresponsible investments made by the University. Now, students are demanding that the University divest their investments away from environmentally irresponsible holdings and to invest in companies that will not only benefit the University economically, but will benefit the community as a whole. Divest DU has presented to the board of trustees, Chancellor Chopp and has held meetings on campus to allow students to voice their support, or dissent of their goals. Carly LeRoy, a sophomore at the University of Denver is a part of the Divest DU club. “I joined because it doesn’t make sense to me. There are other ways that the University can make money without supporting permanent harm to the planet.” According to LeRoy, there are investments the school could make in more sustainable industries that could yield the same, if not greater profit for the school. As of right now, the University does not plan on divesting, but acknowledges the student’s wishes and recognizes the growing support for divestment among students and faculty.

Although Divest DU has not had any physical victories (the school still does not plan on divesting), they still consider themselves to be successful in some aspects, in that they are spreading the word around campus, and throughout the surrounding communities of the University’s irresponsible investments. “We are happy that people are talking about it,” said LeRoy, “if people continue to talk about it, and continue to approach the school and show support of divestment, eventually the board will have to listen”. The club has been turned away by the University many times, but they have been resilient. Every time the board tells them that they will not divest, the club turns around and works twice as hard. They continue to gain sympathy from the student body and faculty.

Key principals used:

Know your audience: Divest DU understands that they are not only trying to convince the board, but more importantly the community. The more students begin to rally around Divest the more seriously the board will have to take the club.

Setting long term goals: LeRoy understands that she may not be at DU when they finally decide to divest their investments, but she still feels that it is necessary for her to help spread the word so that people continue to learn about what the University is doing by investing in the fossil fuel industry.

Divest continues to grow their club. Every time the University tells them that nothing will change, that only fuels their fire even more. When the school is rude, or standoffish towards the club, outsiders see just how resilient the members are and that draws outsiders in. From the second that a new member joins, they are a part of the club. There is no process to become a member, as long as the new member is passionate about what they are doing, they are welcome at any, and all events.

New principle at play: Take advantage of the small victories

            Divest DU is in an interesting situation, where the students, who have put together a solid investment plan and a very official list of requests from the school, are not being taken seriously. The board continues to look at the students as kids, who want something but are not worth their time to take seriously. The students recognize this, and instead of letting it faze them, let it inspire them. The members of Divest DU are searching for a long term solution, simply the fact that they were able to go to a board meeting was a victory for them. They understand that it will take time to convince the board that divestment is the economically and environmentally responsible choice and they are willing to give the board the time they need to come to the decision Divest believes is correct.

Conclusion: Divest DU is a group of students who are fighting to be taken seriously enough for the board to recognize the student’s demands and make the changes they’re asking for. The students understand that they need to accept that they are fighting a massive uphill battle and that they need to consider even the smallest victory, to be a step in the right direction.

Case Study: Warm Cookies of the Revolution

Case Study: Warm Cookies of the Revolution

What

“A civic health club” where, like a gym for your physical health, you can exercise your civic health

When

2013 to present

Where

Denver, Colorado

Practitioners

Evan Weissman

Further Insight:

https://vimeo.com/105698122

https://www.facebook.com/warmcookiesoftherevolution/

What is the best way to get people active and engaged within their community?

Well, at Denver’s Warm Cookies of the Revolution, the strategy takes the form of a “civic health club.” Similar to a regular health club, the organization aims to get people actively participating and supporting each other – except, with the end being the overall wellness of the community. Warm Cookies understands that a big deterrent for people from getting involved is the boring and often complex format of civic discussions – like city budgets, for example. So, it strives to make activism fun and bring the issues home in a relatable way. “Want to talk about how government should be run? Fine, but we’re going to build a LEGO city together while it happens!” they exclaim.

