TOOLKIT

Hi there #PENpal! Thanks for joining us!

The Progressive Expat Network (PEN) educates, equips, and mobilizes expats across the
globe to fight the Trump agenda; take action against the rise of hate, exclusion, bigotry, and
inequality in US-American politics; and build solidarity and community in their countries of
residence.

First place for more information: progressive.expat.network@gmail.com

Join a chapter
Does a chapter already exist in your city? Find out by writing us at
progressive.expat.network@gmail.com.

You can support your chapter by hosting meetings, providing food and drinks, bringing
stationary or other supplies for letter-writing, or coming up with ideas for weekly actions.
Whatever time you can give is valued!

What if a chapter already exists in your city, but meets on a night when youre not free? What
if you want to focus on specific priorities, like LGBTQ rights or the environment, that are
chapter? Then read on !
different than your existing

Start a chapter
So youre ready to lead a PEN chapter great! We are delighted that you are joining the
network, and inviting others in your community to do the same.

As always, the first step is to sign up to our listserv at progressive.expat.network@gmail.com.

This will allow you to link into the Global Coordinating Committee (GCC), get on the list to
receive weekly actions, and receive other important updates about the global PEN group. We
also encourage you to read our mission statement.

Here are some instructions for organizing your first meeting:

Before the first meeting:

Find a place to host the meeting, ideally with electricity, wifi, and a modicum of privacy.
Many PEN chapters meet at the chapter leaders home, but you could also choose a caf,

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 office space, or anywhere else you can meet safely and regularly.
Set a date. Many PEN groups meet on Monday nights, as this is a relatively calm night
around the world. But feel free to choose the day and time that works best for you and
your members!
Some activities involve the internet ask participants to bring their laptops or tablets. If
many people will come, consider asking them to bring portable wifi devices, if those are a
thing where you live.
Have some snacks/drinks to share with attendees, or ask another person to bring them.
We are a community, and we break bread together!
At the meeting:

Welcome your group and thank them for joining PEN!

Give some details about how PEN functions
o We organize as a global network, but each chapter operates with their own
autonomy and can focus on their own priorities. This is to keep a sense of unity
among the groups around the globe (because it is more fun that way-- and also will
be powerful when we all take action at once!)
o PEN currently has members in over 30 countries in North America, Africa, Europe,
Asia, and the Middle East and is growing everyday!
o Chapter leaders are linked into the Global Coordinating Committee (GCC), who
send out weekly action lists, provide global coordination, and are linked into other
leading activist groups in Washington, D.C. and beyond.
o Selected actions can include: calling various representatives, writing emails, making
donations, showing support on social media, or reading articles and having
discussions. Selected actions will be fitting and feasible for our international group.
o PEN takes your privacy seriously. The GCC uses use encrypted communication and
data storage and will NEVER share your information.
Get to know the members
o Ask folks what issues theyre most passionate about
o Ask folks what relevant skills they have
o Break up into pairs and spend 10-15 minutes getting to know one another. Starting
by talking about PEN and what motivated you to get involved, then you can branch
out into any topic. This is known as a one-on-one and its important for building
morale and solidarity!
Describe PENs social media guidelines.
o To have impact, it's great to be visible but we must beware of trolls. Share inside
your immediate network to reduce this risk. If you're concerned about trolling, take a
good look at your own public social media profile before posting publicly to make
sure a troll can't use something against you.
o While posting, use the tags #ProgressiveExpatNetwork and #PENPals
o If posting photos from a protest/action, make sure you have people's consent before

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 posting them (including people in the background!) Facial recognition software is
getting more and more sophisticated.
o What to post? Take a photo of yourself in your current home country or taking
action, explaining what you're doing and inviting others to join! Cross share on
Instagram and Facebook. You can also use Twitter, tag us at : @ProgExpNetwork
Time to get out the laptops and find your representative! If you havent already done so,
take the following five steps to arm yourself with information necessary for future
advocacy activities. (Adapted, which much gratitude, from the Indivisible Action Guide)
o Find your three MoCs (members of congress) their official websites, and their
office contact info at www.callmycongress.com.
o Sign up on your MoCs website to receive regular email updates, invites to local
events, and propaganda to understand what theyre saying. Every MoC has an
e-newsletter.
o Find out where your MoCs stands on the issues of the day appointment of white
supremacists, tax cuts for the rich, etc. Review their voting history at
www.VoteSmart.org. Research their biggest campaign contributors at
www.OpenSecrets.org.
o Set up a Google News Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) for example for Rep.
Bob Smith to receive an email whenever your MoC is in the news.
o Research on Google News (https://news.google.com/news) what local reporters
have written about your MoCs. Find and follow them on Twitter, and build
relationships.
o Technology tip! To call your US representatives for free, use Google Hangout. No
need to pay for Skype or other tools.
Dont forget to save time for this weeks actions! If youve been in touch with the GCC, you
should have received PENs weekly actions, usually sent out on Saturdays or Sundays.
Instruct your chapter members to get out their PENs and PENcils, open up their laptops,
and take direct action!
o As your group gets more organized, you can also decide to plan and prioritize
actions around a particular issue thats important to you.
Review security guidelines
o Review the guidelines at the end of this toolkit, regarding safety and security,
and avoiding right wing attacks. Discuss the ones that are relevant for your
country context, and/or distribute to your group on email.
Close the meeting. Thank your #PENpals for participating and set a time to meet next.
Ask if there are any questions and write down those you dont have the answers to.
Communicate these back to the GCC at progressive.expat.network@gmail.com.

