I     Summary of Action Plan

A national movement to end the genocide in Darfur and support peace and justice for all of Sudan has designated April 2006 as a month of action: “Darfur Days of Conscience” (DDoC).  Key groups have created a national steering committee to provide collaborative leadership for this coordinated effort.

The month of April will be divided into “weekly themes” devoted to community education, lobbying, fundraising for humanitarian relief and silent vigils (April 30th).  These activities will build on the work of participating groups and therefore represent “streams of activity” rather than distinct actions only taking part in the month of April 2006.  So, act now and plan for April.   

 

 

 

II     Background

 

Several years of grassroots work by many groups has led to the formation of a national movement to end the genocide in Darfur, which was made formal in a consensus vote on November 4, 2005 in Washington DC.  At this event, the concept of an April month of action was unanimously endorsed by about 40 participating groups; subsequently, a national steering committee emerged to transform the concept into a plan of action. It has held several planning conference calls.

 

The most important aspect of this process is a commitment to communication, coordination and collaboration as each group participates in the national movement.  Since each group brings its own perspectives and experience to this effort we are “playing to our strengths” as we seek an end to the genocide in Darfur.  In this way, we hope to be more effective in alerting the public and creating the political will required for international leadership in protecting innocent civilians in Sudan and Chad.

 

 

 

III    National Movement Leadership

 

The national movement steering committee (NMSC) is an ad hoc group that includes representatives from key organizations, including American Jewish World Service (AJWS), Dear Sudan, Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net), Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), and several regional representatives.  We are grateful for the support of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in facilitating the early stages of NMSC.

 

The commitment to a collaborative effort by participating organizations requires that the NMSC always remain open to input in the planning and implementation of the overall national movement and the April 2006 month of action.  Therefore, other groups and individuals must continue to play a crucial role in the national movement leadership by participating at times in the regular NMSC conference calls and providing input through contacting NMSC members directly.  This is especially crucial given worsening conditions in Sudan and the broad diversity of experience and effectiveness that many groups have demonstrated over the last several years in responding to the crisis.

As individual regions or states form their own ad hoc steering committees for the April month of action, it will be important to maintain communication and coordination with the NMSC.  In this collaborative effort, in which we play to our strengths, we each have an important and often unique contribution to make.  AJWS has a leadership role in creating the will, direction and discipline for the national movement; the Save Darfur Coalition has a leadership role in creating an infrastructure for the April events; STAND and GI-Net have a leadership role in lobbying for legislative action and for outreach to students; USHMM has a leadership role in being the “conscience” of the national movement, inviting people to better understand historical occurrences of past and present genocides; and Dear Sudan has a leadership role in acting as an impetus and catalyst.  Other groups will bring other leadership capabilities that will be a significant part of the national movement.

Local, regional and national events, as well as other information and resources related to the April 2006 month of action, will be posted at the Save Darfur Coalition web site (www.savedarfur.org).  Sponsoring organizations of the April 2006 month of action will have the opportunity to publicize or integrate their spring 2006 activities in support of an end to genocide in Darfur through the work of the NMSC.

 

IV    April 2006: “Darfur Days of Conscience”

A.   Weekly Themes

 

1. Week One (April 1-9): Community education

2. Week Two (April 10-14): Lobbying

3. Week Three (April 15-29): Fundraising for humanitarian relief

4. Week Four (April 30): Silent vigils

 

B. Coordination & Diversity 

The ongoing work and collaborative commitment of the many groups participating in the April month of action has made it possible to focus on a common plan of action, including a schedule that is oriented around the April 2006 events, as well as a common statement of purpose.  The “weekly themes” are broad outlines (rather than rigid time frames) that provide opportunities for coordination on local, regional and national levels. There will be thematic and scheduling variation as groups and regions plan events for April 2006.  Yet, just as our coordinated efforts allow us to reach a new level of effectiveness, this diversity will be an equally important aspect of our work as we find ways to broaden the national movement by reaching out to other groups and communities.  For example, if one group wants to focus on lobbying while another focuses on fundraising for humanitarian relief during the month of April 2006, their activities will be complementary in the overall effort. 

