FEATURE
MEMBER ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA Harnessing a powerful tool to benefit teachers, the Association, and the labour movement By Cynthia Bifolchi
You might wonder why it is necessary to think about engagement using social media; why not just carry on as we are going, safe in the knowledge our union is working for us? Well, engagement has many benefits – for the individual, the membership as a whole, and the wider labour movement. Individually, engaging within the Association can help Catholic teachers develop personally and professionally, by providing valuable opportunities to connect with peers; on an Association-wide scale, it strengthens our union and builds communication and solidarity; and in the context of the wider labour movement, engaged members are powerful agents of change, particularly in terms of advocacy and activism. Social media is an incredibly powerful tool in that it can help achieve all of the above, using minimal resources; if you have access to a computer and the internet, you can engage. Social media is convenient and democratic
We know that for some, social media is perceived as an inconvenience – another thing they have to get to grips with when they are so busy already. However, engaging in some way is becoming increasingly necessary. To a certain extent, we are now living in two worlds – the real world and the online. This is why we are hearing so much noise about “digital literacy” and “digital citizenship.” There is a massive, informationladen, communication-rich network happening online, and social media is a significant part of this space. If it helps, try reframing your thinking a little, to look at it as a positive: social media is a powerful tool to communicate, share ideas, and learn. And it is free! It is understandable that if you are new to it, social media can seem intimidating. We can look at certain people’s posts on Twitter and think, “Wow, their opinions are so well-formed!” or, “This person is unafraid to tell it as it is – I could never do that!” or a hundred other things that make us compare ourselves and lose confidence. The truth is, our voice is just as important as anyone else’s. No one “owns” social media, and the beauty of the platform is that it is a place for all of us to engage.
14 CATHOLIC TEACHER | DECEMBER 2018
Effective use of social media
Examples of engaging as a Catholic teacher and Association member • Sharing your celebratory stories, whether they are from your classroom, about your teacher colleagues, as part of a committee or fundraiser you have worked on, or any other ways you put your faith into practice, is essential to strengthen Catholic education and open dialogue between members. Be sure to tag your posts with #CatholicTeachers and #lessonsforlife! • Sharing photos of unit meetings, committee meetings, conferences, Additional Qualification (AQ) courses you are doing or have instructed, and sharing or commenting on Provincial Office’s posts are just some of the ways you can engage as a member. Examples of engaging as a supportive Association member • With the rollback of Ontario’s labour laws, there is ample opportunity to share your thoughts on a fair minimum wage and worker protections. Engagement can come in the form of retweets, article tweeting, attending a rally and posting about it, etc. • Post messages of solidarity: tagging our brothers and sisters
engaging in strikes, lockouts, etc. with messages of support goes a long way.
PHOTO: @Tero Vesalainen / Shutterstock.com
What exactly is “member engagement”? Simply put, it means engaging with your union in some way. For example, attending a conference, representing the Association at a rally or on a picket line, or serving on an OECTA committee. Believe it or not, you can also engage using social media.
