1

OUT IN THE SILENCE

Film & Conversations tour of rural and small town Oregon

Event Planning Guide for Small-town Human Dignity Groups

Are you excited to host the OUT IN THE SILENCE tour of rural and small-town Oregon? We certainly are.

This tour is being coordinated by the Rural Organizing Project with support from Basic Rights Oregon and the support and participation of Joe Wilson & Dean Hamer, directors of OUT IN THE SILENCE. But your local group is what will make this tour happen.

This packet includes close to everything you’ll need to keep your local organizing on track. Most important to note are the Timeline & Planning deadlines. This timeline will keep your group moving forward week to week at a manageable pace.

Don’t forget also, that you have a team of folks at ROP and BRO that want to support you and see you succeed. So keep in touch, and we’ll see you soon!

The Planning Packet Includes:

  • Event Timeline and Planning (Pages 1-3)
  • Outreach Strategies, who to invite and how (Page 4)
  • Sample email invitation (Page 5)
  • Press Release Template (Page 6-7)
  • Sample Event Agenda (Page 8)
  • Discussion Questions and Topics (Page 9)

If you have any questions about this packet or about planning your event, get in touch with your staff contact from the Rural Organizing Project or Basic Rights Oregon. For general comments, questions, or to find out who the right person is, contact Amanda Aguilar Shank at or at 503-543-8417.
Timeline and Planning

The Out in the Silence film tour is a great opportunity to strengthen dialogue and awareness of the experience of LGBTQ people in rural and small-town Oregon. With good planning, the profound themes addressed by the film, the draw and skills of directors Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, and the real lived experience of members of your human dignity group will create a memorable and powerful experience for participants.

Most importantly, a solid outreach plan will ensure that these participants actually make it there! In addition to public announcements for this event (newspaper, local radio, bulletins), personal invitations to neighbors and community leaders are a critical way to spark interest and attendance to the screening.

While it may seem like the tour date is far into the future, following this timeline will allow your group to plan this excellent event at a leisurely pace:

Deadline: 6 weeks before the event

  • Confirm a place to hold this event keeping in mind who your target audience is, as space may influence those who feel welcome to the event. Make sure the location is available, and make reservations.

-> Hint: The film is supported by the American Library Association, your local library could be a great place to find support and a screening location!

  • Brainstorm event co-sponsors and make initial contact with these organizations and community leaders in the area.

-> Examples: Community colleges or high schools, youth shelters or service groups, faith communities, domestic and sexual violence service providers, law enforcement, elected officials…

  • Consolidate your organizing team. The ideal number of people to plan this event is about 7-10 who commit to contribute towards the event’s success, though you should have a minimum of 5 people working on it.
  • Write up a brief snapshot of your county’s reality in terms of LGBTQ rights & inclusion, and your group’s primary goals for the tour stop. This document will be sent to Joe Wilson before the tour so that he has a sense of your community before he arrives to facilitate the discussion. You should do a first draft early to guide your planning, and revise it once the date draws nearer.
  • Review the program for the event, and confirm the agenda that will work best for your group. Feel free to contact your ROP or BRO support person for advice. The program will be very similar from stop to stop, with some minor tweaking to make sure it works with local needs.

Deadline: 4 weeks before the event

  • Have conversations with key persons and groups in your community who may endorse the film, such as law enforcement officials, school administrators, political figures, and active members of the community.

-> Talk with time: Potential endorsers should be contacted early so they can have time to consider an endorsement and make a plan for letting their circles know about the event.

  • Create an invite list, with support from your contact at ROP or BRO, that compiles your group’s member list, plus ROP and/or BRO contacts. You can ask allies to “lend” you their list for outreach on this one event. Brainstorm personal contacts and active community members to add to the list.
  • Think about logistics. Investigate what equipment (projector, audio, computer) is available at the location, and let ROP know what we should bring. Think about how to use the space at your location, what kind of food/refreshments you’ll provide. Where will an information table be, and what will be on it?

-> This is a good chance to make sure you’ll have a brochure or other materials for your group. This is a big opportunity to grow your core team! ROP/BRO will provide a screening packet with a DVD and discussion guide that you can make available for people who are inspired to host their own screening.

  • Create drafts of “save the date” invitations for email and mail, press releases, flyers, and any other materials you might need.

-> Samples of these materials are at the end of this packet for you to use or modify…that was easy!

Deadline: 3 weeks before the event

  • Finalize and send out “save the date” invitations and email invites.

