The Creative Activist Toolkit

W THE CREATIVE WW ACTIVIST TOOLKIT TM WW A GUIDE WW to Changing Th World Around e You WW W

INTRODUCTIONDan eldon never set out to be aleader. He was just a regular teenagerwho happened to love photographyand art. He also loved to go on safarisin his adopted homeland of Kenya. 1

ss Africa, he On his journeys acro rld as it really is. e wo learned to see th His mission: “To explore the unknown r, and and the familiar, distant and nea s of a to record in details with the eye traces child, any beauty, hor ror, irony, of utopia or Hell.”2

Dan turned imagination into art, reality into photography. Along the way, he realized he could use creativity to do much more - to change lives and change the world. E For a Kenyan girl, he raised money to pay for her hear t surgery. E For refugees in Malawi, he brought blankets and $17,000 in aid. E For famine-stricken Somalia, he used his photographs to get the world to care. Inspired, he took action and created impact.4

te individuals. de nds with passionaChange begins an tivists. hem Creative AcLike Dan. We call t T his guide is for all who are inspired by Dan and other Creative Activists, Changemakers, Social Entrepreneurs, and Visionaries. It takes you step-by-step through the process of turning INSPIRATION into ACTION so that the world can be a better place because of you. Of course, we can’t teach you everything you need to know. But this road map will get you off to a good start. 5

1. INSPIRATION W hat fuels creative activism? In the beginning, it’s always INSPIRATION. Creative Activists are always inspired by someone or something that calls them to do more and be more. LISTEN TO THAT CALLING. THERE’S A REASON IT SPEAKS TO YOU.6

m many s ourcesinspira tion can come fro h an issue. E Your personal experience wit rne d about. E An injustice you’ve seen or lea led you to action. E Someone you respect has cal of our planet. E Your concer ns about the future . E Your desire for a better world 7

JJ Write Down three issues or problems that you feel connected to: Issue 1 I ssue 2 ssue 3 I TIPS EXAMPLE v Don’t worry about how much you know or don’t know about each issue. Excessive use of plastic bags. v Don’t focus too quickly on one issue. Keep your mind open for now. Entertain three issues. Cruelty towards animals you eat. v Do focus on issues that have personally High drop-out rate at your high school.8 affected you - either directly or indirectly.

2. EXPLORATION N ow that you’ve identiﬁed issues that speak to you in some way, get to know each of them better. Read up on each issue and talk to as many people as you can about them. Take time to explore. As Dan liked to say, “There is little difference between being lost and exploring.” Let your mind wander. Enjoy the detours. SPEND TIME ON THIS STEP. 9

JJ When you feel you have a good grasp of the issues, try to answer three questions for each: 1) What is the root cause of the problem? In other words, try to complete the sentence: “The problem of X would not exist if ______________________________.” 2) Who do you need to help or beneﬁt to make things better? 3) How do they need to be better off? What beneﬁts do they need? EXAMPLE The problem of factory farms would not exist if we consumers made compassionate choices and bought more humane products.10

Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Root Cause BEneficiaries Benefits EXAMPLE issue: Too much plastic waste Root cause: People buy too many bottled drinks Beneficiaries: Help everyone at school buy fewer bottled drinks Benefits: Provide convenient and stylish water bottles 11

Additional Notes: TIPS v Run your answers by potential beneficiaries and people you consider to be experts. But don’t just talk to one. v To address a problem, you may need to benefit different sets of people but pick one group for each for now. v Use Root Cause Analysis and Make It Count toolkits if you want to gain a deeper understanding of root causes and outcomes. See page 30.12

3. IMAGINATION N ow that you have a better sense of what beneﬁts you need to provide to whom to solve a problem, the fun part begins. It’s time to brainstorm what YOU can do. do with Ask y ourself...What can you are? what you have where you 13

What you have includes: x People you know who can support you. The skills you and your supporters have. The organizations, including businesses, you’re connected to. The networks of people you can access - both personal and professional. JJList the resources you have under each column. People: SKILLS: ORGANIZATIONS: NETWORKS:14

JJ Start combining different resources and see if any solutions Come to mind. What could deliver the benefits you think are needed? (from step 2) SolutionsEXAMPLE TIPS v Think less about what “the” solutionBenefit: Provide convenient and stylish should be and more about what “your”water bottles. solution could be.Solution: Sell limited edition water bottles v Use Tao of MacGyver toolkit to identifywith custom artwork, school logo and mascot resources. See page 30.and raise money for a good cause. Get local v Perform this step with teammates orbusinesses to sponsor you and subsidize cost. people who will likely support you. 15

Additional Notes: 4. SOLUTION Y ou now have three possible solutions you can implement. Which one should you move forward with? Chances are, your gut instinct points you to one above the rest. Perhaps it’s more creative, easier to pull off, or maybe it has greater potential for impact. Whatever the reason, your gut instinct is probably right. But you may want to poll others to see what they think. Give them your three choices. Ask them to vote.16

JJ When you have decided on the solution to move forward with, give it a name and a tagline, a short phrase that tells people what it’s about. Name: Tagline: visualize your solution from other people’sJJ Create an imaginary billboard for it. It helps you oard and sketch an image (it can be rough) perspective. Write name and tagline on the billb EXAMPLE TIPS v Your billboard should emphasize the positive rather than the negative, the solution rather than the problem. Make it upbeat, not depressing. v Give your solution a catchy name. Both the name and tagline should be memorable. v Use Project Profile toolkit to create a video about your project that you can spread online. See page 30. 17

Look for solutions, not problems. Seek clarity of vision.

