Get Informed – Being informed is an important step in the fight against injustice. Make sure you understand the issues before getting involved in them. If you are not informed or informed incorrectly you could end up make the situation worse for those involved. Be objective in your research and try not to make up your mind before you decided what is right and wrong and what needs to be done. There are abundant resources online (including but in no way limited to our own Helpful Links page) as well as in print. Documentary film is a good way to get a good overview of an issue (you can browse our modest list of recommended documentaries to get an idea if you don't know where to start). The library is also a good place to start.
Write – You might be surprised at what you find inside your own head when you begin to write about a topic you know nothing, or very little, about. Writing about what you have leaned or have not learned is a good way start the brainstorming process. You might find that once you’ve written enough on a certain topic your fluency on that topic increases significantly. Lastly, if possible, publish your work. It is an effective way to communicate your ideas to other people. You never know, your work might help someone else get informed and there is strength in numbers.
Donate – An easy way to help a particular cause is to donate money. Many worthwhile organizations depend on shoestring budgets and volunteers to keep there mission up and running. Most times anything helps and you can do you part by giving what you can.
Take Further Action – If possible you can volunteer your time to help those in need. There are a huge variety of organizations that have a variety of jobs that they need done. These jobs might range from filling to community outreach, or even overseas travel where you might help build houses, teach a foreign language, or distribute medicine. In other words anything you can manage helps.
Talk to Others – Many people have no idea what is going on in the world. Sometimes simply talking to other people and expressing your concerns is enough to peak interest in a particular topic. Awareness is a key component to successful advocacy. You can not change things when everyone has a complacent and passive attitude to the problems around them, so make your concerns heard.
Speak up – One of the most important things you can do for yourself and others is to speak up. Do not stand by and watch while injustice is perpetrated against the innocent. It can be more of a challenge than you might expect to speak up when no one else is. However, simply saying “hey, that is not alright with me” can make a difference. There is strength in numbers but there is also weakness, sometimes you might feel inclined to just let others handle a particular injustice. Do not do this. Many times those who might abuse others and treat them ill are dependent on the silence of normal everyday people, like you.
