Let's build power in our communities to fight for the future we deserve:

Host or join a digital teach-in for a
Just Recovery
from the COVID-19 Pandemic

From coast to coast, over 40+ communities across Canada held digital teach-ins to learn how we can win a Just Recovery from May and throughout the summer. Thanks to the people powered movement for a Just Recovery, Trudeau’s government acknowledged the need for a just and “green recovery” to “build back better” when parliament resumes in September.

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Art by: Ricardo Levins Morales

This Moment

We’re in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. It’s one part pandemic, one part economic crisis, and one part the cumulative impact of converging climate and social crises.

Unemployment has hit a record of 13% — the highest level since WWII. And after years of austerity, our healthcare and social services are buckling under pressure.

How we respond to, recover from, and rebuild after this crisis will define the next chapter of human history. Watch the video below to learn about the 3 phases of a Just Recovery.

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RESPOND WITH A PEOPLE’S BAILOUT
Ensure governments respond to the crisis by putting people – not corporations – first.

Thanks to actions taken by people like you, we stopped Big Oil from squeezing billions from the government. But, they’re not giving up. That’s why we will continue to use all the tools available to us to oppose corporate bailouts and lift up the needs of communities who are most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis — including Indigenous peoples, racialized folks, and frontline workers.

We know that we’ll be most successful if we take action when the decisions are being made, not when they’re being carried out. This means that as organizers, we need to be strategic and lay the groundwork for what’s to come.

RECOVER WITH A PLAN THAT LEAVES NO ONE BEHIND
Fight for a just recovery that leaves no one behind.

We know that wealthy, corporate interests are pushing politicians to cut social services, lift environmental regulations, and relax labour laws to help the economy “bounce back.” That’s why we’re working with organizations and groups from all across the country to build a mass, people-powered movement that will fight for government action to meet our communities’ needs, generate millions of decent, green jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. The first step is reaching out in our communities to come together behind the vision of a Just Recovery.

REBUILD WITH A GREEN NEW DEAL
Rebuild with a made-in-Canada Green New Deal.

We know we can’t go back to business as usual of climate inaction and rising inequality. The COVID-19 pandemic has lifted the veil on social inequities that have existed for a long time.

Once we’ve recovered, we have to transform our society so that it works for everyone — not just a wealthy few. We need to get to work on a Green New Deal that works for people and the planet.

We’re organizing teach-ins across the country in support of a Just Recovery.

It’s easy to think that we can’t organize while stuck at home. But with oil and gas lobbyists and corporate CEOs calling up our elected officials every day begging for multi-billion-dollar bailouts, we can’t afford to wait until social distancing is lifted to begin building the movement for a Just Recovery.

Check out the recording from our Mass Strategy Session from May 13th here:

Fortunately, we’ve got a tactic that can not only be done virtually from our homes but one that has laid the foundation for some of the most successful social movements of our time. From Idle No More to Occupy Wall Street, mass movements have used teach-ins to build a shared understanding of the problem they’re up against and their plan to win. And while we might not be able to gather in parks or public spaces (yet!), we can begin building this same understanding and start bringing people into this movement by the thousands.

But to get there, we’ll all need to take responsibility for educating and organizing our communities. That’s why we need you to take a leap and (virtually) gather with your friends, family, and neighbours to talk about our plan to win.

We’ll give you everything you need to host a successful teach-in: a toolkit, slide deck, and speaking notes. Then, alongside hundreds of people, you’ll (virtually) bring your community together so you can take action from home, sending a message to Trudeau and his recovery task force that we all deserve a Just Recovery.

Principles for a Just Recovery

These are the 6 principles that are essential to a Just Recovery:

Put people’s health and wellbeing first, no exceptions.
Strengthen the social safety net and provide relief directly to people.
Prioritize the needs of workers and communities.
Build resilience to prevent future crises.
Build solidarity and equity across communities, generations, and borders.
Uphold Indigenous rights and work in partnership with Indigenous peoples.

Learn more about the principles for a Just Recovery.

These principles should guide policy decisions as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also lay the foundation to win a Green New Deal.

Host or join a digital teach-in

You can host a teach-in by checking out our toolkit, slide deck, and speaking notes. Your teach-in could be as simple as a handful of friends getting together to discuss what a Just Recovery means to you. We encourage you to hold private events within your network. If you have any questions or if you would like to add your event to the map below, you can email us at [email protected].

Find a public digital teach-in. You can use the search bar at the top of the map below or controls in the bottom right-hand corner to find a digital event with people who live in your city or town. Blue dots mark events that have already passed and red dots mark events that are coming up.

Toolkit for Organizing a Just Recovery Teach-In

Here’s a step-by-step guide to organizing a Just Recovery Teach-In. In case you missed it, we have a slide deck, and speaking notes ready for you to use. Please e-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions that aren’t answered in this toolkit.

