Organize Locally
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1. Host a speaking tour or teach-in. If you are at a school or university, ask educators to assist you and hold a public teach-in on Guatemala. In your community, organize a teach-in at the town hall, a local place of worship, or another community space. You may have speakers for the teach-in in your own community (if you or someone you know has traveled to Guatemala recently, this is a great opportunity), or you may be able to help local organizing for NISGUA's Annual Fall Tour of Guatemalan Speakers.

2. Set up information tables at local cultural events related to Latin America. If a concert, dance performance, movie, or other special cultural event is coming to town, contact the event promoter and ask if you can set up a table at the door to hand out information and sign up new activists. If it's not possible to get a table inside the event, have people outside the doors hand out fliers and use sign up sheets on clipboards. If you have a letter to send to a member of Congress, bring copies of the letter so that people can sign and send them right there. If you have a very cooperative promoter, ask if you can make a two-minute presentation before the event begins.
   
   
3. Set up an information table or have volunteers circulate with fliers at regular community events, such as farmers markets, flea markets, and street festivals. Again, if you have a letter to a member of Congress or other urgent action, make sure to bring them so that people can take action on the spot. These are opportunities to engage the local community with your issue.

4. Ask local activist groups that don't deal directly with Guatemala if you can speak briefly at their next meeting. If you have local chapters of Amnesty International, local immigrant organizations, and other groups that may have an interest in Guatemala, see if you can come and speak to them about a specific action that you are working on. Most groups are more than happy to give other activists a few minutes to discuss a new topic.

5. Involve your religious community in advocacy for a more just U.S. policy toward Guatemala.

6. Hold a call-in or letter-writing day in a local community space. This technique is especially useful leading up to a major vote: members of your community can voice their concerns over a particular issue related to Guatemala and ask their member of Congress to support a bill or amendment to help change the policy. To set up a call-in or letter-writing event, you'll need the phone numbers and addresses of your members of Congress, and talking points on the issue for a phone call or letter. You may also want a sample letter help guide writers. For additional resources on how to effectively address Congress, please click here.

7. Organize a town or city council resolution. Across the country, cities and towns have passed council resolutions expressing concern over various human rights issues. These resolutions stand in solidarity with peoples in other countries and often urge Congress to support peace and social justice in U.S. foreign policy. Click here for more information about how to draft and organize around such a resolution.

8. Hold a rally, vigil, or parade in front of your member of Congress' district or state office (you will need a permit, so be sure to go through the proper channels a month or so before you hold the event!).

9. Organize a film festival. Ask your local movie theater to sponsor a series of films with a Guatemala/human rights theme, or plan your own film festival on campus or in a local community space.

10. Coordinate thematic meals. Host a dinner featuring dishes from Guatemala, either by preparing food yourself or gathering at a local restaurant. Have a theme, play Guatemalan music, and decorate – and then during the event, hand out information, or give a short talk about the issues you are working on. Be sure to include an action and a way participants can remain involved with your group/issue.

11. Hold an art show. Ask art students or local artists to create and donate works with a peace and justice/Guatemalan theme for an exhibition and/or raffle.