DIY: How To Contribute Globally

How to Contribute Globally

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever wanted to make a change in the world? Now you can! You do not have to work in a charity group, an AIDS program, or even the United Nations (UN). You just have to learn about the world and its issues; it is not that difficult.

Steps

1. Try watching the international news instead of the local or national news. This world is not that small.
   
2. Go to BBC's website and find out stuff in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.
   
3. Persuade your buddies to help you by making signs, informing youcommunity about your beliefs, or even send a letter to the national capital of your nation.
   
4. If you are making a small AIDS benefit, draw diagrams showing condoms, words such as "safe sex" or "protect yourself" or you can just talk about what YOU can do about AIDS.
   
5. Try conducting research about the ailments and illnesses of the world and try to find potential products that can fight or even cure them.
   
6. Learn about the world's past. You have to learn history to see how things in the present occurred and potential events in the future.
   
7. Share. You learned this when you were three or four. Give a little money to UNICEF or something. That would be very appreciative.
   

Tips

• Have small meetings in your community about global issues.
  
• Try getting a small job if you are young (under 16), attempt to get a simple second job if you can manage it. Babysit on the weekdays and mow lawns on weekends. Then take a practical percentage of your profits and use it for charities.
  
• One person can make a difference, but it is good to get a third or fourth hand.
  
• If you have a National Geographic Atlas, read it and find Global Awareness topics. You can also get Google Global Awareness Map on Google Earth to see where global issues take place such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), destroyed villages in Darfur, etc.
  

Warnings

• Don't work too hard. If you are still in school do these things on the weekends or when you have free-time after you have done your homework.
  
• If you are going to make picket signs, don't strike or march in busy areas. This may lead to violence.
  

Things You'll Need

• Time
  
• Perseverance
  
• Support :)
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Contribute Globally. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Tips For Effective Activism

This was taken from SpeakOut.

Tips For Effective Activism

1. Know What You Want (Figuring Out What You Want)
2. Know Who To Ask (Figuring Out Who To Talk To)
3. Know What You’re Talking About (What You Want…Policy Resources)
4. Be Polite, Personal, Thoughtful, and Rational (Delivering Your Message)
5. Pick a Method of Communication that Works for You and Your Message (Delivering Your Message)
6. Know When to Ask (Legislative Process)
7. Don’t Underestimate the Value of Staff (Who to Talk To…Staff)
8. Follow Up (Delivering Your Message)
9. Understand the Limitations of the System (Key Themes)
10. Have fun!

What Is Activism And How Can I Be An Activist?

The following information was written by me and is posted on the "Activism" page on my Riot Grrrl Online website.

What Is Activism?

Activism is any intentional action to bring political or social change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an argument. The word "activism" is often associated with "protest" or "dissent". Activism can take a wide range of forms, from writing letters to newspapers, protesting, boycotting, blogging, and a number of other tactics. Activism means getting involved in causes or issues that affect you as a person. Activism can be considered DIY or do it yourself as well. There are many ways to get involved in activism.

35 Ways You Can Get Involved In Activism
1.) Make a zine...online or in real life. (DIY as well)
2.) Make a zine distro...online or in real life. (DIY as well)
3.) Submit articles, submissions, classifieds, etc. for a zine.
4.) Create a Ladyfest in your area. (DIY as well)
5.) Support and join ladyfests
6.) Help organize a ladyfest. (DIY as well)
7.) Make a blog, start up a journal, message board, or website. (DIY as well)
8.) Participate in websites, message boards, blogs, etc.
9.) Protest about something you are for or against. (DIY as well)
10.) Sign or start petitions...online or in real life. (DIY as well)
11.) Vote in elections. (DIY as well)
12.) Start a journal...in real life. (DIY only)
13.) Make an online group, such as on yahoo, msn, myspace, etc. (DIY as well)
14.) Write a book. (DIY as well)
15.) Make your own recipes. Don't go traditional, try to make your own food and desserts. (DIY only)
16.) Start your own non-profit organization. (DIY only)
17.) Start a band, write songs, and/or play an instrument. (DIY as well)
18.) Visit websites of important causes/issues and visit click-to-donate websites.
19.) Make art and be an artist. (DIY as well)
20.) Make pins, patches, shirts, clothing, jewelry, stickers, and/or buttons (DIY as well)
21.) Donate blood to the Red Cross and donate an organ to somebody that needs it. You can also donate organs when you die, to be used for research. This involves signing a paper and leaving the request in a will.
22.) Visit a hospital and/or a nursing home. You could be making someone's day.
23.) Donate money to charity or to a non-profit organization.
24.) Write the government or elected officials a letter.
25.) Start your own record label. (DIY as well)
26.) Make and hand out flyers. (DIY as well)
27.) Start your own riot grrrl chapter or join a riot grrrl chapter. Hold riot grrrl conventions. (DIY as well)
28.) Make posters. (DIY as well)
29.) Start a support group, such as for survivors of cancer, abuse, etc. (DIY as well)
30.) Share your stories with others. Others stories can inspire us and can remind us that we are not alone in what we are going through.
31.) Write about causes or issues that are important to you. This is also called ranting, if you share your opinions about the cause or issue. You can also write essays on a cause or issue.
32.) Find your passion. There are lots of causes and issues out there that could inspire you and be your passion. I can't make a list because it would be never ending. You can find some causes and issues on dmoz.org, under "Society". It is a web directory. You can even do a search for "causes", "issues", "get involved", "list of causes", and "list of issues".
33.) Volunteer at a shelter.
34.) Create and/or Organize a fundraiser. (DIY as well)
35.) Advocate for a general cause or issue.

