OPEN HOUSE RESOURCES
Many thanks to those who attended Back from the Brink’s Open House! Below are many ways to take action toward a world free of nuclear weapons. A video recording of the Open House is also below and slides from the presentation are here. Questions? Contact us at info@preventnuclearwar.org.
Join Back from the Brink!
Attend Local Organizing Meetups
Start or join a hub
Get your town or city on board! Organize a resolution
Build relationships with other people and groups
Follow us on social media
Attend our next Social Media Collaboratory
Write Letters to the editor
Contact and meet with elected officials
Become a coalition partner (organizations)
Lobby your members of Congress
Join Back from the Brink!
WHO: Everyone! Individuals, organizations, elected officials, welcome one and all.
WHAT: You’ll receive email updates with Back from the Brink news and actions you can take to help create a safer, healthier, and more just world.
WHEN: No time like the present – join today!
HOW: Endorse Back from the Brink and you’ll automatically be signed up for our email list or simply sign up to be on the list.
Attend Local Organizing Meetups
WHO: People who are doing local Back from the Brink organizing in their communities and those who are interested in getting involved in local organizing
WHAT: A monthly gathering for organizers to learn about opportunities for local action, to ask questions about and discuss the campaign’s current projects and initiatives with other activists from around the United States.
WHEN: Third Tuesday of the month at 1 pm ET
HOW: Register for monthly meetings on Zoom
Start or Join a Hub
WHO: Anyone who is interested in coming together to engage in activities and advocacy within their communities in support of the Back From the Brink’s five point policy platform and the abolition of nuclear weapons can join or start a hub!
WHAT: Our hub model is our national, distributed network of grassroots organizers throughout the United States who are working together to rid the world of nuclear weapons and secure a set of common sense U.S. nuclear weapons policies that will make the world safer, healthier, and more just.
HOW: Fill out Hub signup form to start or join a hub
Get Your Town or City On Board! Organize a resolution
WHO: Anyone and everyone!
WHAT: Securing local government support for Back from the Brink’s policy solutions through municipal and state resolutions is a critical way to demonstrate broad and politically influential support across the country for nuclear abolition and fundamental changes in US nuclear weapons policy.
HOW: Check out our Advocacy Tools for sample requests, resolutions, and guidance and don’t hesitate to contact us for help at info@preventnuclearwar.org.
Contact and meet with your elected officials, local, state, and national
WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: In order for our policymakers to make better decisions when it comes to nuclear weapons, they need to hear from their constituents. Contacting your officials, at every level of government, is a key way to raise the profile of the nuclear weapons issue and build champions who can pass Back from the Brink resolutions and enact policies in support of the five policy points.
HOW: This website will provide you with contact information for your elected officials. You can use this sample outreach language as a starting point for reaching out.
Get others on board! Build relationships with people and groups
WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: We aren’t just advocating for policy reform, we are bringing communities together and building power towards a world free from the threats of nuclear weapons. A big part of that involves building relationships with individuals and organizations, especially those who are new to the issue or whose voices have been excluded from the conversation. We believe it is important to stand in solidarity with other justice movements and we recognize the interconnectedness of many of the injustices we face.
HOW: You can use this sample outreach language as a starting point for reaching out.
Follow us on social media
Attend our next Social Media Collaboratory
WHO: Anyone who is involved with and/or interested in social media and nuclear weapons advocacy – both newcomers and seasoned pros are welcome!
WHAT: A quarterly Zoom gathering to make social media more social. The space is for gathering, co-creating, strategizing, fostering collaboration within the nuclear weapons abolition movement, building out the social media presence and reach of accounts affiliated with Back from the Brink, and improving all of our social media skills.
WHEN: Fourth Tuesdays at 1 pm ET / 12 noon CT / 11 am MT / 10 am PT. Next gathering, January 24th.
HOW: Email info@preventnuclearwar.org to get added to the Collaboratory email list.
Write Letters to the editor
WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: Writing a letter to the editor (LTE) to your local or regional newspaper is an effective and easy way to reach a large audience with your message. LTEs are published on the editorial page, which is one of the most read sections in the paper. Congressional staffers also tell us that members of congress keep a close eye on media coverage, including LTEs, in their local papers so they can keep a ‘pulse’ on issues of importance to their constituents.
Having a strong letter published helps you reach both a wide public audience and your elected officials with the same effort! Even if your letter is not published, it is important for educating and persuading editors. The more letters they receive on a given topic, the more likely they are to dedicate more time in their newspaper to that issue—both on the editorial page and in news articles. It clearly expresses the issue’s importance to the community.
HOW: You can use these tips and talking points to guide your draft and if you have any questions or could use some help, contact info@preventnuclearwar.org and we would be happy to help!
Become a coalition partner (organizations)
WHO: An organization who is interested in supporting the coalition in an active way. These could include non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions, public interest coalitions or initiatives or for-profit businesses.
WHAT: Coalition Partners endorse the Back from the Brink campaign and agree to actively support the coalition, its policy goals and initiatives through various means, such as periodically communicating with supporters about the campaign; making a financial contribution; attending coalition events and meetings; promoting the campaign on social media; or helping grow the coalition’s relationships and partnerships with other organizations, influencers and decision makers. Back from the Brink supports Coalition Partners by providing consultation, training and campaign materials if desired.
HOW: Fill out the Organizational Endorsement form and indicate interest in becoming a coalition partner. If your organization has already endorsed Back from the Brink and would like to become a Coalition Partner, let us know by contacting us at info@preventnuclearwar.org.
Lobby Your Member of Congress
WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: Urge members of Congress to support legislation in support of the five Back from the Brink policy points and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
HOW: Use this one-click action to easily send an email to your members of Congress urging them to co-sponsor H.Res 1185, a resolution “Embracing the Goals & Provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