A key premise of the organization is grounded in the idea that anyone can – and should – get involved. When we leave activism up to the “smart people” in society “who care and who are trained,” we implicitly send the message to everyone else that “you don’t get it” or “you don’t have the time,” according to creator, Evan Weissman. But with Warm Cookies, he says it’s like, “Hey, I see you have a little bit of time and a little bit of money and it’s all taken and you’re raising kids [. . .] and that little bit extra you are spending on what is fun” – whether that is shopping, sports, art, or whatever people are interested in. So, instead of pushing you away, Evan says: “Let’s do it; let’s do what you like but let’s make the connections.”

In this way, Warm Cookies attracts people who wouldn’t otherwise be engaged and encourages them to take action. “I want anyone to get more involved. I want people to recognize that we own the community,” he says, describing a way of thinking that is revolutionary in its own right.

Equally significant for Evan is the notion that activism is active, not passive. With his origins on the stage, “Making Theater” at the Buntport Theater and beyond in Denver since 2001, much of how Evan frames the work of his organization recalls the realm of performance art. Active activism seems like an obvious concept, but Evan underscores its importance, explaining, “I think activism that rests on its laurels or does something that worked before without thinking about it or criticizing it to improve it then falls out of the realm of activism for me. You become a reenactor and I think reenacting is not – it’s not acting, it’s not activist.”

For Evan, activism ultimately requires thought and effort – but that doesn’t mean that it has to be inaccessible; and it is that idea that is clearly reflected in the organization of Warm Cookies. “First,” Evan states, “the question is to do what’s right. And that’s the thing that prevents people from doing anything.” Then, “as soon as you decide that, I think you have to be as creative as you can and to be effective” – combining creativity and action. Warm Cookies achieves this winning combination through its popular game nights, letter-writing nights, and other events such as their well-known “Civic Stitch ‘N Bitch” nights in which participants listen to guest presenters while they craft.

As for the effectiveness aspect, Evan sees Warm Cookies as providing community members with the opportunity to achieve that first “do something” step – and in a way that is disarming. In the future, he hopes that Warm Cookies of the Revolution will continue to do hands-on stuff and push a little bit harder on the active-ness quality. Because, in any case of activism, Evan reminds us, “You’ve gotta want to win.” But to do that, you have to, first, start somewhere and build your base by welcoming people in.

Theories

Narrative power analysis (244)

The Tactics of Everyday Life (268)

The social cure (264)

Why It Works

If you can be think strategically through your Fantasy Football picks, then you can translate that energy and brainpower to the topics that affect your everyday life in a community. Sure, they’re different subjects, but are the ways in which we talk about them that drastically different?

Tactics Used

Forum Theater (48)

Prefigurative Intervention (82)

Key Principles at Work

Anyone can act (98)

Bring the issue home (106)

Make new folks welcome (150)

Reframe (168)

Team up with experts (184)

New Principles Used

Disarm with charm

For some people, taking that major step to pick up a protest sign and march in the streets is no biggie. But for others, getting a start in activism is a little intimidating. Warm Cookies of the Revolution makes the pathway in a bit smoother by providing people with the knowledge and skills they need in settings that feel familiar – or at least disarming. Learning about the struggles for housing via the game Monopoly is a much more “charming” way to draw people in than a straight lecture-based format. Adults want to have fun, too.

We each have a piece of the puzzle

Although Evan is the leading force behind Warm Cookies of the Revolution, he and his team never assume the front of having all the answers on all of the issues pertaining to the Denver community. They certainly pull in the experts with specific knowledge in various fields, but they recognize that the community members that come in hold parts of the whole picture, as well. It’s not a completely hierarchical nor a completely decentralized model, but, rather, one that recognizes the role that each individual has to contribute.

