The first challenge in building any social movement group is to get diverse and new people in the door, literally and figuratively. Recruitment and retention problems are consistent among both working class and middle class groups, and the one dimensional recruitment and retention techniques account for class homogeneity in most activist groups. One important tenet of the climate justice movement is to raise the voices of working-class and poor people, but what if there are none at the table to speak?

In this interactive workshop, participants will gain valuable information and generate ideas for moving our own groups forward to becoming more inclusive. We will explore how activists of different classes approach recruitment and retention, identify pitfalls and examine what our own groups are doing now and what actions we can take to improve. Based on the class culture findings from Dr. Betsy Leondar-Wright’s new book, Missing Class: Strengthening Social Movement Groups by Seeing Class Cultures, this workshop applies the research in a way that puts it into motion on the ground.

Collaborative live notes: https://commonbound.hackpad.com/Where-Is-Everybody-Confronting-Class-and...