Recruiting people to my high school communist organization?

[d3crypt]

I have started a club at my high school for marxists and anarchists to join. I wonder if anyone here has any good ideas on how to recruit lots of members?

[Remus Bleys]

How did you start the club to begin with?

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Maybe center it around local issues and agitate around that.

[ANTIFA GATE-9]

You started a club??
How did you even manage to start it in the first place??
If I do anything like that at my school they'll beat me up.

If you want advise I would try and promote the club from the history class. If they are a lot of people in it like my school ask the teacher if you could hang posters or something around. If you are studying the Cold War or something put stuff about that in a less serious way. If you are not studiyng anything with communism or anarchism try to put something funny like the smash capitalism poster with Rocky or the one with the m and m saying the revolution is now but don't make them too offensive. Don't make it too funny because they'll think it's a joke or too serious because they won't get it. Try and target a specific age group since each year is interested in different things

I have no personal experience on the matter since its impossible to start something like that at my school but the above is all i got.

[Brutus]

Poster, leaflets, word of mouth, etc.
Do you have anyone yet or is it just you?

[d3crypt]

Well i get a shit ton of hate for being a communist. People say some pretty hurtful things and it makes me almost regret being a communist for all the pain it causes me. But the school will approve it if i can get a teacher to supervise meetings. I think i will try posters for now. I have myself and one other friend.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

The best way to build a group is to take on some sort of worthwhile activity that will interest people. For example, you could start a critical/lefty school paper, or organize monthly film screenings + discussions (make sure there's pizza!).
Just remember - having a group just to have a group is a recipe for a short lived group. It's bound to last about as long as it takes for someone to ask, "So, why are we here?"

[The Idler]

Boring way - readings and meetings.
Fun way - free food and music and maybe travel to bigger events?

[SonofRage]

Agitate/organize around grievances in your school while at the same time connecting them to the broader struggle.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 4

[George Hill]

A teacher has to supervise the meetings? Pffft. You should try and figure out a way of having meetings away from the teacher as well as the official in-school ones.

As for getting peoples attention, you should definitely go with the posters. Try asking questions on them such as "Are you a communist?" or "What is anarchism?". Also, advertise yourself as a new group and say, on the posters, at least one of the things you expect the group to do or what you're about. As someone else suggested, a school newsletter or paper would be a great start for those already experienced but what I really think is the best idea to start off with is to get each new member of the group to make their very own poster advertising the group... that way they'll feel more included and like they're helping to make a difference - essentially, they'll feel like the group is partly theirs right from the offset.

[Comrade Jacob]

I would suggest asking any leftists you know, handing out leaflets, posters maybe make a website.

[HumanRightsGuy]

In my high school, one student was able to organize around the Vietnam War (still then ongoing) by issuing a hard-copy newsletter (there was no internet back then) called "The Red Pencil", which pretty much concentrated on antiwar/official hypocrisy stuff.

Beyond that, I agree with SonofRage and George Hill, in that you should connect immediate school-related issues with the larger struggle and find a format other than an officially-recognized club which requires a teacher to supervise.

***

I less recommend something that, nevertheless, actually worked for me on one occaision, even though I was in college at the time, and handled it poorly: classroom confrontation. If, say, in a history, or economics, or social studies class, the teacher says something with which you disagree, respectfully point out your point of disagreement. In my case, it happened in my college Finnish class, when my professor called Marshal Gustav Mannerheim the "Savior of Finland", and I, not being able to take it anymore, just stood up and sputtered out an accusation of Mannerheim's status as the "Butcher of Tampere" (as he'd shelled the working-class areas of the city of Tampere during the Finnish Civil War, which was an adjunct to the then-ongoing Russian Civil War), and then just stormed out of the classroom. When I, quite sheepishly, returned to class the next day, I learned that the professor had, in fact, discussed the controversy concerning Mannerheim's status in Finnish history.

Doing something like that might help, just, do it better than the way that I did it. Do it as a gentleman, not as a jerk. And only on truly critical issues; don't make a habit of it.

[HumanRightsGuy]

One more thing, young Comrade, perhaps the most important point of all:

Remain TOTALLY law-abiding in all that you do.

DON'T do drugs, or drink while you're still under legal age, just OBEY THE LAW!!! If your local cops might be of the frame of mind to frame you on account of your political beliefs, your obedience to the law would complicate such a plan immensely.

I can't properly tell you of the extent to which my membership, in the late 1970's, in the Young Socialist Alliance, gained me many instant "friends" who wanted to draw me out of the "control" of the YSA and do drugs, against the strict policy of the YSA.

