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Monday, April 17, 2006

Be an activist.

As I wrote that title, I realized that you probably already are an activist. I mean, you're reading So what can I do so you're clearly on the lookout for ways to make our world a better place. Maybe you recycle. Perhaps you donate life. Or ride transit. Or click every day. See, you are already an activist!

Here are resources you can use to broaden the things you do that will make our lives better:

* Alice Dreger's Top Ten Tips for Doing Activism in Academia. This is a wonderful resource for folks in academe. You may also want to check out her recent post on The Bioethics Forum.

* Elizabeth May's How to be an activist. She works for the Sierra Club so she writes with an eye to environmental issues. But her advice can be more broadly applied.

* The Activist's Handbook from Protest.net is "a pretty good practical introduction to being politically active."

* The United Methodist Church provides these tips on How to be an Activist taken from Protest.net.

So what can I do is filled with other resources you can use to make a positive difference in your world. Remember you don't have to do all of the things on this list. Start with one or two, the ones you feel most comfortable with. Then move on from there. 'Activism' is not a bad word. Neither is 'protest'. Some may want to march on Washington. Others may want to write a letter to their newspaper or senator. Still others may want to volunteer in their community. Many will do all three and then some. Those of us who understand that we have the power to change our world must figure how to make those words and actions relevant in our own lives. It's part of being the best person one can be.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Ghandi

4 comments:

janinsanfran said...

Thanks for this topic. I intend to spend a bunch of time with the links.

Your readers might be interested in a piece I did on winning as an outsider. It is more or less addressed to outsider political campaigns, but could be useful in any kind of advocacy when you don't start with riches or power.

Karama said...

Thanks for your comment, Jan, and for the link on winning as an outsider. You've included some wonderful advice!

I appreciate your continued support of So what can I do. Keep reading, and spread the word!

Britt Bravo said...

Hi Karama,

I love your blogs and wanted to let you know that I wrote a post about them on Blogher, and my personal blog, Have Fun * Do Good. I used a photo from Flickr of Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders, but would love to use a photo of you with post. You can email a photo of yourself to britt AT brittbravo.com. Keep up the great blogging!

Karama said...

Hi Britt,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you are enjoying So what can I do and appreciate your efforts to send others by. Please stop by again soon, and keep up the great work at Have fun * Do Good.