Chicago Metro Area News Magazine (Yet to be named)

Why

While Chicago’s strong tradition of neighborhood independence has created a social reservoir to be tapped by agents of change, it is also responsible for long standing social, racial, and economic divisions between our social justice communities. Northside organizers know little about the dozens of schools on the South and West Sides that walked out and rode the buses down to Jena. Anti-war demonstrations are notoriously claustrophobic with the same cast members each year. The thousands of student organizers around Chicago who helped pull together the walkouts for immigrants rights are still mysteries to their potential organizer allies across the city. Student and youth organizers from different sides of town and from different schools have been out of touch with each other too long. It is past time to rebuild the Rainbow Coalition.

The goal is to use the Chitown Organize Zine as a glue to bind the huge area of Chicago closer together. We are going to feature authentic stories, told by those who participated and observed them, from as wide a variety of student and youth organizers as possible. There will also be an important forum provided for strategic discussion on our groups goals and strategies relating specifically towards Chicago.

Money will be raised before the issues hit the printers, but the plan is to focus on viral distribution and have accessible formats available online for anyone to download and distribute at their school, bus stop, shopping mall, or hangout.

To become involved in this project, email Chitown Organize at chitownorganize@gmail.com

Decisions are made collectively by those directly involved with them… i.e. a majority votes on issues like word counts, final layouts, relevance of contributions, and specific decisions made by groups of volunteers are made with majority votes by that group i.e. the layout editors make decisions about color schemes, graphic positions etc.

Submissions are now being taken for the first Chitown Organize Magazine! If you are interested in participating in ANY capacity please get in touch with chitownorganize@gmail.com

If you have any youth/student organizing experiences in Chicago or know of anyone who does and would like to share them in a contribution please post them on the wiki and/or get in touch with chitownorganize@gmail.com

Especially needed are people with graphic design experience and experience with newspaper editorial functions!!!!!!!!

All submissions can be uploaded by their authors to the newspaper wikipedia site,

www.chitownorganize.wordpress.com
First Issue is expected in April/March Rough Deadlines are March 20th for Contributions

Authors should post their draft submissions to the appropriate wiki heading below, or can email submissions to chitownorganize@gmail.com

Anyone who is interested in helping edit and layout the newspaper please get in touch with chitownorganize@gmail.com

Layout Volunteers

Goal: help plan the physical layout and graphic design of the magazine, and work to format it online to spread its availability.

Casey Renz, Columbia College SDS

John Wilson, Chicago SDS/MDS

Jessica Freudenberg, Chicago SDS

Nikki Dudda

…YOU…

Group Communication Volunteers

Goal: Keep members in touch with each other through organizing meetings and phone conferences, maintains listserve, wikipedia.

Nick Kreitman, EC SDS

Editorial Volunteers

Goal: Spell Check, grammar check articles and give advice on structure of draft contributions. Works with contributors to make articles fit group-decided word limit.

Jessica Freudenberg, Chicago SDS

Nick Kreitman, EC SDS

John Wilson, Chicago SDS/MDS

Nikki Dudda

…YOU…

Contributor Outreach Volunteers

Goal: Works to expand pool of contributors from across the Chicago metropolitan area

…YOU…

Distribution Volunteers

Goal: Find creative ways to distribute news magazine to get it in the hands of the intended audience: Chicago area students and youth.

…YOU…

Contributors

Goal:Meat and potatos of the news magazine. Contributes relevant articles on organizing experiences in Chicago and strategy for future campaigns relevant to Chicago.

Nick Kreitman, Elmhurst College SDS contributing on west suburban organizing

Tim Sparer, UIC SDS contributing on organizing for community health clinics

Matt H, Morton West High School SDS contributing on Morton West and Berwyn Youth organizing

Greg Gabrellas, UC SDS contributing on building relationships with Chicago Public School teachers and bringing them into organizing campaigns

Andrew Breen, Columbia College ACLU, contributing on anti-poverty organizing at Columbia College

Andrea Mueller, Rutgers SDS, contributing on experiences with leadership in student groups

Draft Contributions

Contributors can post their draft contributions here!