The SOS outreach team focuses on base-building and community outreach. The outreach team conducts virtual and in-person classroom visits in NHPS schools to speak about SEJ and our campaign, and to recruit new members and organizers. These organizers are specifically trained to engage new students during classroom presentations and visits, and we are continuously learning how to improve our content. This team also meets with school and district administrators to inform them about our work and growing presence, and to envision a power shift in which students—not just teachers and principals—decide what schools look like in New Haven. In addition, the outreach team builds relationships with other organizations in New Haven whose work aligns with ours and centers young people, in order to collaborate on events, projects, and youth recruitment. The outreach team specializes in conducting one-on-one’s to build trusting relationships and power.

The SOS tactics team focuses on organizing and executing direct actions to spread awareness and demand change from stakeholders and powerful people in New Haven. Originally the models team, these members used to contact other organizations from around the country who are currently working on or have succeeded in removing police from schools, and invited guest organizers to join our weekly member meetings to talk about their campaign, what worked and didn’t work, and their tips for winning. Since learning from organizations from Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, the models team compiled the guidance from other organizers and has transitioned into a tactics team. As the tactics team, members plan rallies, protests, sit-ins, letter-writing to representatives, video content, podcast content, and speak at New Haven Board of Education meetings, and more in order to vocalize our demands and the urgency of the campaign.