Case Study Presentation Visuals

The FBomb Case Study

Case Study:  The FBomb
By: Hayley Posner

When: 2009
Where: Pepper Pike, Ohio
Practitioners: Julie Zeilinger
Further Insight: Jezebel and Feministing

The Story:
The mid 2000’s saw a rebirth in the feminist voice, from the blossoming of outlets such as Jezebel and Feministing, to the documentary series Killing Us Softly. Feminist media was beginning to slowly gain momentum around 2007 marking what would eventually be called the “third wave” of feminism. Despite this increase in feminist blogs and content outlets online there were however key voices that were missing from this harmony- the voices of teen feminists and young activists. Enter, Julie Zeilinger a 16 year old from the midwest who after reading the works of other feminist bloggers realized that she too wanted her voice to be heard as well as the voices of other teen and young adult feminists.
This lightbulb moment of activism became what is now the F Bomb, which is an online blogging and crowded sourced content outlet for young feminist writers. Julie says that she was really inspired by the “snarky” and uniquely feminist voice of other blogs that she read which is what really motivated her, almost like a “fan girl” to create her own platform. “This is what made me want to create a space that could let teenage women feel represented, feminism at that time didn’t really include younger women and thats what I wanted to bring.” The F Bomb, according to Julie was created to be a community space rather than simply her personal blog and grew into a submission based content site for young activists. With the success of her website the F Bomb Julie went on to write a book which sought to educate young women on feminist ideologies and unpack the issues surround the  often controversial word “feminist”.

Why It Worked:
What really worked with Julie’s projects is the idea of creating safe places for dialogue and commentary on life as a young feminist. In the mid 2000’s it was not nearly as accepted as it is today in 2017. To be a feminist in 2009 still had the connotation of being a “bra burning”, man hater. There were also far fewer outlets for young women to take the stage and share their stories and their unique voices and by creating this site Julie supported the growth of young women who will be the next feminist leaders. the submission aspect also created a wide network and spread across the world instead of an individual blog which is much harder to promote and spread to larger audience. This platform and book also allowed for the young feminist perspective to become more widely recognized and incorporated into mainstream media. An example of this is the increasing feminist voice of outlets such as Seventeen Magazine which began to take shape in the 2010’s.

Key Principles Used:
Seek Common Ground
“Rather than directly attack a creationist’s whole belief system, for instance, a “narrative insurgent” looks to foment home-grown insurgency against the most problematic beliefs by identifying ally beliefs and seeking to reinforce them.”
By finding what other activists are feeling and finding similar goals among others a movement is really able to grow. Julie sought out other young feminists and found commonality between the issues that the community felt were important. Finding commonalities, even if you have radically different ideas about other aspects of life is one of the key ways that relationships are built and projects are able to expand such as with the case of the FBomb. Not every contributor or young feminist has the same values, feelings and experiences, which can often make it hard to come together, however the FBomb allows contributors to learn from one another and find issues that unite them rather than arguing about other things,
Make New Folk Welcome
“Bringing in new participants is essential to any activist group that wants to grow in size and capacity — but recruiting is only the first step. Integrating people into an established group can be a much bigger challenge, and it helps to be intentional about it.”
A key part of how to grow a movement is by inviting and adding new voices and players to the mix. By allowing for younger women to get involved in the online feminist blogging sphere they are made welcome into a much larger network of feminists who speak their truths and experiences. The FBomb is also submission based so no one person speaks louder than anyone else which thus encourages and allows for new members to get involved and integrated through learning and participation.

Enable, Don’t Command
“The value of the “supportive, enabling leader” approach is that it unlocks the creativity, ingenuity, and innovation of everyone involved in the project or cause. Participants are inspired to engage because of the positive vision, and then encouraged to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and become supportive, enabling leaders in their own right.”
One of the biggest parts of Julie’s work is her focus on educating and enabling rather than preaching and commanding. Building a strong network is all about respect and communication. The creation of the FBomb enabled younger women to get involved in the feminist movement and feel like their voices were being heard and validated.

