Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

Looking for some ideas to support the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project? We’ve collected some of our favorites here. Whatever you choose to do, remember to plan time for taking a photo that shows your gathering and send it to us!

Hosting an event is a fun way to get together with friends and fellow activists outside of the lunch lines, down from the dorms, and away from the classrooms. House parties or film screenings are a great way to build partnerships with other organizations in your area, learn about their campaigns, and enjoy their company while learning about the situation in Iraq.

Yes, yes, I want to host an event! Now what?

• Partnerships! First, you may want to invite diverse organizations to partner with you. Check on date and space availability with them. Think about what groups in your community are working with issues related to Iraq and the Middle East. What interfaith, peace and justice, and cultural groups can you reach out to? Set the time, date and location of your event.
• Outreach! Create an email and flyer to invite people to your event. Ask partner organizations to invite their members to attend. Spread the word far and wide on email listservs, online calendars, Facebook, the walls of your local cafe, radio and newspaper event listings, and by reaching out the old-fashioned way: pick up the phone and tell people you’re throwing an event about a worthy cause! Consider also inviting friendly members of the press. Submit the event information here and we’ll put it on our online calendar!
• Event Type! There are many events to choose from. Check out the event ideas below.
• Publicity! It’s important to contact local, state, and national media to make sure they report on the situation in Iraq. Think about what print, radio, television, and blogs you’d want to have cover your event and start getting in touch now!
• Set up tables! Set up your registration tables with sign-in sheets, petitions and name tags. Set up a separate table for organization handouts, food and snacks. Make sure there are enough pens. Contact the IARP for materials.
• Get set, go! Make sure EVERYONE feels welcome. Consider having a greeter or passing around name tags.
After your event. Post photos or videos online. Share on twitter and facebook. Email all your guests, partner organizations and press to thank them for joining in the informative and fun evening and mention any next steps and upcoming actions.

Don’t forget to register your event here, where you can fill out an online form to post announcements, and others can contact you to attend your event.

EVENT IDEAS
**Invite elected officials: Surprisingly, a number of elected officials are not up to date on the situation in Iraq, which is why they need their constituents to educate them. Consider inviting your mayor, representatives, or a city council person or supervisor. Whoever you try to invite, just be sure to give them plenty of advance notice, be polite, call back if you do not hear back from them, and maybe even visit their office to demonstrate how much you care about their participation. Spend some time contacting members of Congress encouraging them to take action on the plight of Iraqi refugees

US Senator at: http://www.senate.gov
US Representative at: http://www.house.gov/writerep
President Barak Obama at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at: http://contact-us.state.gov/

• Organize a film showing: Contact the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project staff (luke@reconciliationproject.org) to get a copy of Nate Fisher’s DVD The Unreturned, which provides an excellent introduction on the plight of Iraqi refugees. Set aside a few minutes before or after the movie to explain the latest on Iraq. Download and print background articles here to have available.
• Host a house party: Eating is one of the easiest ways to bring people together (especially with everyday busy schedules!). Host a dinner with food from the Middle East. Ask your friends to bring something along, so you don’t need to cook all week. Show the movie The Unreturned and don’t forget to take a group photo at the dinner table.
• Teach-in: Do some online research about Iraq and invite your participants to learn more about the work of the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project. Discuss why it is important to promote reconciliation between the people of the United States and Iraq and plans to continue working on this issue. Recommit yourself to the cause.
• Faith celebrations: Connections between the world’s diverse religions and the situation in Iraq are numerous and strike a strong moral chord. This is a great way to gather people together who already have a community in which they discuss the big questions. .
• Host an Iraqi art show: The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project has an art show ready to show at your local gallery or coffee house.  For more information, click here.  Create an art table with art supplies and invite your participants to create art—maybe something that speaks of the importance of building bridges between two countries. Invite a speaker to your art show.  For more information about inviting a speaker, contact us or click here.
• Letter writing: Encourage the participants at your event to write Letters of Peace to the children of Iraq. Also writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper is a good way to reach your entire community and address specific community and global issues. They inform community members that there are groups working on an issue or event.

Of course, feel free to experiment and come up with your own idea! Do not forget to contact us for help and support!