-> Here is an opportunity: BRO will match your work “card for call.” For every person that your group will call on the phone with a personal invitation, BRO will cover costs to print and mail a postcard invitation to that person. Can your group make 100 calls? 500?

  • Start getting the word out to the public with flyers and posters: churches, civic groups, & schools would be good places to try. Rather than just posting flyers, can you make ¼ sheet announcements and have a trusted contact distribute them?
  • Create your press timeline. When do you need to submit an event announcement to local radio & newspapers to get it printed/played on air? When will you send in your press release and do follow-up calls?

-> BRO and ROP are available to talk with your media point person about the best media timeline for your community. Give us a call!

Deadline: 2 weeks before the event

  • Call by phone all the people you would like to see at the event. Remember that personal invitations are the best way to get people to attend. The best time for calling is in the evening between 6pm and 8 pm, or on weekend mornings. A calling party is a fun way to make phone calls, and be sure to divide up your list so that people get a call from a person that is close to them, if possible.
  • Make sure the email announcements are going out from your allies, and that local newspapers and community news sources are carrying your event notice!
  • Finalize and send your community snapshot & event goals to ROP so that Joe & Dean will have it in plenty of time. Include a cell phone number and email address for the primary contact in your community.

Deadline: 1 week before the event

  • Prepare logistics: photocopies of information for tabling, food and beverage, sign-up sheets, and other materials that may be important to the event.
  • Send reminder emails and follow up phone calls to people as needed.
  • Make press calls and do other press work as needed.

Day of the event

  • The day has come! Set-up for the event: chairs, tables, equipment, food! Be sure to arrive a couple of hours early to troubleshoot your technology resources: DVD player, projector, sound, screen.
  • You should designate one person from your group the official “MC,” master of ceremonies. This person will introduce the local organizing group, tour organizers, the film, Joe & Dean, and thank people & ask for donations at the end of the event. Donations should be accepted but don’t worry about setting a fundraising goal. Funds raised will go to ROP & BRO to cover tour costs, unless a different arrangement is worked out in advance.
  • An ROP or BRO staff person will arrive in time for your event, along with Joe & Dean. Where possible, we’ve left time for your organizing team to meet with them in advance.

After the event

  • Be sure to follow up the event promptly with participants, giving both people who attended and your group members that couldn’t make it the highlights of the event. Be sure to include next steps for your group and give people a way to get more involved in creating safer more accepting rural communities. ROP & BRO are happy to help with this!

Outreach Strategies: who to invite and how

There are two levels of outreach to consider:

  1. The general public who we would like to bring into the conversation because these issues affect everyone.
  2. More specific community members who’s support we would like to gain and their possible endorsement for the film.

The number of people you would ideally have at your event is up to your group, as the goals of this event may differ from community to community. Remember that selecting a venue for this event should reflect your target audience.

An important step is compiling a list of the people (with contact information) you would like to invite. Remember personal calls and invitations are more persuasive in getting people involved. As with all events, fostering relationships with other neighbors and friends is critical to creating strong, supportive communities. A personal invitation is much more enticing than an email, mailer, or phone call from a volunteer working out of Scappoose or Portland! Also, keep in mind the rule of halves: that half the people who commit to coming will actually attend.

Sample Email Invite

Dear Friends,

Have you heard the exciting news? Joe Wilson & Dean Hamer, directors of the film OUT IN THE SILENCE are coming to our community! The film documents the struggles of LGBTQ people in Joe’s hometown of Oil City, Pennsylvania, and looks at how a community grapples with issues of fairness, equality, and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in small towns and rural communities.

[Local group] is hosting this event and is excited that [your town] is a part of a national movement. We’re also looking forward to the chance to have a real dialogue about these issues, and work towards a community that is more united in support of our LGBTQ neighbors and families.

Talking about LGBTQ rights in rural Oregon, we realize can be difficult. This film offers us a unique opportunity to have those conversations about identity, fear, hope, and equity that will hopefully lead us to creating safer, more inclusive environments for all.

We invite you to attend the screening of this film, because we believe this is a conversation that needs to happen. We ask that you come in good faith and an open heart as we begin this important dialogue.

When:

Where:

For more on the film:

Please RSVP to <local contacts name> of <local contacts affiliation> at <contact info>

Press Release Template

[Date]

For Immediate Release

OUT IN THE SILENCE TOUR COMES TO SMALL TOWN OREGON:

DIRECTORS OF AWARD-WINNING NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE LIVES OF

LGBTQ PEOPLE IN SMALL TOWN AMERICA TO VISIT [location]

[PLACE] – [Date] - A community screening of OUT IN THE SILENCE, "a stunning documentary" (Philadelphia Inquirer), is scheduled for [day, date, time] at the [location]. The film was produced in association with Penn State Public Broadcasting and the Sundance Institute and is an Official Selection of the 2010 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival.

