🎯 Strategic Campaigns

Strategic campaigns are sustained, multi-month efforts to achieve concrete institutional change. These aren’t one-off events—they’re power-building work that takes months or years and creates lasting impact.

Three types:

  1. Divestment - Force universities to divest from genocide
  2. Speaker Programs - Bring Palestinian voices to campus
  3. Media Engagement - Challenge propaganda, shift narratives

🏦 Divestment Campaigns

Force your university to divest from companies profiting from genocide.

Timeline: 1-3 years
Difficulty: High
Impact: Major institutional change

Why Divestment?

BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) is a Palestinian-led strategy modeled after the anti-apartheid movement. It applies economic pressure to end Israeli occupation and apartheid. Divestment campaigns expose university complicity in genocide, build campus awareness, and create organizing infrastructure that lasts beyond the campaign itself. Universities shouldn’t profit from occupation—divestment forces them to align investments with their stated values.

Canadian Wins

In 2024, Montreal saw 60 student associations and 46,000+ students strike for divestment. York University Faculty Association passed a divestment motion. University of Ottawa professors did the same. Multiple student unions have passed divestment resolutions. You can win too.

Phase 1: Research (2-3 months)

Build Your Research Team

Form a research working group of 3-5 people. Assign a coordinator, set weekly meetings, divide the work. Research is tedious but it’s your ammunition.

Get University Investment Data

File Freedom of Information (FOI) requests—you have a legal right to public documents. Request complete endowment holdings, investment managers, policy documents, Board of Governors financial reports, and research partnerships. Be specific but broad. Ask for the last 3-5 years. Allow 30-60 days for response. If denied, appeal. Document everything.

You can also find annual reports, board minutes, and investment policies on the university website or by directly emailing the finance office.

Identify Complicit Companies

Target weapons manufacturers (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Elbit Systems), surveillance tech companies (Palantir, Microsoft Azure for military), banks financing settlements, companies operating in settlements, and construction companies building on occupied land.

Use these databases: Who Profits, Investigate by AFSC, BDS Movement targets, and Canadian BDS Coalition resources.

Document Everything

Create a spreadsheet: company name, investment amount, what they do, why it’s complicit (with sources), international law violations, divestment precedents, alternative investments.

Example: Elbit Systems manufactures weapons and surveillance tech for the Israeli military. Geneva Conventions Article 33 prohibits collective punishment. UK universities have already divested.

Study Precedents

Look at McGill, Concordia, successful US and UK campaigns. Document what worked, how administration responded, media coverage, timelines, obstacles overcome. Learn from others.

Phase 2: Coalition Building (Ongoing)

Build Your Core Team

You need 10-15 committed people minimum. Assign clear roles: campaign coordinator, research, communications, outreach, action/events. Meet weekly. Use Signal for secure communication. See Role Templates for structure.

Win Over Faculty

Identify sympathetic faculty—ask around, look for Palestine scholars, check who signed past statements. Meet them individually first. Build genuine relationships. Share your research. Ask for advice, don’t demand public support immediately.

Draft a faculty statement supporting divestment grounded in academic freedom and ethics. Collect signatures. When released publicly, this carries weight.

Present at faculty union meetings. Request endorsement. Coordinate joint actions. Faculty unions have power—leverage it. Also engage sympathetic staff: librarians, counselors, staff unions.

Get Student Government On Board

Request time on student council agenda. Present professionally. Share your research. Answer questions. Seek an endorsement resolution—draft it clearly, find sponsors, lobby councillors individually, pack the meeting with supporters. Be ready for opposition.

Request funding for campaign costs and events. Use student government legitimacy to access resources and coordination on joint actions.

Build Cross-Movement Coalitions

Partner with climate justice groups (they know fossil fuel divestment), Indigenous solidarity groups (shared analysis of settler colonialism), anti-racism orgs, religious/cultural groups, labor solidarity groups, grad student associations.

Hold regular coalition meetings. Co-sponsor events. Offer mutual aid and support. Respect each group’s autonomy. A broad coalition applies more pressure.

Bring In Community

Off-campus partners matter: local Palestine solidarity groups, progressive faith communities, labor unions, alumni networks, community orgs. They bring resources, expertise, media connections, and long-term sustainability beyond your graduation.

Phase 3: Public Launch (1-2 months)

Launch Your Petition

Write a petition with clear demands: specific companies, specific timeline. Back it with your research. Ground it in international law and the university’s own stated values. Show that socially responsible alternatives exist. Get coalition sign-ons from endorsing organizations.

Aim for 1000+ signatures—students, faculty, staff, alumni, community. Use Change.org for reach and paper petitions for campus visibility. Do both.

