Here are some responses to common questions about organizing an action for between December 27 and 31. 

• If there is no action registered in my area, what should I do? Start your own! Truly, anyone can be an action organizer. If time constraints absolutely don't allow it, perhaps try asking some friends or neighbors to take the lead with the promise of your support. We hope to see actions in as many places as possible, big and small.

• What kind of background experience do I need to organize an action in my community? None! Everyone and anyone can be an International Week of Actions organizer. If you're totally new to organizing, first take some time to review all the information and materials here on the www.gazafreedommarch.org website. After you have a bit more of an understanding and what kind of actions are possible (and it's really quite open-ended), talk to a friend or two or perhaps talk to a local organization that might be interested, and have a discussion of what you might do together. That's what organizing is—talking to your friends and neighbors and then deciding to act. After that, be sure to register a local action online by clicking here www.gazafreedommarch/solidarity and follow the 9-Step Organizing Plan to make sure you cover all the necessary steps. We'll provide your with all the materials you need, and we'll be available to help along the way.

• How do I get my banner into my action photo? The truth is that a banner is often the simplest, surest way to get a big message about Gaza into your image. Click here to check out a good banner-making guide. But not every action needs a banner, and even banners can involve more creativity than just big words. Here is a good place for a creative friend or volunteer to lend a hand. Think about banners that say "Break the Siege of Gaza!" (in Arabic) or "Gaza Libre!" (in Spanish). Or think about forming a huge message out of the people attending the action, or for a vigil consider forming words out of lit candles. Be creative and have fun with it—and be sure to plan in advance and designate a friend or photographer to make sure you get the digital photo image you need to submit to photos@gazafreedommarch.org afterwards.

• How many people need to be at my action? The short answer is, as many as possible. Numbers count—a thousand is better than a hundred is better than a dozen in terms of sheer impact on the issue. But there are exceptions—maybe you are hoisting a banner in a hard-to-get-to place: on top of a building, say. In that case, a few is as good as a crowd. Or maybe you're in a small town, or you're organizing your gathering at a small mosque, temple, or church. For the most part, if you exhaust your email lists and the email lists of your friends, if you make sure to involve as many local organizations and community members as possible, and you work to build local publicity in advance, you'll have plenty of people to make a statement.

• How do I get media attention for my action? Getting media to cover your action is one of the best ways to reach a larger audience, both before and after the International Week of Actions. In reality, the two most essential steps for getting media attention are to: 1). Plan an interesting, exciting, and new kind of action. 2). Call TV channel, radio, and newspaper offices and let them know what you are doing.
• Why the International Days of Action? The timing here is crucial. On December 27, 2008, Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip called Operation Cast Lead in which over 1400 Palestinians were killed, including as many as 300 children. In remembrance of these innocent civilians and to mark the fact that it has been one year since the Israeli assault began, some 1,000 people from around the world will join with 50,000 Palestinians in a massive nonviolent Gaza Freedom March on New Year's Eve, December 31, in Gaza.  The International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza is calling on us to coordinate local solidarity actions to raise awareness and media attention for the big March and the need to end the illegal blockade. Actions are already being planned in United States, France, South Africa, Spain, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom other locations. You still have time to plan something in your community. It doesn't take a lot of people. The best way to spread the word is to get your event covered by the local press 

• How can I submit my action photo? Beginning December 27th, the gazafreedommarch.org website will have a dramatic change-over, and will be used to collect and display photos from around the world. Between December 27th through the 31st, just visit gazafreedommarch.org and it will be very clear how to submit photos, videos, and stories from your action via a simple webform.  If you'd like to submit a photo now, just submit them as attachments in an e-mail to photos@gazafreedommarch.org -- in the subject line, please include the action location (city and country) and in the body please include a description of the photo(s).