Many people who are passionate about events that are unfolding in Palestine may feel that, as ordinary people, they are powerless to ‘change’ things. On the contrary, there are several things that people can do, that can make a real difference.

  1. Support our regular campaigns.
  2. Donate to Action Palestine. What will my donation be used for?
    Action Palestine needs funds to support visiting speakers, book rooms for public meetings, print leaflets and pay the whole range of expenses that a busy campaign demands.
    You can make a one off donation:
    • by sending a cheque payable to “Action Palestine” to Action Palestine society, University of Manchester Students Union, Oxford road, Manchester, M13 9PR.
    • by making a bank transfer to our account with The Co-operative Bank, Account Name: (Action Palestine), Sort Code: (089299), Account Number (65283765)

    Like all organisations, while we welcome one off donations, we can plan our work better if people pledge regular payments by standing order. You can download a standing order here


  3. Join the local Palestine society on your campus, and keep informed about their activities.

  4. Support our work:

    • Join our mailing lists.
    • Contribute to Action Palestine Journal with articles about the movement in the UK or about the situation in Palestine.
    • Write opinion editorials and letters to the editor of your student news paper or your local news paper.

  5. Start Action Palestine group in your university:

    If you are not a member of a group working for a just solution to the Palestinian problem, and can’t find one in your community to join, you should consider forming your own. The Internet is an effective way of getting information to people, but it is no substitute for local activism. To raise public awareness and bring pressure to bear to change British policy, people must meet together, strategize, and plan how to put that information to good use.

    • It is likely that your student union will have had a Palestinian society (e.g. Friends of Palestine) in the past but it’s not running because it relied on the some individuals who have moved on, so it’s worth contacting your student union to find out contact details for this society, even if these people have left they might provide you with contacts and email lists.

    • Having a stall at the fresher’s fair even if for a couple of hours, can be very important for signing up activists and building contacts with other student organizations, this can be very helpful when building up for your meetings. Contact your student union to book a stall; you might have to fill society registration forms before you are allowed to have a stall.

    • Having a registered society is very beneficial for booking meeting rooms, booking venues for events, hiring equipment (e.g. projectors for a film showing), storage spaces, mail box, publicizing your events, and you will be more approachable for students who are interested in joining your society.

    • Organizing meetings; It might be a good idea to have a leaflet for your fresher’s fair stall outlining the aims and objectives of the society and publicizing your first organizing meeting for a week or so later which can even be in a café on campus. Also you should be collecting people contact details; it would be a good idea to send a quick reminder to everyone on your sign up sheet as well as other organizations like “stop the war” and amnesty international whose members are likely to want to be involved in the societies.

    • In the organizing meeting you should try to discuss your strategy for the year, maybe draw a plan (calendar) for a few events, and check out the out past event page for ideas.

      If advertised well your first pubic meeting will have a big turn out so it might be a good idea to put a short documentary on with a good speaker, or get a student activist on Palestine- that way you can explain to the audience the importance of having such a society.

      soon on this page we will post a sample leaflet that you can use for your fresher’s fair stall.

      Action Palestine can provide you with leaflets that you can use on your stall please contacts us to request them or another kind of help you may need.

    • Organizing Public Meetings, you should look to hold roughly 3-4 public meetings a semester. These should offer the opportunity to discuss a range of topics related to the political/ethical/humanitarian aspects of the conflict as well as some which inform and allow students to become more aware and involved with Palestinian culture too.

      We suggest a general opening meeting for the year titled, “What’s really happening in Palestine” to allow students who may already know or have an opinion on the conflict as well as students who don’t know much or near nothing about the conflict the chance to find out and discuss the issues. Aim to get a variety of speakers from different backgrounds for this meeting as it will allow for a better discussion.

      Aside from informational meetings there are other great and easy ways to convey what the situation in Palestine for Palestinians is all about. Cultural events where A Dabke dance performance is the main showcase with Palestinian food music and poetry is a great way to do this as well as art exhibitions from artists in Palestine can help to involve students from a wider variety of backgrounds and interests.

      Film showings are a easy yet effective way to convey a strong message about the plight of Palestinians as there are many documentaries and it doesn’t require much to put on a film showing.

      Aim to make your events relevant and in accordance with popular subjects and societies on campus, for example if the Medical school at your university is one of the central schools then try to approach the topic of Access to Medical Care and the State of Healthcare in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. You may be able to do this jointly with your universities medical society. The same can be said of the Law school and the Law societies on campus.

      Tips for organizing a meeting:

      Speakers: Brainstorm the types of speakers you want and whether it is possible for you to get them. Remember the earlier you can plan the more likely it will be that you will be able to book the speaker of your choice.

      Date/Time: Make sure you are aware of most of the events and special weeks/days in your unions calendar and pick a date/time that will ensure most interested people will be able to attend. Also remember to keep this in accordance with when your speakers are available.

      Venue and Equipment: Meeting rooms in your students union are probably the best place to look to holding your events. Remember to take into consideration the number of people you are expecting and book them in advance. Make sure you know your union’s rules on filling out the relevant forms and booking all the equipment and check that it works well in advance.

      Publicity: The most successful way to publicize is to make use of all methods of communication. That means print posters, leaflets, prepare a mail out to send to email lists, lecture announcements, student newspaper announcement/article etc and make sure you get them out to the student body in ample time. The publicity need not be fancy, as long as it contains the relevant information and all methods of communication are used it should be effective.

      Stalls are a fun way to get the message out to the student body. In the right location they allow for your society to not only tap into the mass of students passing by but also provide a point for giving information as well as another opportunity for new members to sign up to your society.

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