ANSAN
2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2009
NEWS
21
SOLIDARITY (CONTINUED FROM 20)
sations about organizing in general. Madden said Solidarity was part of an alliance of organizations that pooled resources and helped one another solicit donations.
"The purpose is to facilitate a dialogue infrastructure to help actions take place," Madden said.
Chance Dibben/KANSAN
Participants were invited to make donations at the workshop, but no one was turned away for lack of funds, Madden said.
Sarah Madden, Solidarity's treasurer, and part-time volunteer Jason Herring, Hutchinson senior, take notes during Robert Vodicka's presentation on non-profit fundraising techniques at Solidarity Saturday afternoon. Herring said the presentation was necessary to "solidify" Solidarity's goals, especially since the organization moved into a new, larger space, on 8th and Massachusetts streets.
"It's been really productive," Madden said. "Going through all the worrying and stress of learning how to organize together is a lot easier than trying to do it alone. It's great to learn from each other."
Vodicka helped lead the workshop by talking about his experiences organizing graduating college students who were trying to find work. He said he worked in campuses around the U.S. and at the University.
"I really support what they're doing," Vodicka said. "I'm impressed with people's knowledge and their willingness to speak and the ease with which they're doing it, it's working quickly."
Vodicka said he supported Solidarity because of its library, which he said was a great resource for alternative education. Vodicka said the Solidarity Center was also a good alternative venue for music, because it was not a bar and was comfortable for people of all ages.
Tim Hjersted, project director of Films For Action, a locally based organization that shows political films, said the workshop helped to build everyone's "foundation of knowledge" of networking.
Jason Hering, Hutchinson senior, is a part-time volunteer at Solidarity.
Hering said he thought people who disliked or disapproved of Solidarity were people who did not know
what the volunteers at the library were trying to accomplish.
"Many people have never visited the library," Hering said. "Also a lot of people don't understand what anarchists think."
Hjersted said a
"We're not a space that makes profit, so every month is a scramble."
lot of people had misconceptions about anarchists as "punk-rockers" who were all about destruction. He said the local media had shown him that Solidarity made contributions to the community, such as the community garden, 1230 New York St. Solidarity also hosts Robin Hood Food Distribution, where free food is made available to the community about once a week.
SHONA CLARKSON St. Louis junior
Hering said he thought Solidarity was important to students because it was a place people could learn something they would not learn about in a formal university setting. He said the library provided resources students would not be able to find elsewhere.
"I really believe in the mission of Solidarity," Hjersted said. "It's about building up the community instead of tearing it down."
Madden said Solidarity helped facilitate personal growth by challenging social norms. She said that students
- Edited by Derek Zarda
at the University were able to learn about exploitation, hierarchies, and other social issues, but that they had no outlet to do anything about it. Solidarity provides a space to talk about action with other people who also want to do something, Madden said.
"What happens when that space isn't there anymore? Do we just sit there and take it?" Madden said. "I'm not okay with that."
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