How to Become an Activist (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Activists are people who see the need for change, improvement and motivation on a large scale. They are people driven by passion, eager to share information in a way that is understood on a broader level and leads to the vision of a better future. For some activism is something natural, while for others it is a passion achieved after particular experiences or after having learned that something they care deeply about needs a change. Whatever the motivation that drives you to become an activist, you can do it regardless of your age, your means and your history. Believing that you can make a difference and have the power to work on particular problems is the heart of creation for change for the better.

Steps

Step 1. Determine what you can do for your cause

If you are reading this article, I assume you have found what inspires you to become an activist. Whether it's moral, political, environmental, pedagogical, or economic, it's important to hone the elements of your activism so you can focus on something and make your activities more manageable. Of course, what you think is manageable is up to you, just make sure you have the energy and time to pursue your activism at the level you prefer.

• Ask yourself how much time you have available, if you want to do a little or a lot, and how confident you are about adopting different approaches, starting with simple conversations with people you know and reaching out to the masses.
• While it's great to think big, it's also very important to think small and step by step. Gradual change can be as important, and often more lasting, as massive change, which occurs quickly and generates greater disturbance in people. Think of all the possibilities to slowly trigger change through school, workplace, community, city, region, state or the world!

Step 2. Find the sources of your passion

A passion often comes from a sudden realization that changes life forever. Dr. Mildred Jefferson clearly remembers when she realized, “Yes! I am my brothers' keeper! and began a journey throughout his life as a Pro-Life activist. When you catch this revelation, it feeds the fire of activism, even in moments of darkest despair, when you feel you want to give up.

• Passion comes from awareness. When you become aware of something in the world that is in need of a change, a correction or a revision, this awareness will constantly haunt you and lead you to notice this need everywhere, bringing with it the sense of responsibility.
• Always believe you can make a difference. There is always an argument that is raised, and it more or less says "How much difference can a single individual make?", This collapses into a sense of self-pity and loss of interest because the belief arises that everything is difficult and that it probably is. better to maintain the status quo. Avoid these kinds of desperate thoughts because a persistent and committed person can make a difference. Laurie David states that, “The solution is you!”, And this is an important mantra to keep in mind when everything seems to be crushing you.
• Be realistic about your needs. Activism may advocate the slow change in mental state, rather than the real change you would like to see. In this case, it is important to understand that throughout your life you may find yourself simply paving the way for change rather than being able to see it. Understanding this concept can help you relieve any frustration, failure, and resentment you may feel about your cause. Amanda Sussman states that the first question an activist must ask is: "Are you happy to be reaching for an ideal, even if you will never see it? Do you need to see progress immediately, albeit small, in order to move forward?". Say you need to decide whether you want to be a radical activist or a reform activist. The radical activist is a person who feels the need to always fight for radical changes and uses any means, such as protest, boycott, alternative conferences, etc. and they generally tend to be suspicious of those people who sit in the institutions they want to change. On the other hand, he says that a reformist is happy to work with institutions he would like to be changed, using the tools of democracy to work with pre-existing structures to enforce social or political progress. Also, to complicate matters even more, Professor Anthony Weston speculates that radical change is often used by the status quo itself! He points out that not all parts of the system can withstand your action and that there are many ways to use the system itself to achieve change, "now, and in the wolf's lair". With these theories about the role of activism in mind, you can make a decision as to how you are going to define your approach to activism and whether you want to change things from the outside or from the inside, and how that will affect how you behave..
• Obviously, Sussman's approach assumes that you live in a democracy. If you live in a totalitarian and authoritarian regime (think about it, it could be even if disguised as democracy), working with the tools of the regime may get you nowhere.

Step 3. Read books on activism

One of the means that inspires and helps most to get involved in activism is to read many books in the field of activism. Look for, in particular, those books written by authoritative activists, to acquire advice from those who have lived this experience firsthand. The books mentioned in this article are a good start. Then, read a lot about the cause you want to bring forward, both to understand the problem correctly, to learn new tactics, ideas, experiences, successes and failures, and to learn valuable information from those who have already been active in this cause.