New Principle At Play: Educate, Don’t Hate

Leading and working from a place of education and empathy is the new principle which Julie’s work illustrates. The internet can be a very brutal place to share your inner thoughts, feelings and personal ideologies, internet trolls and haters can lurk at any corner and certainly the F Bomb and Julie Zeilinger were not excepts to that. Especially given the nature of backlash that the feminist movement has received throughout history it is not surprising that the Internet is a place of harassment for vocal feminist activists. When asked about how she dealt with this Julie explain, “The one thing I have always tried to do no matter what, lead from empathy and education. Online harassment is definitely still an issue, and the space overall is very combative and women are still very much so targeted for their viewpoints. A lot of feminist writers can become combative when faced with evil and ugly comments online, however I personally have never found it useful to get into an argument with someone who is acting from a place from systemic ideologies.” Julie does not try to argue her way into convincing haters or trolls into accepting feminism, but rather she seeks to educate people on modern feminist ideas through her work and writings. Not everyone has been privileged enough to have heard feminist perspectives or ideas or to have heard non hegemonic ideas, which is why being empathetic is so key and not being patronizing. Working to educate and enable new activists is all about intersectionality going forward, that is force to be reckoned with according to Julie and is one of the main issues activists will need to keep in mind in the future.

Conclusion:
In a time where internet trolls are everywhere and polarization is prevailing over all aspects of socio political and economic life it is easy to loose hope in the power of activist media. Despite this Julie is hopeful of how her work is impacting a new generation of vocal young feminists and is helping to make feminism less of a polarizing term.

Case Study: Lobbyist Jennifer Mello

Courtesy of Brandeberry McKenna

Introduction

This case study outlines lobbying as activism by highlighting Jennifer Mello’s work in the Denver area. Her work entails three main activist principles; seek common ground, shift the spectrum of allies, and team up with experts. Along with “for the people, in the system” a new principle which emphasizes the unique role lobbyists have interacting with the American populous as well as the elite.

Lobbying as activism

A lobbyist is a person who seeks to persuade members of the government to enact legislation that would benefit their client (group, organization, non-profit, cause, etc.). To achieve their goals lobbyists research and analyze legislation or proposals, attend congressional hearings, and educate government officials or corporate officers on important issues. Some lobbyists work to change public opinion via advertising campaigns or targeting influential people, often donating to a specific political party or candidate.

Lobbyist encompasses a large variation of people and advocacy topics. The typically assumed lobbyist is that who represents the interest of the elite (i.e. pharmaceutical, oil, big business, coal, etc.). Although these lobbyists have a grand amount of power in how our democracy functions they are not the only type of lobbyist. Other lobbyists and their firms, like the ones featured in this case study, have specific issues (i.e. abortion rights, teacher wages, free speech, the environment, etc.) that they advocate for – often for little pay. In a larger sense, anyone who petitions the government or contacts members of Congress to advocate for themselves is lobbying.

Jennifer Mello

Ms. Mello is a lobbyist (roughly 90 hours a week) at one of the largest firms in Denver, Brandeberry Mckenna. Here, she specializes in healthcare and education. Her prior experience includes lobbying, government relations, electoral politics, fundraising and donor support. She spent significant time working on initiatives that increase women’s presence in politics as steering committee member for Electing Women. Along with being the Policy Director for the House Democrats where she spent the 2005 legislative session in a successful effort to pass legislation improving the integrity of Colorado’s elections.

Ms. Mello shifted her interest to lobbying because she believes that this way she can make tangible change. She states that protesting and grassroots project are important (particularly for networking) and have their place in democracy, although, it does not influence policy in the way she would like. Her largest critique on these activist tactics is that they are too theoretical or idealist, often explaining to her clients that “it’s like a great college thesis but it won’t pass through the first committee”. Instead, lobbying is more incremental change, but its noticeable change.

She believes that lobbying gives her a unique prospective and diverse resource to effectively advocate and successfully pass legislation. Constantly working with peers that have opposite opinions she can analyze topics from multiple perspectives and in turn advocate in a way that appeals to the voting bloc.