Release a Public Statement

Co-sign with student groups, faculty, and community partners. State clear demands with timeline. Summarize your research. Make the moral case. Include a call to action.

Send a media advisory to campus and local press. Post on all platforms. Deliver it to administration. Read it publicly at your launch event.

Run an Educational Campaign

Hold weekly teach-ins: what is divestment, why these companies, how it works, student power in history. Run social media campaigns: “Did you know your tuition invests in…” company profiles, student testimonials, faculty support, counter opposition talking points, highlight precedents and wins.

Write op-eds for the campus paper from multiple angles—moral, legal, economic, student power. Multiple authors. Regular presence. Respond to opposition.

Table regularly on campus with handouts, your petition, and recruitment materials. See tabling guide.

Bring speakers: Palestinian voices (prioritize), divestment organizers from other campuses, international law experts, economists on ethical investment, former Israeli soldiers speaking out.

Meet With Administration

Email the president, board chair, and finance VP. Multiple signatories. Professional tone. Request a specific date.

At the meeting, bring 5-10 diverse representatives. Present your research professionally. Deliver the petition physically. State clear demands. Propose a timeline for response (30-60 days). Request a follow-up meeting. Document everything—take notes, record if allowed.

Follow up with a thank you email that reiterates demands in writing. Set a deadline for response. If they ignore you, go public.

Phase 4: Escalation (When They Stonewall You)

Start with education. Escalate when they refuse to act.

Level 1: Keep The Pressure On
Continue teach-ins, grow your petition, build coalition, generate media coverage.

Level 2: Make It Visible
Public demonstrations, attend board meetings for public comment, banner drops, flash mobs, die-ins. Make it impossible to ignore.

Level 3: Disrupt (Nonviolently)
Occupy administrative offices during business hours. Coordinate walkouts. Cancel classes. Grade strikes (refuse to submit grades).

Level 4: Sustained Occupation
Encampments. Building occupations. This is high risk—only when other tactics are exhausted. Requires legal observers and Know Your Rights training. See legal guide.

Safety First

Before any escalated action: get a legal observer, run Know Your Rights training for all participants, complete risk assessment, contact Palestine Legal, ensure informed consent (everyone knows the risks), make a safety plan (medical, de-escalation, exit strategy), have communication and media strategies, keep legal support on call.

Palestine Legal provides Know Your Rights workshops, legal support if students face discipline, strategic advice, and training on law enforcement interactions.

🎤 Bringing Speakers to Campus

Bring Palestinian voices, scholars, and activists to campus for educational events.

Timeline: 3-6 months
Difficulty: Medium
Impact: Education, legitimacy, media attention

Who To Invite

Prioritize Palestinian voices: academics, activists, journalists, artists, poets, students from other campuses.

Scholars: Rashid Khalidi, Noura Erakat, Ilan PappĂŠ, Sara Roy, international law experts, Middle East historians.

Activists: BDS organizers, human rights advocates, former Israeli soldiers from Breaking the Silence.

Canadian connections: MPs, policy analysts, Palestinian community leaders, journalists who’ve reported from Palestine.

Jewish allies: Jewish Voice for Peace, Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Rabbis for Human Rights.

Planning Timeline

Month 1: Identify your speaker, confirm availability, discuss honorarium and travel needs. Send formal invitation. Negotiate budget. Confirm date.

Month 2: Book venue based on expected attendance. Submit through official university channels. Arrange travel and accommodation. Recruit a moderator (faculty ideal). Find co-sponsors. Do security assessment—anticipate opposition? Get legal observer if needed. Book equipment. Prep briefing document for speaker.

Month 3: Create posters and graphics. Launch social media campaign. Print and distribute around campus. Email student groups and departments. Pitch campus media. Intensify in final weeks: class announcements, chalking, co-sponsor promotion, media interviews with organizers.

Week of event: Daily social posts, email reminders, confirm all details with speaker, brief moderator, assign volunteer roles, test equipment.

Day Of

Arrive 2 hours early. Set up room, test all AV, set up literature table and sign-in sheet, prepare green room for speaker (water, snacks, wifi).

30 minutes before: welcome speaker, show them space, brief moderator and volunteers, position legal observer, start recording if permitted.

During: land acknowledgment, introduce speaker, presentation, moderated Q&A, closing remarks with call to action, thank yous.

After: thank speaker personally, collect feedback, clean up, optional post-event social.

Follow Up

Within 24 hours: email thank yous to speaker, volunteers, partners. Post highlights on social media.

Within a week: share recording if permitted, compile media coverage, debrief internally.

Within a month: add speaker to database, assess impact, follow up on action items.

Handling Opposition

Expect it. Administration may scrutinize. Opposition groups may try to shut you down. Media may frame negatively.

