Neo-conservatives want to you to experience fear and anger because negative emotions are destructive to the individual and community over the longest term. This project can help instill positive emotion in the peace community and will help people form long-term positive memories of civic engagement. It also will make you smile on the outside and inside. :)

The quickest option takes only 20 minutes. Just make a poster and start handing out hugs. The longer version involves making stickers and recruiting others at the march. The sticker gives people a tangible reminder of the hug and makes it easy to recruit and empower others.

Poster Option (20 minutes)

• If you’re short on time, just go to the march and use a marker to write “Free Hugs for Peace!” on the blank side of a poster. Then start handing out hugs!

Sticker and Recruiting Option (6 hours)

• What you’re going to do is print out a several hundred stickers that say “Free Hugs for Peace!” and then give them out along with the hugs.
• You also can “recruit” people by giving them a sheet of stickers so they too can go on handing out hugs and stickers in the crowd.

Hour 1: Run to an office supply store and purchase some blank labels/stickers.

• If they have circular button-sized ones (Avery 5294) those are nice, but you may have to order them from the warehouse.
• If you’re short on time, just choose square ones or badges or a full-sheet-size label (that can then be cut into 4 or 6 pieces).
• Pick up an ink cartridge if you’re low.

Hours 2 & 3: Design your “Free Hugs for Peace!” stickers.

• Microsoft Word has a “Envelopes and Labels” wizard which allows you to select a template for the particular label being used.
• It can be really simple: just put “Free Hugs for Peace!”
• If you want to be fancy, you could use different colors for the letters (yellow is difficult to read).
• If you want to be REALLY fancy, you could put a peace sign on the sticker somewhere.
• If you want to add an election year twist, you could call it “Free Hugs for Peace and Hope!” and then put the Obama sunrise symbol as the “o” in “Hope!”.
• If you find yourself getting perfectionist, then ease off! It’s OK to be simple and imperfect.
• Maybe play some music. It’s nice to enjoy the process of creation too.

Hours 4 & 5: Print out your “Free Hugs for Peace!” stickers.

• Run a test sheet or two to make sure your text fits within the boundaries of the sticker.
• If you need to adjust the spacing around the text, in Microsoft Word you can use the Show/Hide button on the toolbar (or click Tools > Options > View > Formatting Marks > All) and it will show all characters including spaces and carriage returns. You can shrink the carriage returns down to a font size of 2 or 3 if you need to create a small amount of space at the top.
• If your printer runs out of color ink, there may be an option for printing in “gray scale”. If you don’t have a printer and take it somewhere else, make sure you have enough white space around the edges (to allow for imperfect printer alignment).
• If you’re cutting a large sticker into smaller pieces, make sure each section has access to an easy-to-peel edge. It’s really difficult to separate a sticker from the backing if it has been cut on all sides.

Hour 6: At the march, start handing out the “Free Hugs for Peace!”.

• Walk up to someone and offer them a hug and a sticker! You might want to ask “Did you get your Free Hug for Peace?”
• When offering the hug, open your arms as if to receive one and wait for them to come to you. Most people are happy to get free hugs, but respect their personal space.
• If you’re trying to recruit others to give out hugs, teenage girls are often times outgoing and full of bubbly energy and may be less intimidating. However, most people are happy to give out Free Hugs if given a chance! Give them a sheet of stickers and watch with joy as they head off into the crowd handing out hugs and stickers.
• This is so NOT about flirting. When you put that out of your mind completely and simply turn it into an altruistic act of spreading joy and connection, it becomes a truly profound and transformative experience for yourself and those you reach out to.
• Practice affirmative action: if you see someone who’s alone or looks like they need a hug, go up to them. If they haven’t had a hug in a long time, it can make a really big difference!
• If you're feeling really motivated, make a video about your adventure.

REMEMBER THESE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE MARCH:

• If someone doesn't want a hug, then move on to the next person!
• If someone accepts a hug, then feel the joy of the moment!