Mobilization is most effective when organizations identify opportunities for engagement (among individuals or between groups) that can spark further interest in activism 

One way to mobilize individuals is to professionalize their roles within the organization. This creates a pipeline from participation in, for example, one protest, to ongoing activism. For instance, it may be possible to offer additional opportunities for participants to be involved at the end of a program or event. Another possibility may be core leadership or program staff modeling what activism “looks like” and the different forms it may take for program participants.

Several activists note that their upbringing among other activists, or experiences as youth, played an important role in leading them to be involved in social change work. Hamutal Gouri of the Dafna Fund in Israel shares, 

My father was a poet, journalist, and documentary creator and my mother is an educator. I always say that given the education and the role modeling that I was given, I had no choice but to become a human rights, social justice, feminist, activist and professional.

Two Northern Irish civil society and community development practitioners, Charmaine Jones and Neil Robinson, also noted that cross-community (Catholic-Protestant) initiatives they experienced in school were the source of their initial awareness about conflict issues, pointing to the importance of participation as youth in cross-community or cross-conflict endeavors as a motivation for later engagement.

Another perspective on this issue comes from staff at Sadaka Reut. Several staff spoke to the role they see themselves playing as models for the youth they work with: one former staff member who worked for many years with the organization called this influence “dramatic” in terms of its potential for shaping the trajectories of participants. Likewise, Amal Al-Nasasra, co-director of the Lakiya Weaving Project, shares that one of the group’s goals is to create the infrastructure for women to share opinions and voice their needs. As she states, “The best thing is we get to create a new model for women that she will be self-confident and sure of herself and can see herself as an equal partner in the municipality. Or, some who can work at creating a women’s municipality.” 

Challenges you may encounter using this tool

• Some strategies to build engagement are best achieved with funding sources, for example offering individuals the opportunity to professionalize their roles. However, not all community-based organizations have the funding, or sustainable funding, to open up and maintain such roles. Organizations should be weary of offering remuneration that is not sustainable and may draw in general job seekers versus those truly dedicated to the cause.

• While youth can bring incredible energy and build a pipeline for the future of an organization, youth can also be challenging to inspire and mobilize. One reason for this dynamic, amongst others, is that youth are also a prime recruitment target for groups engaging in violence. Nonviolent movements need to overcome and counteract peer pressure to bring youth into peacework and nonviolent action.