Forming an Amnesty group is neither particularly complicated nor difficult. Here is a brief description of the steps you need to go through to get started with your work.
The process itself is simple - go through the list, make sure you understand what the group is doing, what rules/guidelines apply and what you need to do to register your new group. We also always recommend groups during the process to contact one of Amnesty’s activism coordinators to get support. Also, please feel free to support any experienced Amnesty member in your area to support you during your introductory phase. Call or email us and we will help you! Phone-number l 08-729 02 00, email: aktivistgruppen@amnesty.se
Before proceeding to form the group, make sure to look through the issues that Amnesty is working on. It is important to know about Amnesty’s overall commitment and that you can explain what issues we work with if you get questions. However, it should be emphasized that Amnesty’s work is campaign-driven, and that we usually focus on two or three issues at a time. Therefore, do not worry if you do not fully master all the issues we work with, but start working and getting into our questions one by one.
Amnesty groups can be different sizes and work in different ways, but the overall task are common to all groups:
It is your group that decide what you want to work with. Amnesty local sectors are largely based on the members’ own ideas, knowledge and interests, although of course you also receive suggestions and instructions from the central point of Amnesty. There is also a lot of support you can get, through this Aktivistportalen, by attending lectures and through contact with other Amnesty members, the secretariat in Stockholm or our district officers in Gothenburg and Malmö. In other words, there is always someone to turn to if you feel unsure or need help with something.
Every month, all group receive Insats, which contains information and instructions, invitations to participate campaigns and actions, summons to meetings or lectures for active members, as well as other up-to-do information on what is going on within Amnesty. Insats is sent in pdf format via email, normally the first Wednesday of each month, but you can also always find Insats here on Aktivistportalen.
Amnesty has several different types of materials, which suit different types of groups. Look through the compilation and discuss what is right for your group. There is customized material for each campaign which you can find in each description of the campaigns.
Amnesty’s groups tend to have the nature of friendships rather than formal structures. But like all organizations, Amnesty also has some guidelines that clarifies who is responsible for our work, ensures that the work is conducted in an open and democratic manner, and ensures that there are functions for reviewing and controlling our operations and our finances. Therefore, when you form your group, you should look through the formal rules and make sure that you are aware of the requirements that will be imposed on your group.
As a member of an Amnesty group, you should also be a member of the Swedish section of amnesty (or any other Amnesty section). This is a requirement that is in Amnesty’s statues, and it also highly reasonable that you are a member of an organization that you actively represent. The membership fee (SEK20/month) should be the only cost that you personally have as an active member of Amnesty. For young people under 18, membership is free.
The group’ operational expenses shall be taken cared of by the operating grants - not by its members.
Once you are familiar with how Amnesty work and have appointed a contact person (group secretary), you can start the group. Contact your activism coordinator, and you will get group number and can start your work as a local part of Amnesty International.