Please note that in light of recent events that have lifted the veil on ongoing police and state violence targeting Black and Indgenous people, we have included resources on anti-racism in the slide deck, and speaking notes.

Step 1 – Choose a date and time

Pick a day and set up a registration form where people can sign up to attend. You can use Facebook Events, Eventbrite, or Google Forms. If you would like for your event to be displayed on our map, we can set you up with a registration page on 350.org’s system. Email us at [email protected] to set this up.

Step 2 – Pick your technology.

Pick the videoconferencing platform that you want to use to host your digital teach-in. We recommend using a service that allows you to schedule meetings in advance and generate a link that you can share with your participants. Once you’ve chosen your technology and set up an online meeting room, visit your host dashboard and update that info under “venue” and “join link.”

Here are some platforms we recommend:

Google Meets: This platform is great because it doesn’t have a call time limit, is free, and uses real-time captions. This platform also uses the same protections that Google uses to secure your information and safeguard your privacy to make it difficult for uninvited guests to drop in and get access to your information. Google Meets also has an excellent auto-captioning feature that ensures participants with hearing impairments can follow along. One drawback is this platform can only support up to 250 participants.

GoToMeeting: This is another free platform that functions similarly to Zoom, although it doesn’t have as smooth a connection and user experience. It is a more secure option than Zoom, and allows you to set up additional security measures like password protection.

Zoom: A free, multi-functional platform that allows you to schedule your call and provides a toll-free number or online video conference link once people register. Another great feature with the registration page is once people register, they get the option to add it to their digital calendars to set a reminder for themselves. Zoom allows you to record the call to share with participants after, and to run polls for your participants. It also integrates with Google Slides, which allows you to auto-generate captions. One drawback with the free version of Zoom is there is a 40 minute call-time limit, so if you anticipate needing more time for your teach-in, we recommend choosing an alternative platform. The free version of Zoom has also recently come under fire for not encrypting free video calls so they can share data with law enforcement.

Zoom has also come under fire for uninvited guests “zoom bombing” meetings. If you do proceed to choose Zoom, we have created a guide to help you make your meetings more secure.

Jitsi: This platform is a free, open-source and secure video conferencing platform that is user friendly. Best of all, it has no limit on the number of participants that can join or the duration of call, and the participant does not have to create an account to join. It has gotten rave reviews by privacy experts for being a secure, developer-friendly platform. One drawback to Jitsi is it doesn’t allow you to schedule the meeting in advance to generate a link.

The video conferencing tools we suggest here have the ability to record meetings, so test out hosting a call and finding the recording function. Once the call is done, you can upload that to an online drive and share it with teach-ins participants.

These tools also allow you to share your screen, so that you can show slides while your call is happening. When you share your screen, all of your participants who are joining by video can see what you are sharing. Try these functions out before your teach-in so you can run the call with ease.

Step 3 – Invite people.

Identify people in your networks and community that you want to invite. This could include:

Your family, friends, and neighbours who’ve been activated by this crisis
Members of your neighbourhood association or your local mutual aid pod
A climate justice or other social justice organization
Organizers you’ve met who are joining rent strikes and resistance to fossil fuel bailouts
Your co-workers or worker organization

Remember, the coronavirus pandemic has turned our world on its head, and many people have been politically activated for the first time. Even people who were once opponents of things like workers union organizing, migrant justice, and climate action are now joining us in demanding things like paid sick leave, health care for all, and an end to corporate bailouts. It’s the ideal time to invite all those newly activated folks in your network to join us.

Step 4 – Practice.

Run through the slides and speaking notes. You can use them as they are or adapt them to better reflect your local context!

Reach out to 1-2 people who could help you host the teach-in. Do a test run with them and get comfortable using the technology. Make sure you are comfortable with sharing your screen and muting other participants. Practice running through the slide deck so that you are comfortable with the content.

Step 5 – Send out a reminder.

Send a reminder out to your invitees a day or two before the teach-in. If you are using Eventbrite or 350org’s registration page, you can e-mail them directly from the admin dashboard. You can send your attendees instructions on how to join the call — and instructions on how to download and launch the software if necessary.

Step 6 – Host your teach-in!

Even if you’ve practiced using the technology and done a run-through, expect hiccups. Even the most experienced online facilitators can attest that technology always has a way of throwing curve balls. Don’t stress.

Be yourself and have fun with it. Is there music you like? Have it playing in the background while people join. Don’t feel beholden to the script and use language that feels natural to you.
Don’t rush it, especially at the start. Give people time to say hi and have casual conversation before getting into the content.
Check in. There are some heavy parts, and there might be times people need clarification.
Thank participants for showing up!

Step 7 – Follow up.

