I’ve said it before but I’m tasked with setting up a youth movement for our party. One of the key things to do is, of course, appeal to the youth in order for them to join us. I’ve had a few meetings with our group now and while I will not claim I know better than the party, the course we’re taking is a bit of the same of our regular action groups. And I can see how that doesn’t work, especially for younger people.

So I’m looking for examples in literature on how to effectively reach out to the masses, with a focus on non-leftist or ‘regular’ people. One of the historical examples for this that I came up with is the Black Panther Movement. A young, radical movement. I was wondering if any of you guys know of literature written about their organizing power. You know, to use as a starting point for my journey.

  • DankZedong OPA
    7•1 year ago

    Because honest to God if I have to prepare another action for weeks only to have 10 replies I might start my own revolution lmao

    • @ComradeSalad
      5•1 year ago

      I’m not sure if you or the party would be interested, and this might have already been brought up at a meeting.

      But you have to get your work in front of the eyes of the target audience. Social media is a vital part in this, especially if you target your local area/country specifically. Along with that, short form content on Tiktok and Instagram is not very resource intensive for a small movement and has the ability to have information/awareness disseminated quickly through your target audience.

      Secondarily, give the reason youth to come to you other then the politics, because selling just politics is extremely hard in general as it is honestly very boring to people who are not extremely enthusiastic about it to begin with. The Black Panthers were very successful because people usually didn’t come to the organization for the ML thought. They came for the free meal, medical help, education, community activities and youth afterschool activities. With the youth/community already there for those other reasons, spreading ML thought, recruiting, volunteering, and community outreach was markedly easier. Plus you get the dual benefit of community and proletariat support, and effective recruitment and interest generation.

      • @redtea
        5•1 year ago

        Could also be empowering. Young people are generally treated somewhere ‘in between’, not quite children, not quite adults. Socialist organising that treats the youth wing as autonomous and as capable of self-rule as older comrades (who are also alienated in capitalism) might generate it’s own allure…

      • DankZedong OPA
        2•1 year ago

        Thanks for your input. I fully agree with it. I actually brought up the topic of social media yesterday and I want to create an Instagram account. Some people agreed, so it will probably happen.

        Also agree on the whole ‘not just politics part’. We should strive to be more than just another political group doing what the general party asks is to do. Trying to get that point across to my fellow comrades in the group.

  • @redtea
    5•1 year ago

    I’m going to have a think for you. In the meantime, has the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons written anything useful? AFAIK they’ve organised in prisons, and may have documented their experience adapting propaganda programs: https://www.prisoncensorship.info/

    Also, I think @yogthos@lemmygrad.ml posted a good video with Fred Hampton the other day. Might be a good place to start?

    Edit: Found the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVzbSvWaMkc