Across the globe, young people have always been at the forefront of social change – and student activism is at the heart of Amnesty International. By joining Amnesty International, you join a community of individuals who care passionately and act fiercely.
The fight for justice begins with building the human rights movement in your community and on your campus. Student groups are the easiest way for students enrolled in high school and college to bring Amnesty’s work to their local communities. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a successful student group!
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1. REGISTER YOUR GROUP
Registration is simple, quick, and required for all AIUSA groups. When you fill out the registration form, you’ll be prompted to complete an online orientation, opens in a new tab, which is required for the group coordinator. We invite your group members to complete the orientation as well!
After completion, your group will be able to request materials like an AIUSA banner, stickers, and other swag. Keep in mind that you need to renew your group each school year!
2. CONNECT ON SLACK
Slack is the digital communication platform that AIUSA uses to communicate with youth activists across the country. There are a variety of channels that allow students to stay up-to-date on AIUSA priority campaigns and calls to action, connect with other student groups, and ask questions. Your peers who serve as Slack Community Managers will also be available to answer questions that you may have, in addition to staff support.
It is critical that all AIUSA student group coordinators are fully set up on Slack, and we encourage all group members to join. Information to join will be sent to you once you officially register as a student group with Amnesty.
3. Work with an SAC
Student Activist Coordinators (SACs) are experienced youth activists and AIUSA Member Leaders who work with new student groups to coach them through a successful first year.
After registering and completing orientation, your assigned SAC will reach out to set up a meeting to understand where your group is at and guide you through the next steps. You will meet with your SAC on a regular basis to check in about your challenges and successes as you go through your first year with Amnesty.
All new groups are expected to work with their SAC through their first year. They will be a pivotal resource for you in ensuring that your student group establishes a stable foundation for years to come.
4. RECRUIT A FACULTY ADVISOR
While a faculty advisor is not required by AIUSA, it is likely that your school will require one in order to be an officially registered student group, and we strongly recommend working with one. Find a teacher, professor, or other faculty member who cares about human rights, and kindly ask them to be a part of your group. When making this ask, be clear about what the role will entail, such as time commitment and responsibilities.
A strong faculty advisor can help your group interact with your school’s administration, recruit new members, support leadership year over year, and provide ongoing support. Their guidance, organizational knowledge, and skills from inside and outside of the classroom will be a valuable asset in running a successful group.
5. GET RECOGNIZED BY YOUR SCHOOL
Getting recognized by your school as an official student organization or club can help you organize events, raise money, recruit members, and more by connecting you to your school’s resources.
Every school has a different set of rules and timelines for how to create a student group, so work with your faculty advisor or Office of Student Affairs to find out what your school’s policies and procedures are. Ask your SAC for advice if you run into challenges or need any additional support to become official on your campus!
6. BUILD YOUR GROUP
Reach out to your network to find allies and people interested in human rights. Ask professors and teachers to announce the group, especially those who teach related courses, and utilize campus resources such as announcements, school newspapers, and bulletin boards to promote your group. Ask your friends and peers to join you, and promote the group by putting up posters, sending to email lists, and posting on social media.
Once your group is official, you can join a Club Fair or organize tabling events to get the word out on campus. One of the best ways to inspire others is to share what has fired you up and why you’re inspired to take action!
7. SCHEDULE YOUR FIRST MEETING
Pick a date, reserve a room, and start promoting! Your first meeting is your opportunity to tell as many people as possible why you care about human rights, what Amnesty International is, the issues we work on, and some of the projects your group could work on this year.
This meeting should be at a time that works for a large number of people on campus and should introduce people to human rights, how Amnesty makes human rights change, and how their involvement can make a difference. Use these sample slides for your first meeting!
8. CREATE YOUR LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
Human rights activism can be a significant undertaking, and it is important for your student group to have a solid leadership structure in place to help guide your members’ work throughout the year. There is no one right leadership structure: each group’s leadership team can look different depending on the needs of the group, such as number of members, special areas of interest, and more. At minimum, all groups should have a “group coordinator,” which is usually a President / Co-President, as well as a treasurer to manage group funds.
As you’re putting together your team, keep in mind the basic responsibilities that usually fall on leaders and build roles as needed. Most groups will need someone to carry out the following tasks:
- Overseeing finance (budgeting, fundraising for Amnesty, etc.)
- Planning activism events
- Managing social media
- Organizing and facilitating meetings, including taking notes
- Coordinating Urgent Action cases if your group joins the Urgent Action Network
- Staying up-to-date on AIUSA priority campaigns and programmatic areas
9. PLAN YOUR YEAR
What is your vision for the human rights movement on your campus? In your community? Throughout the world? If you’re strategic about mapping out your year, you can make that vision a reality. Spend some time with your leadership team to learn about AIUSA’s priority campaigns and programmatic areas. You can find information on the website here. In Slack, join the channels for each issue you’re working on, and stay informed about the current calls to action for each area. Then work with your SAC to learn more about key calendar dates (including important mobilizations, skill building webinars, and regional and national conferences) to make a plan for your year of activism.
