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Manchester Activist Training Weekend

Have you ever wondered how to start an SSDP society? Have you got one, but you aren't social networking to the full or would like to know how run an event? Do you just want to meet other SSDP activists and share best practice? Then join us on the 27th and 28th March to train for change!

Manchester Students for Sensible Drug Policy is holding an Activist Training Weekend for everyone who wants to improve their activist skills or develop new ones. We have a variety of workshops on everything from Running a Campaign, How to Table, and Diversifying Your Membership. Matt Southwell, from Respect Drug Users Rights Bath will be giving a talk on his experiences of campaigning in Bath, and Levent Akbulut, National Director of SSDP, will be speaking on “The Language of Drug Law Reform”.

It's going to be an exciting weekend and it's absolutely free! Please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to secure your place now, and tell us if you have accommodation requirements (you are welcome to arrive on the 26th if you are travelling up).

Practical details: A briefing pack will be distributed beforehand containing full transport guides to getting to Manchester and everywhere you need to be. The venue is the University of Manchester Students' Union located on Oxford Road, which should accessible to most people. However if you have particular needs, please get in contact at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Accommodation will be mostly located in local activists' houses, so please bring a sleeping bag and a good sense of humour! Light refreshments will be available but we don't have the ability to accurately guess food numbers, so maps marking local eating places to cater for every budget will bedistributed.

Much of the event if about getting activists to speak to each other and socialise, so if you would like to come but are on your own, let us know in your booking email and we'll make sure you aren't sitting alone at lunch. :)

So that's:

University of Manchester
27th and 28th March
10-5pm
FREE

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to book your place now.

About SSDP

Welcome to Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK!

Mission Statement

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society.

SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.

Values Statement

Students for Sensible Drug Policy neither encourages nor condemns drug use. Rather, we seek to reduce the harms caused by drug abuse and drug policies. As young people, we strive toward a just and compassionate society where drug abuse is treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. We recognize that the very real harms of drug abuse are not adequately addressed by current policies and we advocate measures that would effectively help those who develop drug problems. Yet, we also believe that individuals must ultimately be allowed to make decisions for themselves as long as their actions do not infringe upon anyone else’s freedoms or safety.

Because the War on Drugs has historically been justified as necessary to protect youth, it is our responsibility as young people to stop this harmful war from being waged in our names any longer. As scholars, we seek solutions to society's drug problems through focused research, honest dialogue, and informed debate, instead of unquestioned extremism, punishment, and propaganda.

SSDP's Structure as a Grassroots Organization

SSDP is comprised of student chapters all across the country. Any student anywhere can start a chapter. While SSDP has a variety of national campaigns and actions that everyone can participate in, chapters are also encouraged to work on those issues that have the most traction in their own communities. Annually SSDPers convene for a national conference. There, students acquire essential activist knowledge and skills. Also, chapters elect students to serve on SSDP's Board of Directors. The Board in turn selects and oversees SSDP's executive director, who is responsible for tending to both the day-to-day operations of the organization, as well as its long-term direction.