So You Want to Get Active?

How to get off the benches and start making a difference in 2023 and Beyond

First and foremost I would like to thank Safi for this amazing document on getting started in activism and taking the time out to record a podcast episode going deeper about this as well (there may even be a series). Safi has been an amazing support and co-leader in the Make Shi(f)t Happen online healing community and a wonderful guide on how to become active. 

With all that is going on across the globe I see the normal patterns happening amongst progressive liberal white folks who are super activated and want to run out and change the world and then the reality hits that nothing changes overnight and burnout, ad despair hit and we are right back at apathy and not dealing with the grief processing, the self care and most importantly the community care to getting and STAYING active. 

Safi and I hope that this small guide and the support of the Activism Shifts group in the Make Shi(f)t Happen online healing community provide you with the support you need on this journey.

1. Jump in 

Today. The only way to do this is to make an honest-to-goodness start. Don’t wait to feel ready, or prepared, or like you have “enough” to give. 

2. Yes, literally Google it 

Notice whatever resistance you have to “Google it” as a response, and let it go. It’s a perfectly valid place to begin. Do you need discernment? Yes. Do you need to be specific? Yes. Will some of this be trial and error? Yes. But type these into your search bar for a start, and see what you find: 

• progressive grassroots volunteer opportunities (near me) 

• grassroots political organizations (near me) 

• grassroots lgbt rights organizations in [region]

• most effective voting rights organization in [region] 

• Black voting rights organizations

• Indigenous voting rights organizations 

• AAPI voting rights organizations

• how do i contact my representatives in washington dc

• how do i contact my governor

• how do I contact my mayor

3. Learn as you go

Do not fall for the trap of “educating yourself” before you take action. Does that mean launch your own initiative or organization? NO. Does that mean take leadership positions in activist spaces? NO. 

It means learning through action, with real people who already know what they’re doing – and TRUSTING THEIR LEADERSHIP. “Educating yourself” before taking action means withholding your time and energy from the collective. And the collective urgently needs your WORK, not your good intentions. 

4. Don’t bother catching up

Yes, there are massive historical injustices that you don’t know about. But instead of spending so much time looking back, I encourage you to look forward. Pick up futurist, abolitionist, imaginative, emergent books/podcasts/posters or however else you get your information. Follow abolitionists, advocates, activists who are in the trenches right now. KNOW firmly in yourself that there is a complex history to how we got here, and that yes there are valuable lessons there.  But, ORIENT TO THE FUTURE INSTEAD. Orient to co-creating that future (and I promise you will learn about the history along the way). 

5. Pouring from an empty cup? 

Depleted and struggling? Hold the possibility that doing this work can help fill you back up. “Activism” is not this purely extractive thing. Activism includes communities of real people to reflect and honor your fears, to restore your imagination, to reconnect you with your sense of possibility.

Activism also includes fidgeting, repetitive tasks, routines etc. that - depending on what your brain needs - can be part of your coping strategy when you are in a rough place.

6. You are not the only newbie

Attending trainings is a valid and necessary part of getting involved. Many (online) actions will have 30 or more minutes of orientation and training before you get started, and established volunteers will be on hand to support you. There are also entire sessions dedicated to training and strengthening your grasp on important skills. 

So don’t worry about being new. The folks who’ve been at this for a while have already created a route for you to get engaged and make an impact. 

7. Make it passive

Curate the information that simply SHOWS UP on your radar. Sign up for newsletters, and “ like” organizations and individual activists on social media. Hit the “I’m interested” button on their Facebook events even if you can’t make it work with your schedule. 

Sign up for trainings with trusted/vetted organizations. Go to their websites and click “Volunteer” in their main menu. Sign up even if you’re not sure you can commit, and even if you’re not sure you’ll be “good” at it.

Do this and your feeds will start bringing you opportunities to engage without you having to actively search for them. Do this, and invitations to online or in-person actions will start showing up in your inbox. (You might have to check your spam folder or your promotions folder, but they will be there!) 

REMOVE the burden of not knowing where to look. Make these few changes and the information WILL come to you. 

8. Do the small thing 

Don’t judge your contribution. Something small will ALWAYS be better than zero. And more often than not, doing the small thing will help you realize that more is possible. 

Here are the links mentioned in the ‘Let’s Have the Conversation’ podcast episode ‘So you want to get active’  

https://5calls.org/

https://www.mobilize.us/

https://www.instagram.com/dear_white_staffers/ 

I also want to share: https://the-ard.com/?post_type=post as a resource I personally lean on. Each issue starts with links to connect/take action/donate