Great idea to put together a primer. It would probably need to be broken into two parts: one for folks with leftist groups in their area, and a second for folks who would have to start from scratch.
For the first part, the primer would look something like this:
- Day 1: Figure out what groups are in your area. Google around for groups like Food Not Bombs, DSA, PSL, or [insert list here]. Make a list, with contact information if you can find it.
- Day 2: Start reaching out to these groups. A sample email might read, “Hi, I’m Johnny Lib. I’m trying to get more involved in my community. Can you direct me to some more information on your group? What you do, how people join, if there are meetings I can attend, etc.”
- Day 3: Follow up on the conversations you’ve started with various groups. Learn what you can. Pick one and start participating in their activities.
At that point it becomes more difficult. If the org you pick is already doing good stuff (however that’s defined), you’re golden. But what if it’s only a few people, but they claim to be growing? What if it’s poorly run? What if it’s super lib? What if it does a lot of great charity work, but makes no effort to translate that into political activity? You could write pages on each question, but each situation will be so fact-dependent that it’s probably something you have to work through on a case-by-case basis.
The second part – people who have to start from scratch – is an even bigger question, because “starting from scratch” could mean anything from “I have a group of quasi-lefty friends who all want to do something” to “I know none of my neighbors and everyone around me seems to be a chud.”
At least they’re right about something. Kind of surprising, actually, that such a cursory reading of the situation doesn’t just default to “and capitalism made line go up because it’s the greatest driver of prosperity in human history.”