There are three types of organizations that students dedicated to liberty can create on their campus. This may be a difficult concept for some people, but the most important purpose of creating a student group is to have a forum for pro-liberty students to come together, discuss their ideas, and know that they are not alone. From this foundational starting point, there are varying degrees of activity that organizations may engage in to maintain their existence and achieve the goal of having a pro-liberty forum on campus.
The first type is the Social Club. This type of organization involves the least amount of work and is for the student who wants to see some kind of place for pro-liberty students to meet and interact be formed, but doesn’t have the time to begin a full-blown organization. This type of organization simply requires that a social event be held once a month. Invite pro-liberty students to meet at a restaurant, bar, or student’s apartment with food and drinks to just socialize and chat about liberty. Advertise on Facebook, fliers, word of mouth, etc., and just create a space for students dedicated to liberty to feel comfortable and supported. When people come, hand out fliers for SFL, IHS & FEE seminars, Cato University, etc.
The second type is the Reading/Discussion Group. If you want to be more involved than a social club, but not ready to have a variety of activities, the reading/discussion group is the next step. This type of organization meets once a week or every other week to simply discuss issues related to liberty and have discussions. A more developed version of this group will discuss an article or book chapter at meetings that everyone has read prior to arriving. This brings in an educational aspect to the organization as well as social activities to promote the organization’s knowledge of the intellectual foundations of liberty.
The third type is the Activities-Based Organization. For the student interested in creating a full-blown organization that will obtain prominence for the cause of liberty and rival other campus organizations for students’ time and energy, the activities-based organization is the most comprehensive option available. This organization takes a multi-faceted approach, not only providing a forum for pro-liberty students to socialize and learn, but does so through a variety of means like bringing in speakers, debating other groups on campus, holding movie nights, demonstrations, etc. The activities-based organization encompasses a variety of programs that make the cause of liberty part of the forefront of campus life.
This handbook primarily provides an outline for the reading/discussion group and the activities-based organization. This handbook provides a simple, yet in-depth outline for action in starting an in-depth student organization. Creating a social club can be a highly valuable activity, but it does not take much work. Advertising is key for this group, which should take up most of your time. But creating a large organization with more complex activities takes much more work and demands an instruction manual with more details than a social club. If you are dedicated to liberty and want to see an option available to students on your campus to get involved with the cause of liberty, any of these three types is a terrific start, and SFL is here to help. If you need anything, please contact us at info@studentsforliberty.org.
Continue to Summary: 10 Steps to Starting a Student Organization
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