Prepare: know university free speech policies, have Palestine Legal ready, brief speaker on potential opposition, have legal observer present, de-escalation plan, record everything.

Respond: don’t engage hecklers during event, give moderator authority to maintain order, pause and ask for respect if disrupted, document opposition, release public statement affirming free speech.

Budget

Typical: $1000-$5000 total. Speaker honorarium ($500-$3000), travel ($200-$1500), accommodation ($100-$300), promotion ($50-$200), optional reception ($100-$500). Venue and equipment often free on campus.

Funding: student union grants, co-sponsor contributions, department funding, ticket sales (controversial—limits access).

📰 Media Engagement

Challenge propaganda, shift narratives, build journalist relationships.

Timeline: Ongoing
Difficulty: Medium
Impact: Public opinion shift

Media shapes how people understand Palestine. Good coverage legitimizes movements, bad coverage hurts them. You need a three-part strategy: respond to biased coverage (reactive), generate positive coverage (proactive), build journalist relationships (sustained).

Reactive: Challenge Biased Coverage

When you see propaganda masquerading as journalism, document it. Screenshot the article, note specific problems (passive voice erasing Israeli responsibility, missing context, both-sidesism). See media literacy guide.

Write letters to the editor within 24-48 hours. Keep it 150-250 words, one clear point, local angle. Template: “Regarding [article], I was concerned by [specific issue]. [Explain problem]. [Provide accurate framing]. I expect [paper] to include Palestinian voices and acknowledge international law.”

Report biased coverage to CJPME Media Accountability Project, campus paper ombudsman, broadcast standards council.

On social media: quote tweet with correction, tag outlet and journalist, provide sources. Don’t be abusive.

Coordinate responses—multiple different letters work better than identical ones. Share talking points, different angles from different people.

Proactive: Generate Coverage

Send press releases for major events (speakers, protests, actions), campaign launches, responses to university decisions, statements on current events. Format: headline, lead paragraph (who/what/when/where/why), quote from organizer, context, background on organization, contact info. Send to campus paper, local papers, student radio, community media. Send 24-48 hours before events. Follow up with phone call.

Write op-eds. Pitch the opinion editor: brief description, why it’s timely, your credentials, word count (600-800). Structure: strong hook, clear argument, evidence, personal perspective, call to action. Make it timely with a local angle.

Send media advisories for protests, rallies, vigils to photo editors and assignment desks. Include what/when/where, photo opportunities, spokesperson availability.

Sustained: Build Journalist Relationships

Identify who covers campus and Middle East issues. Follow them. Send them stories (not just yours). Offer to be a source. Meet for coffee with no ask—just relationship building. Respond quickly when they reach out. Be reliable and truthful.

Be a good source: return calls promptly, provide accurate info, have sources ready, admit when you don’t know, suggest other sources, don’t expect control over the story.

Do media training. Practice interviews. Develop talking points. Learn to bridge to your message. Stay on message under pressure. Identify 2-3 strong communicators as spokespeople. Prep for hostile questions. Support each other after tough interviews.

Measuring Success

Divestment campaigns: Track petition signatures (aim for 1000+), coalition partners (10+ orgs), event attendance, media coverage, social media reach, student government votes. Medium-term: admin meetings secured, Board of Governors attention, faculty signatures, sustained mobilization. Long-term: policy changes, investment reviews, partial or full divestment.

Speaker events: Attendance, diversity of attendees, quality of Q&A, media coverage, social reach, post-event feedback, follow-up engagement (new members). Long-term: regular speaker series established.

Media campaigns: Letters and op-eds published, press release pickup, media tone shift over time, journalist relationships built, increase in balanced coverage.

Before You Launch

Clear goal. Research done. Core team of 10-15. Roles assigned. Coalition partners identified. Palestine Legal contacted. Timeline and budget created. Risk assessment complete. Contingency plans ready.

During Your Campaign

Meet weekly. Track tasks. Coordinate communications. Maintain momentum. Engage supporters. Anticipate opposition. Practice self-care. Stay flexible.

For The Long Haul

Celebrate small wins. Document everything. Learn from setbacks. Build institutional memory. Recruit constantly. Rotate responsibilities to prevent burnout. Connect with the broader movement. Remember why: Palestinian liberation.

🤝 Resources & Support

Campaign Toolkits:

Legal Support:

Learn from Others:

Canadian Context:

📧 Questions?

Need campaign strategy help?
Email: mail@berryhouse.ca

Want to connect with other campus organizers?
We can help connect you with other Canadian campaigns.

Strategic campaigns are marathons. Build power sustainably. Support each other. Stay grounded. Don’t give up.

You can win.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. 🇵🇸