I stuck with the YSA, and, from what I've seen since, the fact that I've kept clear of drugs is the single most important fact of my life.

Don't give the cops an excuse, and don't develop a need that's going to force you to compromise your principles.

And remain cheerful!

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

^I think what you mean is don't break the law unstrategically.

A shit-tonne of valuable activist/radical activity is criminalized. For example, in parts of Canada truancy laws mean that organizing a high school walk-out is illegal in many circumstances. Obviously, use your head, and don't get busted for something not worth getting busted for.

[Geiseric]

you should really take any help from any teachers or administration that you can and try to organize students to go to other protests which are progressive in nature being planned around your area, and hold reading groups about basic marxist stuff. If people are interested in socialism the first thing to do is become educated about basic theory and history. I did the same thing in high school, culminating in a big protest in senior year, so let me know how it turns out!

The important thing though is to go at the pace of the other students, reading groups and discussions are a great way to start though.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

you should really take any help from any teachers or administration that you can and try to organize students to go to other protests which are progressive in nature being planned around your area, and hold reading groups about basic marxist stuff. If people are interested in socialism the first thing to do is become educated about basic theory and history. I did the same thing in high school, culminating in a big protest in senior year, so let me know how it turns out!

The important thing though is to go at the pace of the other students, reading groups and discussions are a great way to start though.

Aye, working with teachers is really interesting, because, on one hand, it can obviously provide access to a wealth of resources, experience, and room-bookings; on the other, it can mean some limits (ie - it makes it hard to do things that will get said teacher in shit, unless they're really, really down). Of course, this can usually be worked around (using two group names, whatever), but it's a thing to talk about.
Anyway, this makes me think about other worthwhile people to know in this context: your school custodians/janitors and other support staff, local college/university activists, your local labour council (free photocopies from union hacks!), folk at local community centres/friendship centres (are friendship centres a thing in the states?).

ALSO!

How is this going? You should post updates!

[d3crypt]

I am unfortunately failing. I'm thinking i should just do it on my own and say fuck the school. It would never get passed now. We just got a new principle who is a total fascist. She has random drug checks and drug dogs going around the school and is totally upping penalties for stuff. Plus she is a complete right winger. No way it would get approved. I think i will just hand out flyers one day or put up posters on random walls without approval from the school. it would be awfully uncommunist of me to ask for permission to put up stuff on private property.

[d3crypt]

Any thoughts and suggestions about my most recent situation? I could seriously use some help.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I am unfortunately failing. I'm thinking i should just do it on my own and say fuck the school. It would never get passed now. We just got a new principle who is a total fascist. She has random drug checks and drug dogs going around the school and is totally upping penalties for stuff. Plus she is a complete right winger. No way it would get approved. I think i will just hand out flyers one day or put up posters on random walls without approval from the school. it would be awfully uncommunist of me to ask for permission to put up stuff on private property.

Jesus christ - that does sound totalitarian. That's got to be a basis for some sort of organizing. Further, I'm sure there must be progressive teachers who are against that sort of blatant display of disrespect for students.

Out of curiosity, what are the racial, class, and other contradictions (I'm sure there are specific things that wouldn't occur to me, removed from the context) like in your school? Are certain students disproportionately likely to be subjected to "random" harassment?

This is one of a limited number of situations where a petition might be useful - not in-and-of-itself, but as a way to start conversations. If you (or, ideally, you and a few others?) were able to write up a simple petition, and stand out in front of the school at morning/lunch with it, collecting signatures + email addresses/phone numbers, you could get a sense of where your fellow students are at, and have contact information for organizing some sort of response (not to mention the legitimacy of, "Well, we tried a petition first, and they wouldn't listen!").

A turning point for my high school radical group was when a new principle decided that all literature handed out on school grounds would have to be first approved by the administration: We seized on this and ran with it, and made it a shitshow.

That said, one thing to keep in mind is being strategic. While it's obviously important to fight against repressive bullshit, don't lose sight of the big picture. Use this as an opportunity to talk about the school to prison pipeline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline), the broader context of the racist war on drugs, and in the final analysis, capitalist society generally (though don't skip straight to saying that and miss the details! they're important!).

[Radio Spartacus]

Any thoughts and suggestions about my most recent situation? I could seriously use some help.

I can offer some assistance through my experience. I actually miss high school because I converted some boring old moderates into leftists there, and haven't had time yet to make comrades in college.

I started out as President of my school's freethinkers society. I talked philosophy for many meetings, but on occasion I would give a lecture on communism. I was lucky enough to have many sympathetic teachers as well. My bio teacher freshmen year was a communist, and the advisor we found for Freethinkers was somewhat sympathetic but more importantly refused to censor us in any way. She was an incredible ally.

