🔥 ROOTSCAMP RULES: HOW TO SURVIVE, ORGANIZE, AND PREPARE TO WIN 🔥
A No-BS Guide to Thriving at the Most Chaotic and Effective Progressive Gathering in the Country
If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time. Over 300 people have registered from 120+ organizations and 40 states. RootsCamp is going to be amazing, and we don’t want you to miss it!
With less than one week to go until RootsCamp, we thought we’d share a few rules about preparing for this unconference: no pre-organized agenda, few VIP speakers, and no waiting for permission to make an impact.
At RootsCamp, you decide what gets discussed, set the agenda, bring the energy, and shape the movement.
But with great freedom comes great responsibility, so here are some rules for keeping this organized chaos productive, powerful, and actually fun.
🌀 RULE #1: BE FLEXIBLE BUT FOCUSED – ROOTSCAMP MOVES WITH THE MOVEMENT
RootsCamp is a mix of structured planning and spontaneous energy—the agenda is partially set, but always evolving.
✅ Some sessions are pre-planned, but the schedule is fluid.
✅ New discussions pop up in real-time. If something is missing, step up and make it happen.
✅ “Session hopping” is encouraged. If one session doesn’t work for you, politely bounce and find another. There are no hard feelings.
✅ Introduce Yourself. See someone you would like to know? Rootscamp is where we build the next big movement - we can’t do that if we don’t know each other.
✅ Adaptability is key. Stay open to last-minute changes, unexpected collaborations, and game-changing conversations.
✅ Know your exits. Whether it’s a boring session or something more serious, always have a plan to move.
At RootsCamp, the best ideas come from the people in the room. So stay flexible, stay engaged, and help shape the conversation.
📣 RULE #2: EVERYONE PARTICIPATES, NO ONE SPECTATES
This is not a place for passive listeners. If you’re here, you’re part of the movement.
Whether you’re a communicator, digital strategist, organizer, policy nerd, artist, street medic, or someone who just gives a damn—you have a role to play.
If you don’t see the discussion you want? Congratulations, you just volunteered to lead it.
🥊 RULE #3: DON’T BE A JERK. SERIOUSLY.
RootsCamp is a community space built on respect, action, and collective power. Here’s what that means:
🚫 No gatekeeping. If someone’s new, welcome them in, don’t shut them out.
🚫 No “main-character syndrome.” This isn’t about your brand—it’s about our movement.
🚫 No punching down. Challenge ideas, not people.
🚫 No harassment, threats, or discrimination. If you violate this? You’re out.
We win when we move as one. Act accordingly.
🛠 RULE #4: SHARE KNOWLEDGE, GIVE CREDIT, AND PASS IT ON
If you learn something valuable, share it. Movements fail when people hoard information.
If you’re using someone else’s work, credit them. No one likes a movement clout chaser.
Gatekeeping is a movement-killer. Teach what you know. Learn what you don’t.
⚠️ RULE #5: DOUBLE-TAP—DON’T ASSUME THE FIGHT IS OVER
The fight doesn’t stop when an election is won (or lost). Power is built year-round. And community advocacy is as important as voter turnout.
The system is designed to suppress and exhaust us. Push back harder.
If they pass suppression laws, register voters anyway. If they rig the courts, find another path. Engage your local party to organize voter protection programs.
Never assume they’ve won. Stay vigilant. Stay ready. Organize, Organize, Organize.
🔌 RULE #6: STAY CONNECTED, RESPECT BOUNDARIES
Not everything at RootsCamp is for public consumption. Before you tweet it, ask.
Want to take a photo? Get consent first. Some folks don’t want their faces on social media.
Use the hashtag #RootsCamp to share takeaways, but NO posting internal strategies, personal stories, or private conversations without permission.
💡 RULE #7: CARDIO—LIMBER UP AND GET MOVING - MOTION IS LOTION
Double knot your shoes. Organizing is a marathon, not a sprint. Burnout is real.
Drink water. Get sleep. Take care of yourself and your people.
Have fun! You can’t create change without a few laughs.
Rest is resistance, too. Movements need long-term fighters, not short-term heroes.
🚀 RULE #8: KNOW YOUR ROLE & FIND YOUR CREW
No one wins alone. Find your people, build your squad, and stick together.
If you’re new, listen. If you’re experienced, teach - but never stop listening
If they come for any of us—immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, Black activists, organizers—we show up. Every time.
🔥 RULE #9: JOY IS A FORM OF RESISTANCE
They want us demoralized. They want us tired. They want us to quit.
That’s why we celebrate wins, big and small. Dance, make art, laugh in their faces.
The best revenge is thriving in the face of their chaos.
🚨 RULE #10: IF YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE THE MOVEMENT
There is no cavalry coming. We are the frontlines.
Find your role—organizer, strategist, digital expert, artist, street medic, lawyer, disruptor.
Everyone has a job. Find yours and start now.
📖 A NOTE ON INSPIRATION
These rules are built on decades of movement experience, past and present. They were collaboratively written by me, my friend GPT, and several RootsCamp alumni. And yes, we took a little inspiration from Fight Club and Zombieland because surviving and resisting requires discipline and adaptability amid chaos.
Got #RootsCamp Rules of your own - share them in the comments!