5. ACTION E very solution assumes that if you take certain actions, you will arrive at the results you want. Action1 + Action2 + Action3 = RESULTS Example: Get water bottles made + Run contest to sell bottles + Get popular classmates to promote bottles = 2,000 Bottles Sold Write out your formula for change. In other words, map out your journey. What actions will you need to take to achieve your results?20

JJ Come up with at least two formulas and allow yourself to experiment with both. water botTleS contest endorsements 2,000 bottles soldPlan A:Plan B: Put both of these plans into motion andsee which one is more effective. Ideally, you want to ﬁnd an action plan that is repeatable andscalable. The more you execute the plan, the more results you get. Ifthat’s the case, it means you know what you’re doing. 21

Additional Notes: TIPS v Don’t lock yourself into one way of doing something. Allow experimentation. .v Luck and chance are important but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to figure out a reliable process. v Action always requires involvement of others. Don’t plan or implement22 actions by yourself.

6. DESTINATION S o where is all this headed, really? What is the ultimate destination of your journey? You want to make sure that when all is said and done, you have made an impact. Don’t focus on what you do - number of screenings, page views, DVDs sold, funds raised, etc. Focus on how much better off your beneficiaries are. (Remember the benefits you identified in Step 2?) 23

Additional Notes: The question you want to answer, at the very end, is “How are people better off?” or “How is the environment better off?” E Do people have more knowledge, skills, income, better health, etc.? Do they take positive action for themselves? E Is the environment cleaner, less polluted, more biologically diverse, etc.?24

JJ COme up with 2 or 3 ways you can measure how Things are better off. Metric 1 Metric 2 Metric 3These are the ultimate measures of your success, your ultimate destination. Let them guideyour actions. If you’re not seeing the results you want, modify your action plans in STEP 5. EXAMPLE # bottles sold TIPS v If you can’t measure it, you % buyers who use reusable bottles every day can’t manage it. % buyers who have reduced purchase of .v Make sure your team agrees on bottled drinks how to measure success. # plastic bottles avoided per week v Use Make It Count toolkit to (you will need to collect emails to do develop your outcome metrics. See page 30. follow-up surveys) 25

7. INSPIRATION J ust as you were inspired to take action, you can inspire others to take action as well. Let your story be an inspiration to others. k KEEP A “TRAVELOGUE.” Blog about what you do or create short videos about the actions you take. k CREATE A SHORT DOCUMENTARY ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY. That means you need to document your project from beginning to end. k TELL YOUR STORY OFTEN. k TEACH OTHERS HOW TO ACHIEVE SIMILAR SUCCESS. This is how you can multiply your impact.26

AS DAN USED TO SAY, “The journey is the destination.”DO IT ALL AGAIN! GEAR UP FOR THE NEXT JOURNEY! TIPS v Use Message with SUCCESs toolkit to craft your inspirational story. See page 30. .v Watch some TED Talks to see what inspirational stories look and sound like. v Give your own TEDx Talk. Use guide at socialcreatives.org 27

There is little difference between being lost and exploring. —Dan Eldon

THE CREATIVE ACTIVIST CHECKLIST b You have selected your team b Your solution relies mostly on your with care. assets - what you have - rather than what you need. b You are working on an issue that personally affects you b You are experimenting with - directly or indirectly. different actions to get at the same results. b You are trying to address the cause, not just the symptoms, b You are measuring your success by of a problem. the real difference you make to people and the environment. b You seriously considered several solutions before choosing one. b You have a plan To share your journey and your story with others. 29

THE CREATIVE ACTIVIST TOOLKITS TM Need more help? Use other toolkits to learn and apply the best practices of creative activists. Root Cause Analysis Message with SUCCESs Address the cause, not the How to communicate symptom. with impact. Project Profiles The Tao of MacGyver Introduce yourself Do what you can with what through video. you have. Glorified Press Releases PerfectYour Pitch Make your story stand out. How to present project to funders. Make It Count Pitch Tempalate The art of creating Keynote and PowerPoint measurable change. Templates.30 Download all the toolkits at CreativeVisions.org

THE CREATIVE VISIONS FOUNDATIONI nspired by Dan Eldon, the Creative Visions Foundation supports “Creative Activists,” individuals who use the power of media andarts to create positive change in the world. Founded in 1998 by Kathy and Amy Eldon,Creative Visions has provided funding,mentorship and ﬁscal sponsorship to more than85 creative activists whose projects reach andimpact millions around the world. Visit CreativeVisions.org for tools, resourcesand opportunities to connectwith creative activists. 31

CREDITS T he Creative Activist Toolkit TM was developed and written by Charles Tsai, an educator and consultant to social entrepreneurs. Charles speaks on social innovation and faciliates workshops in social entrepreneurship at universities and conferences around the world. Charles is the founder of Social Creatives, an online resource that helps changemakers learn and apply best practices of the social sector: www.socialcreatives.org Designer: Jennifer Browning The Creative Activist Toolkit is made possible by the generous support of the Heineman Foundation.32

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The Creative Activist Toolkit

by Charles Tsai

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