it starts when you say We

and know who you mean, and each

day you mean one more. — Marge Piercy

The power of fire is power to ignite enthusiasm that spreads like wildfire to make change in the world. This session focuses on immigration through the story of a UU congregation that harnessed the power of the Standing on the Side of Love campaign to involve UUs across the country to prevent Raύl Cardenas’ deportation. Participants play games and create a petition to explore the power of actions to “go viral.”

Goals

This session will:

• Demonstrate how much more quickly change happens when we engage others in our efforts
• Explore how we can draw others in to our efforts through the use of social media as well as personal contacts
• Engage with “the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” our first UU Principle, as it applies to immigration law.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Consider the story of how one UU congregation connected with thousands of people in attempting to prevent the deportation of their member, Raύl Cardenas
• Play two different versions of the game of tag that explore what it means for an action to “go viral”
• Create a petition for an issue that matters to them and strategize how they might get the maximum number of people to sign the petition