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Ten things that anyone can do to make a difference
1. Attend information workshops or read up on issues that interest you. It will be impossible to learn everything there is to know on a subject, but even a little knowledge can be quite empowering.
2. Gather together a group of like-minded citizens or friends and discuss the things that concern you in the world today. Brainstorm possible actions that you can take as a group.
3. Seek out "days of action" in your city or town, and participate in the demonstrations or other activities. If there isn't a demonstration about something that you feel needs voicing, then start one yourself.
4. Write letters or talk directly to the people who make the policies. This could range from writing a letter to your local member of parliament to voicing your frustration about the Kyoto protocol, to sending in letters to the editor of your local paper to express your concern about the city's water supply, to contacting a local business, such as a grocery store, to request a better supply of non-genetically modified foods.
5. Make conscious choices in your daily life to live according to your values and according to the changes you'd like to see in the world (also called 'living by example'). For instance, if the corporate use of sweatshop labour troubles you, then whenever possible, buy products that are locally produced or fairly traded, and support independent businesses who are more accountable. If your concern is the steady depletion of natural resources, make yourself aware about how much water and power you use and how much waste you throw away in a day.
6. Volunteer your time at organizations such as Meals on Wheels, or your local soup kitchen, or help plant a community garden.
7. Donate to causes that are aligned with your values and concerns, such as Greenpeace or Amnesty International.
8. Make posters or stickers with powerful, thought-provoking messages on them and put them up around town.
9. Exercise your democratic voice by taking advantage of independent media resources - submit articles to an independent paper or magazine, sign up to have your own community or campus radio show, or volunteer your time producing and distributing zines. Feel great knowing that the thoughts and information you send out will not be censored by regulating institutions such as government and corporations.
10. Work to establish a solid sense of community in your life and stay networked within it. Being part of a community provides us with support for our individual actions in exerting change. More importantly, the real power to change lies in numbers: as a collective of individuals who support each other, we have a louder voice to make our issues heard and we have a stronger sense of the common good.
*BELIEVE THAT CHANGE IS POSSIBLE. It is difficult to stay optimistic when the quantity and extent of problems today seems overwhelming. But it is essential to keep an open mind. As German physicist, G.H.Lichtenberg, once asserted:
"First we have to believe, then we believe."
Some more inspiration:
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Act as though it were impossible to fail." - Dorthea Brandt
"Whatever you do, or dream you can do - begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it."
- Goethe
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