Speak up in class. Don't rant, calmly educate your educators. The facts are on your side, don't be afraid to use them. Take an econ class, talk about the proportion of homeless to unoccupied homes. Talk about child labor. Make it impossible to justify capitalism. Correct them when they call the soviet union communism. Start a Freethinkers society, a free enclave to discuss philosophy. Communism will come up, and you can give a presentation on it.

If your school is censorship oriented, I was able to run Freethinkers as an underground club in the courtyard for a few months so try that. People like the outdoors this time of year anyway.

Oh, and when Freethinkers was underground it was known to all 25 members as "Fuck the Police Club". I know I skipped over a lot of my experience so if you want more advice PM me.

[d3crypt]

Out of curiosity, what are the racial, class, and other contradictions (I'm sure there are specific things that wouldn't occur to me, removed from the context) like in your school? Are certain students disproportionately likely to be subjected to "random" harassment?


Well my school is pretty left wing for a high school aside from our new fascist principle. LGBT people are fully accepted and there is a total lack of racism. My school has a pretty racially diverse demographic. Most of the teachers are pretty progressive, but in history class there was no lack of anti-communist propaganda. Students had been able to get by with moderate drug use, but the new regime is going out of their way to bust people. They also are giving girls detentions for wearing certain clothing all the time now. I think i would be able to get a petition to get this stuff stopped signed by tons of people. If the school refused the students could simply strike by not coming to school until they change the policy. They would be sure to comply as funding comes directly from attendance.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

LGBT people are fully accepted and there is a total lack of racism.

Not to pick on a petty point, but I think that it's worth qualifying that statement, e.g. "lack of overt racism". Unless your school exists in a magical bubble, I promise that racism and trans*/homophobia still exist there.
This actually raises an interesting point: How do we confront these things in spaces where we know they exist (since white supremacy and heteropatriarchy are intimately and inextricably linked to capitalism), but can't necessarily see them ourselves?
Even take the example of history class. Assuming that your history class is pretty typical (America was founded by white people, killing off most of the indigenous population was unfortunate but it's not still happening, the civil war was fought but two opposing white armies and ended slavery, etc.), what do you think the conclusions are that people draw from it? It's probably not that kids in your school are walking around being all like, "Fuckin' sandn****rs" or anything so immediately awful, but how do they conceive of the relationship between white America and indigenous people, for example? With regards to queer people, they might not be bashing fags in the hallways, but does the school have single stall non-gendered washrooms where a trans*/non-binary person could feel comfortable? Is anyone fighting for it? Etc.

[Fred]

Well i get a shit ton of hate for being a communist. People say some pretty hurtful things and it makes me almost regret being a communist for all the pain it causes me. But the school will approve it if i can get a teacher to supervise meetings. I think i will try posters for now. I have myself and one other friend.
I would recommend getting together a reading group -- one that focuses on the Marxist and Leninist classics. To make it more interesting you might include some writers with a leftist bent, such as Malraux (The Fate of Man). (although that certainly does not have a happy ending!) and Homage to Catalonia. See if you can find some like minded people. Don't worry about the assholes -- there will always be some of those. You might also have some groups with locals in LA, come in and make presentations (they will, of course be looking to recruit). You might investigate some kind of actions you might take as a group (e.g., going to demonstrations, strike-support work). Don't get too caught up in, what I would call, public relations. If things go well you might get a few people that are seriously interested. Focus on quality not quantity. Good luck, comrade.

[d3crypt]

I would recommend getting together a reading group -- one that focuses on the Marxist and Leninist classics. To make it more interesting you might include some writers with a leftist bent, such as Malraux (The Fate of Man). (although that certainly does not have a happy ending!) and Homage to Catalonia. See if you can find some like minded people. Don't worry about the assholes -- there will always be some of those. You might also have some groups with locals in LA, come in and make presentations (they will, of course be looking to recruit). You might investigate some kind of actions you might take as a group (e.g., going to demonstrations, strike-support work). Don't get too caught up in, what I would call, public relations. If things go well you might get a few people that are seriously interested. Focus on quality not quantity. Good luck, comrade.

Unfortunately i only know two people who are real leftists. I have a friend who is an anarcho-syndicalist (ironically he is the student body president) and a friend who is a green anarchist (earth liberation/ animal liberation type guy). Then i know many people who would count as social democrats. I kind of need to engage in some public relations if i want to find other leftists. I just need to find the leftists and i can start some sort of organization. As for working with local organizations, i don't know of any. The reading group is something i will definitely do when i get my shit together.