ORGANIZING USING THE INTERSECTIONAL APPROACH MODEL

1. IDENTIFY THE ISSUE TO BE ADDRESSED. Be as specific as possible.

2. IDENTIFY THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM/ISSUE.

3. IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. Be specific. It is important to not only articulate what you don't want, but what you envision in its place. If possible try to identify an end goal.

4. IDENTIFY POSSIBLE STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING GOALS, OBJECTIVES, OR INTENDED OUTCOMES. There may be many strategies. Try to list them all. Start small and divide up the work. (Strategies might include boycotting, letter-writing campaign, a planned action, a protest, or a march). The key is not for everyone to work on everything, but for individuals to work on something that they are interested in that benefits the whole group or the outlined goals.

5. IDENTIFY POSSIBLE PARTNERS AND ALLIANCES. Look for obvious and not so obvious partners. For example, if you are a women's group trying to do work around violence against women, don't hesitate to ask labor unions or anti-racist groups to work with you.

6. CREATE A DETAILED ACTION PLAN AND TIMETABLE. Be sure to distinguish between long-term and short-term goals. In your planning, be sure to delegate responsibilities and actions. It is important to leave a planning meeting with a plan of action for either the next meeting or action. The action plan should be strategic and well thought out. Don't get bogged down by the little details. If someone thinks organizing a boycott is the best strategy and another person thinks a letter writing campaign is the most effective, do both. The key is making sure the action does not undermine the intended goals of the project. Don't be afraid to hold people accountable.

7. PUT YOUR PLAN INTO ACTION.