Students for a Free Tibet UK (SFT UK) is a network of young people in the UK campaigning for a free and independent Tibet. By joining the SFT network you’ll become part of a worldwide network of more than 650 groups in 35 countries around the world and taking an active and positive role in the Tibetan freedom struggle.

The SFT UK network can provide you with films and speakers on Tibet, materials like postcards and petitions to help you campaign, training to become a better activist and the opportunity to meet others in the UK campaigning for Tibet. Groups don't have to be called SFT to be part of the UK network, but you do have to have fun!

Fill out an SFT UK group registration form, available here, then print it out and post it to us at:

Students for a Free Tibet UK
Unit 10, Inner City House
165-169 Lewisham Way
New Cross
London
SE14 6QP

After we’ve received your completed form we’ll send you a starter pack with information leaflets, newsletters and campaign materials like briefings, petitions and action postcards. Once you’re registered we can also lend you films to screen at your university, keep you updated on important issues and campaigns and let you know about events that you can get involved in, like speaker tours, training events and protests.

Okay, so you’ve registered your group and you’ve got my starter pack, what next?

1. Get your group affiliated with your local Students’ Union
Whilst you don’t have to be affiliated with your Students’ Union to run an SFT group, it’s highly recommended as there are usually certain advantages. Students’ Unions often have a range of facilities available to societies, such as cheap photocopying, free room booking, web space, a small budget and assistance with travel expenses for events, but this varies widely. Usually the only requirements for being affiliated are a specific number of signed-up members and participation in certain events and meetings, but this also varies. To find out what you need to do and what is available to you, get in touch with the Societies Officer at your Students’ Union office.

2. Publicise
Now you’re up and running, you need to get people interested in taking part and getting involved with your group. There’s lots of ways to do this and one of the best is to have an information table somewhere that’s quite busy, such as outside your university’s library. Make it eye catching with posters, flags etc, be sure to have information available about Tibet and SFT UK (we can help you with this) and then get people to put their names and email addresses on a sign up sheet. You can also put up posters and flyers about your group, write an article for your student newspaper either about a specific campaign or Tibet in general or ask to put out a message on your student radio station. Another good way is to network with other similar societies such as Amnesty or People & Planet, so go along to one of their meetings and ask if you can make an announcement about your group at the end, or if you can give a talk about the situation in Tibet at another one of their events. Most importantly, no matter how you are publicise your group, always make sure people know how to contact you if they are interested, and the best way for that is by email.

3. Hold your first meeting
Book a room for a time and place that is convenient for other students and email everyone who has shown an interest in getting involved. Before the meeting it’s probably a good idea to prepare an agenda or a list of things you want to talk about with rough timings to make sure you don’t over-run.
At the meeting itself you might want to:

• Begin by introducing yourself and be sure to get the names and email addresses of everyone who shows up by passing round a sign-up sheet.
• Give a short talk about the history and situation in Tibet, as there are likely to be people there who won’t know much about it, and you should be prepared to answer a few questions.
• Brainstorm a few ideas on activities and events you can do over the coming term (see below for a few suggestions).
• Decide on things that will need to be prepared for the next event/meeting and be sure to delegate tasks to people, as they’ll be more likely to come back.
• Set a date for the next meeting

4. Hold your first event
SFT groups hold lots of different types of events to raise awareness about Tibet, gain support for campaigns and raise funds. For your first event it’s probably a good idea to do something that will raise the profile of your group and teach people about Tibet, so you could:

• Set up a table somewhere busy and hold a petition or postcard signing drive, using prayer flags and posters to make your stand eye-catching.
• Screen a film about Tibet, such as Kundun, Windhorse, Cry of the Snow Lion or Devotion & Defiance (we have some we can lend to you for this).
• Invite a guest speaker to come and give a talk about Tibet or a particular issue, such as a political prisoner case, religious persecution etc. If you don’t know of anyone who could do this, get in touch with us, as we may be able to recommend someone.

These are just a few suggestions, so brainstorm some more ideas with the other members of your group at your first meeting and be sure to draw on their skills and experience. You can also get some more ideas from our information sheet “10 Easy Fundraisers”, which you can download from our Group Resources web page.

If this all seems like a lot, don’t panic, just take it one step at a time. Almost all of the SFT UK board members have set up or run a student group at some point and are always available to offer advice or assistance if you need it. Besides, once you've held your first event, your group should be up and running.