Remember, if you’d like to work on an area outside of the core AIUSA bodies of work, work with your SAC or ask another AIUSA Member Leader for support to ensure you’re aligned with AIUSA’s position and that you’re planning work that will have an impact.
10. STAY CONNECTED
No student group is an island. Staying connected to the overall AIUSA student network will only strengthen your human rights activism. Your SAC will know how to help you address any issues your group faces and provide you with the support you need to be successful, so make sure to stay in regular communication with them.
You will also use Slack to build your Amnesty community and connect with other student groups. Be sure to report out your group’s milestones and achievements, which serve as a moment to celebrate your work and to strengthen the overall network.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! It doesn’t cost anything to start an AIUSA student group. The only requirements are that you officially register on our website each year, complete the online orientation course, and join the AIUSA Youth Slack.
No, it is not required that your group pay dues. See the “Power of Membership” section below on how you can make an impact as individual dues paying members.
Yes! No matter what level of school you are at, you can start an AIUSA student group. You will want to follow the same steps above to get your group started. Email [email protected] if you have additional questions or need further support.
Your SAC will help you think through recruitment strategies to try on your campus, and you can also post for ideas on the AIUSA Youth Slack. You can also have a look at the 50 Ways to Recruit Members guide that provides creative options for recruitment and join a Recruitment & Retention session – dates will be posted here.
Yes! Registered student groups can request materials to support your group’s activism, including an AIUSA banner, stickers, pens and buttons, as well as materials for specific human rights issue areas. Once you have registered your group and completed the orientation, you can request materials here.
Once you register your group with AIUSA, you’ll learn more about the organization’s policies and positions on human rights issues. As an AIUSA student group, you may not work on issues or campaigns that are outside the scope of Amnesty’s human rights work. If you have an idea for a project and you are not sure if it aligns with Amnesty’s policies, ask your SAC or AIUSA staff for guidance. If your project idea does not align, then your SAC or staff can help you apply your passion to an Amnesty project. Check out the Policy 101 microsession for more info!
Yes! Fill out this form to request a speaker. Please note that most AIUSA staff are in Washington, D.C. and New York City, but we have Member Leaders nationwide and can almost always provide a virtual speaker for your group meeting or an event.
If you are a newly registered student group and your SAC hasn’t gotten in contact with you yet, reach out to [email protected] and we will help you get connected.
If you or your group members cannot get into Slack, email [email protected] and we will help you get set up on the platform.
Yes! All AIUSA student groups are encouraged to fundraise to support their group activities. Review the AIUSA fundraising policy and Fundraising 101 microsession to ensure your fundraising aligns with AIUSA policies. Note: Your group should not fundraise for other organizations!
Groups are asked to report out in different ways throughout the year. You will receive a short survey at the end of each semester (December and April) asking you about the work you’ve been doing, and will receive specific report out forms for major initiatives such as Write for Rights and National Week of Student Action. In addition, groups can complete the group action reporting form anytime you have an action you want to share with us!
AIUSA Member Leaders are specialized volunteers that guide the organization’s work in their respective fields. You’ll work with your state’s Legislative Coordinator anytime you want to lobby or take a position on a piece of legislation. You’ll work with Country Specialists whenever your work is about a specific country or region of the world. To get in contact with Member Leaders, post on Slack (or DM an Admin), or email [email protected].
Yes! We encourage AIUSA student groups to work with local organizations and other clubs who work on similar human rights issues. It’s important to learn more about AIUSA’s position on an issue before partnering with another organization so that your partnership advances both organizations’ bodies of work, and get the organization approved by AIUSA. Your SAC can help you learn more about groups that would be great to work with!
It’s great to connect with your greater community outside of your school. Some of our groups choose to operate as non-campus based groups and meet outside of school, which is an option by registering through the same process and selecting “community-based group” for school type. In addition, your campus-based chapter can do events and actions outside of your school and connect with people in your community. There are no limits! You don’t need to register as a Local Group in order to do activism work in the community, and all young folks are asked to register as an on or off campus student group.
Some students will face opposition from their school administration when trying to start an Amnesty group. We recommend sitting down with your administrators and learning more about their concerns. Sometimes they aren’t aware of what Amnesty International does or the issues we work on; other times there might be specific issues they aren’t comfortable with you working on, but others will be okay. Once you have more information, reach out to us at [email protected] and we can strategize with you based on your situation. And some groups choose to operate as non-campus based groups and meet outside of school, which is an option for you to explore.
Some schools only allow new student organizations at certain times of the year. If you’ve missed this window, talk with your school administration and see what is possible for your group. Some schools allow you to operate but not have access to financial resources, for example. Others will consider your application for status later in the year. If you have no options to be recognized, you can operate off campus and re-apply the following year.
The Power of Membership
As an Amnesty human rights activist, you have experience and ideas that need to be heard in decision-making spaces! From which issues we focus on to how we do the work, Amnesty members are key decision-makers in the organization.
For $15, you become an individual dues-paying member of the organization for a year. Your annual dues allow you to weigh in on what issues Amnesty should focus on and other policy decisions, as well as vote for the Board of Directors. If the cost of membership is a barrier, email [email protected] for a dues waiver form. And once your group is officially registered, you can cast a “group vote” at regional and national conferences.