Announcing the Resource Assessment and Manual/Community Organizing Toolkit (RAMCOT) Working Group!
RAMCOT (Resource Assessment and Manual/Community Organizing Toolkit)
The RAMCOT working group will collaborate on updating SSDP’s resources as well as create new ones to increase accessibility and support members in organizing and activism. The group also researches ways to appeal to as many learning styles as possible in the development of our resources.
The first step for the RAMCOT working group was to create the RAMCOT Database, which is a centralized place for SSDP’s resources to be stored and organized to allow for easier updates and collaboration. Throughout the month of August, all resources on the SSDP website were added to this database, as well as a starting list of related external and needed resources. Two google forms were created for individuals to recommend new resources and updates to existing ones, and will soon be shared with the network. Individuals in the working group will also review the resources in the database. All contributors working on resources will be listed in the database to promote collaboration and transparency.
Upon creation of the RAMCOT Database, a new way for these resources to be shared was created by Evan Hazlett, who is leading the working group. This Google drive is meant specifically for our members or those interested in exploring SSDP as an organization, getting more involved, and using the resources our network has to offer. The drive is titled the “Student Activism Drive” or SAD for short and is meant to be simple and easily navigable. There are currently five folders consisting of Chapter Resources, Campaign Toolkits, Just Say Know Education, Global Drug Policy Resources, and External Resources. Within these folders are a wide variety of resources from the SSDP website and short information documents outlining how to use the resources the drive contains.
Two entrance documents and a flow chart are included to guide people using the drive. The first document lists multiple ways one can become more involved in the SSDP international organization outside of their activity with their own chapter. The other document outlines how to use and navigate the drive and it explains the purpose of the subfolders and where to find specific resources. These documents and the subfolder information documents are currently under construction. Once they are completed, short videos explaining these documents will be created and uploaded to the drive for individuals that prefer to listen and watch rather than read through documents.
To allow for the drive to be easily navigable, a flow chart has been created to show how the drive is structured and what resources it contains. This idea seeks to keep the drive organized and up to date with its current structure and contents. This flow chart will be updated as the drive develops.
RAMCOT’s next plans are to continue the work on the student activism drive by incorporating the contents of the Chapter Organizing Manual into the entrance and information documents in the drive. Apart from incorporating its contents into the drive, the chapter organizing manual’s structure and content are being updated to best serve SSDP chapter leaders and individuals looking to get more involved in the organization. Upon completion of this, the SAD will be examined by SSDP staff and then shared with chapters, chapter leaders, and the entire SSDP network.
This drive is meant to serve students or individuals who would like to become more involved in the organization and maximize their use of the resources we offer to become as we call them, a rockstar activist. This drive is the beginning of a new technique to appeal and introduce people to the SSDP mission of ending the war on drugs. The RAMCOT working group is very excited about its creation and looks forward to seeing its progress and sharing its updates to the SSDP network.