C. Four Streams of Action

Since the collaborative work of DDoC is building on the efforts of many groups over the past several years, the April month of action will reflect existing priorities and networks.  Accordingly, it is possible to view the weekly themes as “streams of action” that are simultaneously separate and joined.  As “streams of action,” the scheduling and thematic focus on community education, lobbying, fundraising for humanitarian relief and silent vigils has the capacity to incorporate an infinite variety of activities and scheduling variation.  Further, when viewed as “streams of action,” there is no gap between our present work and our planning for April 2006.

D. Silent Vigils

April 30th – the date for silent vigils in Washington DC and throughout the country -- will play a crucial role in our organizing work because it will provide a focal point for the April month of action and, in a sense, for the entire period of the Action Plan as we seek to broaden participation and achieve higher visibility.  The clear and powerful message we carry to the nation in the April month of action reaches its zenith on April 30^th.  

 

 

V     Calendar (partial)

 

December: Finalize planning; select final name for April events; assign key areas of responsibility; raise funding; hire new staff (organizers) and outside professional expertise firms (media/pr); create advisory committee; develop media strategy; seek organizational endorsements; select national spokesperson (s); form regional steering committees; develop emergency response mechanism.

 

January: Annouce DDoC at national press conference; launch online communications information and national network of participating cities and regions; implement phase I of media strategy; obtain permits for vigils; distribute resource packets for the four weekly themes (community education; lobbying, fundraising, vigils); coordinate with plans of local groups.  

 

February: Broaden participation by local groups; implement phase II of media strategy; begin distributing regular (weekly) Sudan updates to local organizing committees (including outlines of key issues); lift up models of local actions to national network; provide technical and professional assistance to local groups in the areas of media, communications, organizing, etc.

 

March: Implement phase III of media strategy; distribute publicity information for April events (posters; bumper stickers, ads, etc.); implement two-month advocacy plan; broaden opportunities for national spokespersons; finalize vigil plans at local and national levels.

 

April: Implement monthly plan.

 

 

VI    Work Committees

1.      Media Committee: Develop and implement phased publicity campaign; assist local groups with advise/resources; publicize national movement and DDoC; ensure media coverage of background/key developments on Sudan crisis, including the U.S. political response to the crisis (in association with advocacy and education committees); work with advisory committee on central issues and provide analysis; seek participation by celebrities.

 

2.      Organizational Relations: Obtain organizational endorsement; encourage participation of organizations and/or integrate DDoC and outside campaigns; create mechanism for broader participation in planning process (i.e., NMSC); assist in formation of advisory committee; integrate organizational participation on local, regional and national levels; global solidarity outreach.

 

3.      Fundraising: Raise initial funding for new staff (organizers) and outside firms (media/pr); assist local groups with technical advise; develop budget and analyze ongoing costs; provide emergency funding to local groups; raise funding for media campaign.

 

4.      Advocacy: Maintain relations with key networks (i.e., FCNL); provide regular updates on political developments; launch letter-writing campaigns; organize congressional delegations/visits (in association with education and media committees); provide guidance to local groups on working with local representatives; coordinate emergency response network.

 

5.      Community Education: Provide regular updates on significant developments in Sudan (in association with advocacy and media committees); prepare informational brochure and flyer; address issues and debates surrounding crisis; create “how-to” materials for local groups on organizing local events; distribute resources; develop archival materials for national movement.

 

6.      Grassroots Organizing: Develop and implement national movement plan for DDoC; develop and distribute materials for local committees; encourage formation and meetings of local and regional committees; collect monthly reports from local and regional committees for NMSC meetings; ensure implementation of NMSC/DDoC plan at local and regional levels; provide coordination for NMSC and its committees, organization staff, outside firms and local committees.

 

7.      Vigils: Organize national vigil in Washington DC and assist/coordinate local vigils; plan events, routes, schedules, logistics, support facilities, and obtain permits; purchase supplies (glow sticks, T-shirts, etc.); plan and implement actions; provide models for publicity information (posters, brochures, etc.); recruit and train security monitors.

 

 

 

 VII  Addendum

 

1.     National Movement Policy Position

2.     STAND Lobbying Plan

3.     Darfur Alert Coalition “Sudanese Speaking Tour” Proposal

4.     California DDoC Plan

 

 

For more information, please see www.savedarfur.org

 

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