The screening will be followed by a facilitated community dialogue with filmmakers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, and [group name / names of local leaders / activists] aimed at engaging the audience in a conversation about fairness, equality, and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) people in small towns and rural communities in Oregon and across the country.

Exploring topics ranging from religion, safe schools and economic development, to discrimination, tolerance and understanding, OUT IN THE SILENCE offers a compelling model for civic engagement and dialogue and is an ideal tool for bringing people of all ages together to begin the process of building bridges rather than walls on issues that have divided our communities for far too long.

After Wilson’s own same-sex marriage announcement ignites a firestorm of controversy in Oil City, the small western Pennsylvania hometown he left long ago, OUT IN THE SILENCE follows the stories of a mother who takes a courageous stand for her gay teenage son, an evangelical pastor and his wife who befriend Wilson and begin to rethink their most deeply held beliefs, and local residents who must decide what their cherished small town values really mean.

In Oregon, Wilson and Hamer are working with the Rural Organizing Project and Basic Rights Oregon to make this film tour available to small towns and rural communities, where LGBTQ people often continue to live in fear and isolation.

“What better places to promote dialogue and mutual understanding,” said Wilson, “than in public libraries, churches, schools, colleges and universities, community centers and local theaters, those great institutions where families, friends and neighbors in small towns and rural communities come together to talk about and develop solutions to the most challenging issues of the day?”

Wilson and Hamer are hoping that the events attract people from across the spectrum ready and willing to engage in constructive dialogue, including students, parents and educators, clergy, health and social service providers, civic leaders, and all those concerned about the well-being of all in their communities.

Previous community screenings of OUT IN THE SILENCE have been highly successful. For example, a very encouraging event took place recently at the First United Methodist Church in Lancaster, PA. Sponsored by nearly 20 religious congregations in the area, the screening was attended by more than 200 people and was followed by a rich and respectful dialogue. A clip of that conversation can be seen on the project's Facebook page:

The screening is organized by (your organization), a local group based in [location]. According to (organizer's name), the event is aimed at (your purpose).

A press kit and more information about OUT IN THE SILENCE and the ongoing community engagement campaign, as well as a short trailer for the film, are available on the website:

The OUT IN THE SILENCE tour of rural and small town Oregon is coordinated by the Rural Organizing Project with support from Basic Rights Oregon. The filmmakers, local hosts, and tour organizers are available for interviews.

Filmmaker Contact:Local Contact:Statewide Contact:

JOE WILSONNameAMANDA AGUILAR SHANK

202 588 5785 (w)phone503-543-8417 (w)

202 320 4172 (c)503-438-8638 (c)

###

Quotes:

“Though the film is made by two gay men, it doesn't seek to promote a “gay agenda” or to stereotype the “religious right.” It's simply a matter of trying to understand attitudes in small-town America.” - Christianity Today

“Most moving are the stories of heterosexuals who transform because of their relationships with GLBT people.” - American Library Association

“Film Critic's Pick of The Week” - The New York Times
Agenda

Most events are scheduled to be 3 hours long. A proposed agenda for this time would be:

Arrival & Welcome – Local MC (10 min)

Film Screening (60min)

Introduction of Joe & Dean – Local MC, purpose of opening discussion (5 minutes)

Discussion led by Joe Wilson (1hr30min)

Conclusion, Thanks, and Next Steps – Local MC (15 min)

Ideas for planning your event:

  • A thoughtful MC (master of ceremonies) who has a warm presence and is comfortable in front of a group will help your event to run smoothly. This person should be somebody from your event organizing team.
  • It is a good idea to provide refreshments before and during the event. This allows for people to socialize as they trickle in, and encourages them to stay after the film screening for the full length of the discussion.
  • After the film, encourage people to take restroom and snack breaks individually as needed, but don’t take a group break. This might cause people who are uncomfortable with informal socializing after the film to leave. The MC can let people know that there will be time for informal chat after the more formal discussion segment.

Joe will has led over 100 town hall style screenings of this film, and will use information you provide him to tailor his facilitation to the local context. If you have thoughts or ideas for how to improve the agenda, we are all ears! Please contact Amanda at the Rural Organizing Project.