Allergy case

Ms. Mello defended the Children’s Magic Alliance, a non-profit organization advocating for nutritional assistance to kids with sever allergies. Due to sever allergies the children can only eat about 11 food items therefore requiring a special high in protein formula to survive. However, insurance companies do not cover these pricey formulas as they considerate “food” not “medicine”. Ms. Mello was able pass a bill (in a Republican-controlled Senate) that would mandate insurance companies to cover these expensive.

Why it Worked

She was effective in passing the legislation for three main reasons:

1.       She was able to convince her customer to have realistic expectations.

2.       By interacting with members of Congress she could foresee their stance on the issue.

3.       Therefore, she constructed a compelling and informed case that would resonate with the voting bloc.

Key applicable principles

1.       Seek common ground (page 170): Search for allies and points of agreement and adopt rhetoric or world views that we might otherwise oppose.

To accomplish this, refrain from making any narrative attacks but instead focus on narrative insurgency. Narrative insurgency analyzes the opposition’s framework, learning the basic arguments, and looking for areas of agreement. Instead of attacking the opponent’s argument you are rising from within (meaning of insurgency), while holding your allies’ beliefs. This approach can be extremely effective long-term as it draws out unexpected allies and solidifies a common theme in complex communities.

Ms. Mello must remain a seemingly neutral entity while reaching across party lines to pass the objective of her client and allies. She wouldn’t be effective if she were to disregard or ignore the voting populous – republicans/insurance companies/big business/etc. Therefore, when constructing and lobbying her case, she must use language and ideals that appeal to the mass voting bloc, regardless of whether she agrees. Lobbying, as Mello puts it, is “building long term relationships and finding common ground”. Therefore, it is essential that she stay adamant, reliable, accountable, and compromising.

2.       Shift the Spectrum of Allies (page 172): Determine the social blocks at play on a given issue and work to shift them closer to your position.

Movement-building is reliant on being able to see a society in terms of specific blocs, networks, or institutions (unions, churches, gun owners, etc.). The next step is to acknowledge your active and passive allies, while simultaneously aiding these people.

Ms. Mello spends most of her time at the Capital, building relationships with Congress members. Here, she asks them to vote in favor for her clients. Over time and via relationship building she is able to identify those who support her agendas (both actively and passively) along with those who do not. She then works to aid her allies and persuade the remainder of the voting bloc.

3.        Team up with experts (page 184): Cultivating a symbiotic relationship with between activists and experts is key to organizing effective interventions.

An expert can be a great source of power as they offer valuable information and can point out flaws in your existing approach. They also can expand your audience – impacting more people. However, the main differences between an activist and expert are that experts tend to work within established institutions that limit risk taking. Inversely they are good at maintaining a long-term sustainable plan. Ms. Mello, compared to most activist is an expert, as she is familiar with the interworking’s of government.

New principle

1.       For the people, in the system: building off the existing principles, Ms. Mello is a middle- (wo)man for the client and the existing governmental institution. She is both an expert on the interworking’s of government and an activist as she reaches out to other experts for assistance on a specific cause. She is able to provide a look inside the elite institution while simultaneously advocating for those who are fighting against the system. In this regard, lobbying serves as a mouthpiece for the people reframed in a way that appeals to those with contrasting opinions.

It is important to note that this new principle is particularly unique to activist lobbyist (and lawyers). This is because Ms. Mello serves to introduce the general populous to an elite and complex society in order to pass legislation which benefits the people. Of course, she receives a salary and prestige by getting bills passed but overall the people are those who benefit. When we look at other elites in government if they try to include the general populous it is typically to gain support, votes, or personal gain – not to check the existing powers.

Conclusion

To conclude, Jennifer Mello’s work is vital for a represented democracy as it presents the peoples’ needs in a constructed, effective, and realistic manner. She is an expert in governmental systems, which allows for policy to be implemented. More importantly, it gives the average citizen an opportunity to interact with the elite system – the very system they may be fighting against.