Goals, Strategy, and Tactics

All actions and projects of the Illinois Initiative (ILI) are guided by a set of goals, strategies, and tactics. Goals describe what we desire to achieve. Strategies describe our general approach to achieving our goals. Tactics describe the specific actions that we take to implement our strategies and achieve our goals.

Goals

  • Create a region in which everyone’s basic needs of food, shelter, physical safety, health, environmental safety, and community involvement are met through mutual aid.
  • Challenge individuals and institutions that harm our communities and region by perpetuating poverty, gender violence, white supremacy, environmental disasters, and other forms of environmental, social, and climate injustice.
  • Create and support events and programs that empower individuals and communities to flourish by embracing the principles of mutual aid and social, racial, environmental, and climate justice.
  • Develop the knowledge, skills, character, and relationships necessary to live a good life in community with our fellow people and the land we call home.

Strategies

  • Identify the most pressing needs in our region by discussing environmental and social justice concerns among ourselves and with other groups and community leaders.
  • Develop and implement events and campaigns to address these needs with both a resistance program (“How do we stop the harm?”) and a constructive program (“How do we work together to meet unmet needs and create community?”).
  • Support other individuals, groups, and programs with similar goals.
  • Educate, motivate, organize, and inspire others in the communities in our region to do the same.

Tactics

The tactics of the ILI vary greatly depending on the campaign and the circumstances encountered along the way. The following are just a few examples of past, present, or future tactics of the ILI. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but should give you some idea of the concrete actions we take in pursuit of our goals.

  • General Tactics
    • Take action to help other organizations whose missions we support.
    • Find, support, and create local and regional mutual aid programs so that people can meet each other’s needs through mutual aid and voluntary cooperation.
    • Have each ILI member spend 5 hours per month on “inner work” (health and fitness, personal empowerment, training) and 5 hours per month on “outer work” (resistance and constructive aspects of at least 1 campaign).
  • Climate Justice Fridays
    • Discuss and decide on one or more actions each Friday that ILI members and friends can take to support climate justice.
    • Identify and support local groups and programs that already promote climate justice to include in our Friday actions.
    • Ask local individuals and groups for feedback about what new climate justice programs or actions they’d like to see.
    • Brainstorm and research new climate justice programs and actions.
  • Safe Carbondale Campaign
    • Train SIU students and Carbondale community members in bystander intervention training.
    • Create a space where students and community members can go during peak “nightlife” hours to feel safe if they are being harassed or simply need some water and a restroom.
    • Walk people home to ensure a Safe Arrival For Everyone.
  • Climate Change Campaign
    • Share the latest news and information about climate change online, at special events, and on the radio.
    • Co-create or revive a Carbondale-area organization focused entirely on climate change.
    • Write letters or sign petitions to be sent to elected representatives.
    • Organize and participate in demonstrations.
    • Use energy efficiency and renewable energy to reduce carbon footprints.
  • Fracking Campaign
    • Share the latest news and information about fracking online, at special events, and on the radio.
    • Show films related to fracking.
    • Write letters or sign petitions to be sent to elected representatives.
    • Organize and participate in demonstrations.