How to Change the World in 10 Ways

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The world today is definately not a paradise. Hunger, abuse, poverty, pollution and other dangers are all too common. Granted, the world never has and probably never will be perfect, but that is no excuse to not try. YOU can help to create a better world for the future. And it's not as hard as you think...

Steps

1. Volunteer - It's not just about working in a soup kitchen or visiting the old folks' home. Today anyone can volunteer to do anything! Contact the local volunteer organisations in your area.
   
2. Get Passionate - Start a petition, donate money, support a charity, fundraise, be an advocate. Choose a cause and get passionate about it! Visit Google and search for your cause. Or check out common causes like:
   
   • Oxfam
     
   • Make Poverty History
     
   • One
     
   
   
3. Recycle - It's not something only hippies do! Anyone can recycle, and these days just about anything can be recycled—from newspapers and plastic, to computers and old mobile (cell) phones. Encourage your school or workplace to recycle and to use recycled products.
   
4. Pay It Forward - Seen the movie? Well, just like Haley Joel Osment, you can help others by "paying it forward." Simply do something nice for 3 people (or, preferably, more and with no limit), without being asked, and in return, tell them to do the same to 3 more people. And so on and so on. Imagine if everyone followed through with this and what kind of world it would be!
   
5. Do not harm the individual - Imagine a society where every single person did not look to harm another individual. You wouldn't have to lock your doors at night and self-defense would be a thing of the past. You may think one person cannot make a difference. The whole world is just six billion individuals. Just think, you may inspire someone to be like you and start a chain reaction!
   
6. Donate Blood - Many countries (especially Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States) frequently experience record lows of blood stores and desperately need more people to donate. It only takes about half an hour and doesn't hurt (much!). Visit Red Cross for more info.
   
7. Buy a Wristband - They are all the rage in Hollywood, with lots of celebs sporting the most recent fashion accessory—a charity wristband. Not only do they look cool, they're cheap and they're a great way to do your bit for your favourite cause.
   
8. Support animal welfare - After all, animals are God's creations, too, and they should not have to suffer! Donate to the ASPCA!
   
9. Be an Advocate - Speak up about injustices in the world and get your friends involved, too. Organise fundraisers to help raise money for your chosen charity or cause. And if you can't raise money, just add your voice to those already campaigning to end poverty, war, injustice, sexism, racism, or corruption in the world.
   
10. Become an Organ Donor - You won't need your organs when you are dead, so why not give them to someone who can make good use of them? Save the lives of up to eight people by placing yourself on the organ donors' register in your country. Talk about the decision with your family and let them know your wishes.
    
11. Laugh and Smile - Many believe that laughter is the best medicine you can get. Not only that, but people who are happy are often more healthy and are lots more fun to be around! Sharing a smile and a laugh with someone is easy, completely free, and may just make somebody's day!
    

Tips

• Anyone can change the world; all it takes is a little time, effort and dedication!
  
• The Internet is a great place to find information about charities and causes to sponsor/support.
  
• Spread the word. Get your friends involved. The more the better!
  