At the end of your call, you’ll be able to decide if and how you want to stay connected as a group. Do what works best for you and your people. Some ideas include:

a Google Group or other email listserv;
a Facebook group;
A Whatsapp group or other group text message service.

Whatever you decide, make sure to follow up within a day or two of your teach-in thanking everyone for joining, and asking for their reflections. Let them know the next steps. Finally, let us know how it went by filling in this form (coming soon).

We would love to know how your event went! You can fill out this form to let us know about your experience. You can e-mail a screenshot from your event to [email protected]. We also encourage you to share screenshots and learnings from your teach-in over social media using #JustRecoveryforAll

Additional Resources

About the Artist: Ricardo Levins Morales

The art featured on this website is one of many beautiful designs provided in 350’s Green New Deal Art Kit. Here is the image in full:

Download Ricardo’s designs

A self-described “healer and trickster organizer disguised as an artist,” Ricardo sees his art and organizing practices as ways to address individual, collective and historical trauma. He grew up in Puerto Rico during the anti-colonial movement and moved with his family to Chicago in the 1960s. From there he combined his life-long passion for racial, labor and social justice movements into art. His art has won numerous awards and is widely reprinted and utilized by grassroots movements and communities as part of their efforts to improve their lives.

Ricardo says, “I became an artist, navigating the currents of mass social movements I got involved with as a young person. Anti-colonial struggle, labor and farmers rights, anti-racist and cultural activism have contributed to my understandings of art as a powerful dimension of organizing. Humans are story-driven. We make choices according to how we understand the world to be. Art speaks directly to those deep inner spaces where the stories are stored. I use art to support people’s ability to believe in possibilities that go beyond the boundaries that are acceptable to the rulers. This image illustrates the relationship among creating alternatives, aligning with nature and opposing the forces of oppression and destruction.”

Click here to download Ricardo’s Green New Deal designs.
You can also see more of Ricardo’s work on his website.

En français

À travers le pays, les gens sont enthousiastes face à l’idée d’une Relance juste qui permettrait une meilleure reconstruction, à la suite de la pandémie de COVID-19. Au cours des dernières semaines, plus de 40 communautés du pays ont présenté des ateliers d’éducation pour une Relance juste.

Cette tactique peut être utilisée virtuellement à partir de la maison. Elle a posé les bases de mouvements sociaux parmi les plus efficaces de notre époque, notamment les mouvements Idle No More et Occupy Wall Street. Ces ateliers d’éducation contribuent au développement d’une compréhension mutuelle du problème auquel nous sommes face, et aident les mouvements à définir une stratégie de victoire.

Voici comment se déroulent ces conversations d’une heure:

1) Les présentateurs décrivent une à une les étapes du moment que nous vivons, au cœur de la pandémie.

2) Ils précisent pourquoi il nous est impossible de revenir à la ‘normale’ une fois la pandémie terminée.

3) Ils présentent le plan en trois étapes – intervention, relance, reconstruction – à mettre en oeuvre à la suite de la pandémie

4) Enfin, les participants décident, ensemble, comment ils agiront pour s’assurer d’une Relance juste.

Vous souhaitez être l’hôte d’un atelier d’éducation auprès de membres de votre communautés? Voici comment faire :

Planifiez présenter votre atelier d’éducation à l’aide d’un outil de vidéoconférence comme Zoom, GoToMeeting ou Google Meets. Partagez ensuite l’événement avec toutes les personnes que vous souhaitez inviter. Créer un événement Facebook (public ou privé) est un excellent moyen de faire la promotion de votre atelier. Vous souhaitez que nous fassions aussi la promotion de votre événement? Écrivez-nous au [email protected].N’oubliez pas : la pandémie du coronavirus a totalement chambardé notre monde. Résultat : bien des gens sont devenus actifs politiquement pour la première fois de leur vie. C’est le moment idéal pour inviter ces nouvelles personnes à rejoindre notre réseau.
Une fois votre événement créé, consultez le jeu de diapositives modèles et les notes de présentation. Effectuez les ajustements désirés.
Trouvez une ou deux personnes qui vous appuient et exercez-vous à utiliser le matériel et la technologie de vidéoconférence avec eux.
Enfin, présentez votre événement et revenez-nous ensuite pour nous dire comment il s’est déroulé à l’adresse [email protected]. N’oubliez pas : même si vous vous préparez pendant des heures, rien ne sera parfait. Préparez-vous donc à encaisser les coups et à aller de l’avant!

La manière dont nous interviendrons, relancerons et reconstruirons à la suite de cette crise définira le prochain chapitre de l’histoire de l’humanité. Nous ne pouvons nous permettre d’attendre que les mesures de distanciation physique soient levées pour créer le mouvement pour une Relance juste. Pour réussir une Relance juste, il faut que chacun de nous prenne la responsabilité de transmettre l’information et de veiller à l’organisation au sein de sa communauté.