Work on your own!

Hey, maybe there arent any progressive expats or other like-minded people around you, or
maybe you feel unsafe about going public with your activist activities. Theres a place for you

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here too. Sign up for our listserv to receive weekly actions that you can take on your own, by
writing progressive.expat.network@gmail.com. Join our Facebook group so you can have an
online community, or follow us on Twitter @ProgExpNetwork.

Remember you are not alone! Were a global movement and were proud to have you!

Security guidelines
The Indivisible Action guide to local organizing provides 5 tips for action groups to protect
themselves from right-wing attacks, which we reproduce here with commentary on how they
apply to us, as folks living abroad. If you have serious concerns, Indivisible Action guide
recommends you reach out to: a national legal organization with a chapter from your home
state,, such as the National Lawyers Guild or, particularly for issues involving your constitutional
rights, the American Civil Liberties Union.

In addition, we also recommend that you learn more about considerations in your local context by
contacting local activists in your country of residence and your local embassy. Remember,
rules that apply to local activists might be a bit different for expats, who are guests in their
country of residence.

1. Remember that what you and members of your group say about what you are doing
might become public. Most states allow people to secretly record conversations or
meetings with other people without their consent. This doesnt mean you need to be
paranoid about everyone recording you, it just means its good to make a habit of talking
about what your group is doing in positive terms. You are planning local advocacy
focused on your members of congress to push them to represent you and your values:
that is a fundamental American right.

Relevance for expats: Your country of residence might have different laws about
political organizing, privacy and recording conversations. Even if you think youre in the
clear, its a good idea to learn more about the laws in your country of residence. Local
advocacy is a Fundamental American Right, but it might not be wherever you are living.

2. Visible group members should be mindful of their personal online security. If you post
something on social media, under ordinary circumstances it probably wont get much
attention. If you get interviewed by your local TV station and your last post on Twitter
could be interpreted negatively, someone might find it and spread it more widely, and
with less context, than you want. Its also a good practice to for you and the members of
your group to try out basic privacy and personal security measures, such as privacy
settings on Facebook or two-step verification on your email. Then, have a friend look
briefly over the public-facing social media accounts of any visible members of your group
to see if they find anything a right-wing activist could use against you.

Relevance for expats: From afar, much of our activism will be online, so it is important
to take precautions. In addition, consider how your posts might look from the perspective

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 of someone who lives in your country of residence.

3. Get to know your fellow activists. For smaller groups, many new members will come
through direct referrals from members already involved, but if your group has a big profile
in your area and is attracting new members you dont know previously, thats great! Its
important to be mission-focused in your meetings and actions, but try to set aside time
where possible for social or team-building activities between members strong bonds
between volunteers will help reinforce your commitment to action, and help you
understand what priorities bring you all together.

Relevance for expats: This is important, and good job already doing it in the 1:1
exercise. As your group grows, you can continue to hold 1:1s to get to know everyone.

4. Look out for suspicious situations and leave them quickly. Attempts to discredit your
groups action can involve leading questions or inappropriate assertions by a right-wing
activist that go unchallenged or are assented to by others. Thats natural: none of us likes
to create confrontations or be disagreeable. But if someone you dont know that well is
saying or doing anything suspicious, think about how you respond and how to exit the
situation. When conducting a public action such as a visit to a Members office, discuss
ahead of time who will be participating and agree on your message; if you see a
participant escalating their actions or rhetoric in a way that seems disruptive, consider
how you will respond as individuals or as a group.

Relevance for expats: If your group decides to do actions in public, plan them very
carefully, and watch out for each other. As guests in another country, we might not
always understand the dynamics in protests and political events. Learning from local
activists is key before attempting any kind of political event.

5. Let your own ethics and values be your guide. You wouldnt be standing indivisible if
you didnt have strong progressive values, rooted in an inclusive and respectful vision of
our country. If you follow those values, it is a lot less likely that youll accidentally say or
do something you dont intend.

Relevance for expats: This is generally good advice for anyone!

Organizing Tip: the Art of the One-on-One (1:1)

PEN Chapter organizers, feel free to use this section when you have new people in your group.
Perhaps the most important thing that makes any social and political movement work is
relationships. People may show up once because they are fired up about a particular cause, but
they will probably burn out quickly if thats the only thing bringing them to the table.

A 1:1 is an in-depth conversation with someone else with whom you hope to work in solidarity.
Its a chance to get to know another person, and what drives and motivates him or her, and
where your interests overlap and intersect. At the end of a successful 1:1, you will have a better
idea of how to work with your 1:1 partner, and perhaps you will have an identified a way to work
together. And perhaps you will have a new friend!

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Intro to the One-to-On (15 minutes)

Split up into pairs, each person with someone they dont know that well

Introduce yourselves

Where you are from ? Whats it like there?

What brought you to where you are, and what your favorite place is about where
you are?

What do you like to do for fun?

Share your answers to these questions about your involvement in PEN

What motivated you to attend the group?

What do you hope to get out of PEN? What excites you the most about this
group?

Have you done anything like this before? (If not, thats fine! Share anything thats
even just a bit similar.)

After a 10-15 minute conversation, call everyone back together. Thank everyone for having a
1:1-- this is a key skill of a community organizer!