Technical Assistance Progam

TAP is a mutual aid program designed to connect scientists and community partners to organize for safe, healthy, and environmentally just communities. We bring together local expertise with technical know-how to strengthen campaigns. 

We believe in a theory of change that acknowledges that the powerful forces of oppression often have a monopoly on scientific power. They have the resources to hire scientific professionals to generate data and provide expert testimony that supports their claims. They have created systems that require significant prior expertise to understand and challenge. This creates an uneven playing field; communities, in spite of their collective desires and wisdom, are put at the whims of outside actors who “know better”. We view our place as enabling the people to challenge scientific hegemony by arming them with their own science. Giving organizers this type of tool against power can:

• Clarify and strengthen the analysis of the problem and solution

• Reveal strong arguments that may enable more direct interventions

• Increase the intelligibility and the reach of the campaign, both by making the science easier to communicate, as well as by developing a broader range of messages

• Provide legitimacy; while SftP Chicago has nuanced views on the credibility that should be attributed to scientists, we know there is value to the optics of a scientist challenging the  decisions of oppressive powers.

TAP works with organizers fighting power – the city, state, corporations – for the physical and economic welfare of their communities and the working class more broadly. Some representative categories include

• Environmental justice

• Public health and safety

• Gentrification and displacement

• Militarism, policing, and the carceral state

TAP is specifically focused on campaigns, or elements of campaigns, where scientific expertise can increase the strength of the work being done.

SftP will provide support and guidance upon request at every step:

• In the early stages of project development:

  • Creation of community partnerships

  • Determination of possible avenues for technical support

  • Triage on organizational capacity

• When projects are active

  • Facilitation of scientific team-building and connection with community partners

  • Resources and one-on-one support for community engagement

  • Material and personnel support beyond the capacity of participants and community partners

TAP is oriented around the development of projects with defined lengths and scopes, so you know approximately how long you’ll be responsible and how much work it will be.

If you are interested in enrolling in TAP, your primary responsibilities are

• Accurately filling out [this form], which will allow us to connect you to relevant projects

• Checking your email for our regular bulletin of projects, as well as direct requests for help

If you are working directly on a project

• Maintaining regular contact with other participants and community organizers

• Concerted effort toward completion of the project

• Regular contact with SftP Chicago on progress, the general state of the partnership, material, and personnel needs

Not an issue at all! We’re happy to hear that you’re interested in getting involved in this capacity. Recognizing that many scientific professionals never receive this training and are not pushed to develop this experience, we have resources to support your development politically and socially. Additionally, SftP Chicago will be handling many of the more logistically nuanced aspects of this collaboration. If you’d like to learn those, consider getting involved in the chapter here.

Virtually all scientific professionals have skills that can directly benefit community organizing. For some, this may be their direct expertise – for example, a physicist may be well-suited to estimate electrical use by a new factory or a biologist to talk about the health impacts of a pollutant. For others, this may derive from research skills or scientific communication. If you still think your background is useless, we dare you to test us by filling out the form.

Additionally, this program offers you the chance for scientific and/or professional development. If there’s something new you want to learn, this can also be a good chance to motivate that. Our sign-up form includes spaces for both your current AND desired skills.

Good to hear! People are needed to connect with potential participants and community partners, to triage and develop projects, and to keep our internal structure afloat. If this is a role you’d like to take on, we ask that you join SftP Chicago. Please fill out this form and mention TAP in the free answer section. Someone from the team will reach out to set up a time to onboard you. 

The goal is to connect you with scientific partners who can strengthen your campaign. Some examples of how this may manifest include:

• Consultation on relevant technical details

• Collection and analysis of original data to challenge unreliable official narratives

• Running teach-in programs for organizers and the community

• Development of educational materials for public awareness

• Speaking to the media and public as an expert on the subject matter

• Engineering solutions 

This collaboration is focused on the goals of the community/campaign, so you tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll try to connect you with a scientific partner who can help!

While TAP has the potential to significantly advance aspects of your campaign, there are limitations and caveats that should be acknowledged.

• Not every campaign makes sense for the TAP program – we think science is a factor in many social issues, but if you have already developed relevant aspects of your campaign or just really need extra hands, we may not agree to help.

• Original science will not always support your aims – our goal is to advance the science of the campaign, not to make science fit your desired narrative. However, we won’t fight against your cause in cases when the data doesn’t support it.

• Our scientific partners are volunteers. They span levels of training and experience and may have varying levels of background relevant to your specific campaign. They will likely have limits on the time and effort they can dedicate to your project.

• We also are not independently well-resourced – while SftP Chicago is actively fundraising to build out a library of tools and sensors, TAP does not have access in-house to free soil and water testing, printing services, etc. We can attempt to acquire or connect you directly with resources, but this is not a given.

When you reach out, we’ll set up a meeting to assess the needs of your campaign and its compatibility with the TAP model. Some questions we’ll likely ask include:

• What is the history and current structure of your organization? 

• What is your prior level of background in science relevant to the campaign?

• What roadblocks to success has your campaign run into?

There is no “right” answer to any of these questions, though we are primarily looking to engage with groups that are community-organized (independent or grassroots) and see a clear connection between their campaign and some broader theory of change. The answers to these questions will also be used to determine potential paths for intervention and to match the project with scientific partners.

After the collaboration is initiated, we’ll ask for regular updates on your overall campaign as well as the progress of the scientific element provided by TAP.

Collaboration with SftP Chicago represents a commitment by our organization to the advancement of your campaign. Collaboration is an endorsement of your cause, but not your organization or all of the choices you make. Likewise, you can do things like use our logo on relevant materials, tag us on social media, etc., but just for the agreed-upon campaign unless explicit permission is given otherwise. You must confirm with your TAP partners before distributing content reflecting their work and intellectual contributions. Because we lack a legal organizational structure, the strength of any agreement we make is the strength of our collective words.