• Find exciting and fun ways to change the world. Volunteering is not only a great way to help those less fortunate but you might also make some great new friends!
  
• Even if you are broke, there are lots of ways you can help to make the world a better place.
  
• If at first you don't succeed. Try, try, and try again (and again!)
  

Warnings

• People will say you are beating a dead horse. They will tell you that you are wasting your time, that you're an idiot for trying. Don't listen to them. It's because of people like that that the world needs to be changed in the first place!
  
• Use caution when following laws; recent (and not-so-recent) history has shown certain governing bodies to be somewhat untrustworthy. Instead of rigidly following laws set by politicians, cautiously develop your own "laws" on what moral behavior truly is, following a few guidelines:
  
• -It is never acceptable to hurt anybody.
  
• -The action which results in the greatest good is the one which is truly "lawful."
  
• -Never impose your laws on anybody until they fully understand them. If their understanding is complete, the law will be superfluous anyway.
  

Things You'll Need

• Passion
  
• Drive
  
• Motivation
  
• Commitment
  
• Inspiration
  
• A desire to help others
  
• A desire to change the world
  
• Money (if you wish to financially support a charity or cause)
  

Sources and Citations

• Good Causes Online
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Change the World in 10 Ways. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Something That Inspires Me

This was a myspace comment I received a couple of days ago. Nadia lives in the United States, like me. People like Nadia inspire me to keep updating and adding to my Riot Grrrl Online website. I had to share this because it has inspired me to keep being interested in riot grrrl and to keep on going with the riot grrrl website.

Apr 16, 2009 5:29 PM

Hi, Greta! Thanks for the add. I must say it is awesome having all these Grrrl-related links in one place. When I first got interested in Riot Grrrl culture about a year ago, I could barely find anything!

Hope I can find time to write something for the blog soon.
Thanks!
--Nadia

As for Nadia's quote: "When I first got interested in Riot Grrrl culture about a year ago, I could barely find anything!", I know how she feels. That's how I felt a couple of years ago, when I first created Riot Grrrl Online. Back then, It seemed that alot of my favorite riot grrrl websites from the late 1990's to early 2000's had died out. That's why I created the Riot Grrrl Online website. I was interested in riot grrrl and wanted to show my support and love of the movement, so Riot Grrrl Online was born.

GET INVOLVED! I encourage others that are interested in riot grrrl, feminism, or whatever your interest might be, to get involved with it. YOU can get involved by making a zine, make a website, create a group/community on a social network about your interest, join other groups/communities on social networks, etc. I'm sure you can probably think of more ideas than the ones I just mentioned.

31 Ways To Get Involved In Pro-Choice

This was taken from: http://www.prochoice.org/get_involved/31_ways.html

31 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Celebrate more than three decades of the right to choose with our Activist Checklist. There is something for everyone - get involved in your community, school, or place of worship to make an important difference in the lives of women.

In Everyday Life

-Ask your ob-gyn and family practice physician if they are pro-choice and/or provide abortion as a part of the continuum of reproductive health care
-Make sure your insurance carrier covers abortion
-Write a letter of support to an official who supports policies that improve access to abortion care
-Tell your story
-Join the Patient Partnership
-Speak positively and with confidence about being pro-choice
-Donate to the NAF Patient Assistance Fund
-Put a pro-choice bumper sticker on your car
-Write to a woman's magazine about why you are pro-choice

At Your School

-Tell your friends and student health services about the NAF Hotline 1-800-772-9100
-Write an article for the student paper
-Join or start your own chapter of Students for Choice
-Make sure student health services provides Emergency Contraception

In Your Community

-Write an op-ed for your local newspaper
-Contact your elected representatives (state and federal)
-Submit a positive resolution regarding Roe v. Wade to your city council
-Join your school board and support comprehensive sex education
-Contact your Yellow Pages about accurately advertising Crisis Pregnancy Centers, i.e. they should not be listed under abortion

In Your Faith

-Join a pro-choice religious group
-Find out if your religion has an official position on choice
-Learn more about the morality of choice
-Bring pro-choice materials to your religious community
-Write something for your religious newsletter
-Support comprehensive sex education

Support the Providers and Clinics

-Raise money for low-income women to obtain abortions
-Send a thank you note to a local clinic
-Escort women at a local clinic
-Volunteer at the clinic
-Sponsor an advertisement
-Organize a party for the staff
-Send a letter to the editor supporting the clinic