• Read books on how to use and work with the media. This type of book is essential to raise your awareness of how the media works and to avoid being inexperienced about the goals of the media representatives. Above all, learn how to work with the media. Activism gains strength from its ability to educate, raise awareness and make people passionate about a topic. Although you can carry out this dissemination work on your own through the internet, the media are a valuable tool when used well. Keep in touch with people who know how to make a press release, write an editorial, and contact the press.
• Learn the laws, legislative, administrative and judicial processes of your country and / or your region. Learning how to make changes to the laws and how to get the most out of the legal system is necessary for every activist. Obviously, the more open your country's political system, the more chances you can use these processes, but it is necessary that every activist is well informed about them. It does not mean that you have to prepare to use them, but it allows you to be able to inform others about the existence of these processes and the possibility of using them.

Step 4. Choose your method of activism

Although activism can take hundreds of forms, address this topic based on your talents and resources as best you can. You are in the best position to decide how you can accomplish your goals as an activist, along with understanding how much time you have and whether or not you want to do it on your own. Consider the following:

• Do you want to work alone? With the advent of the internet, being an individual activist is easier than ever. You can use forums, videos, photos, websites, blogs, social networks, and even broadcast your messages. On the other hand, being the only one who deals with a topic can take a lot of work and make you feel alone. Sometimes it can lead you to wonder if you are following the right path and if everything you do is worth anything.
• Do you want to work with others? You can join an existing group or create one on your own and looking for collaborators. One of the benefits of being part of a group is the ability to have extensive passions, resources and networks, and the ability to share a passion. It's also a great way to practice your conflict resolution skills and learn how to work with others - skills that aren't always easy to master! You would also like to decide to collaborate freely, without building a permanent structure, for example by inviting collaborators to post on a group blog or to get together and write an annual amateur magazine.

Step 5. In what form do you want to send your message?

You have to recognize your best qualities and how much you know in order to be able to contribute without wearing yourself out. Do you want to contribute to your cause through writing, teaching, organizing events or art? Or maybe you are better off opening websites, blogs or opening an internet radio? Realistically evaluate your talents, along with the time and resources you have available.

• Do a search to find out if anyone has already activated. Many of the causes already have someone to support them locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. Do a search to determine if there is already someone who has activated for your cause if you can join that group. You certainly don't want to discover hot water and do double the work, or worse, confuse things. Try to collaborate with those who have already activated and try to understand if you want to be part of it or support it in another way, in a constructive but independent way. Ask yourself this:
• Do you want to volunteer or join some pre-existing group?
• Do you want to find a paid job in an activist organization?

Step 6. If you work locally, does a national organization have resources that you can use?

You can often take advantage of the resources of larger organizations, such as information, legal research, flyers, strategy tips, and mentoring.

Step 7. How are you going to create a network or support an existing organization so that it benefits both of you and supports your cause in solidarity?

• When you don't find any pre-existing groups, avoid seeing it as a mammoth task or one of insurmountable proportions. Instead, try to divide it into small pieces, and aim to get other like-minded people on board. It is easier now that you can rely on the internet to be able to create links more easily, use Twitter, Facebook, forums, blogs, websites, etc. to spread the word.
• Organized! If you want to start your own activism group, you will need to find interested people in order to create a solid action strategy together. Gather a group or committee of people who want to work on a permanent or ad hoc basis. Decide from the outset what your goal is: do you want to perform a series of actions to achieve a particular and simple goal, and then dissolve the committee? Do you want to form a permanent group that works on different projects on a certain topic? Or do you just want to work together to take a single action, for example to coordinate a protest or fundraiser?

Step 8. Write down the goals of the group

Write down your goals and plan your strategy, highlighting your needs, what goal you want to achieve, and some of the steps needed to achieve it.

• Set up meetings. The regular meetings of the committee core and the sub-core will ensure that you can track your progress and coordinate everyone's efforts towards the common project. Set dates for meetings well in advance and advertise the event well. Make sure you have a seat reserved in advance, whether it's in a physical location, virtually, video conference or in a group chat. Among the places where you can meet are the school / classroom, the public library, someone's house, the park, the municipal / community building, youth centers, bars, tree house, sacristy, etc.
• Learn to communicate effectively. What stresses people with little time, little money and a lot of work is that they are told that whatever they do is wrong and horrible. This type of communication leads people to feel irritated by the communicator and to reject the message. For this reason, as you support your passions, remember to maintain the sense of courtesy, respect and understanding of the motivating psychology. Put simply, no one likes being told that the way he lives is wrong, and certainly neither do you. Instead, try to enlighten people on the practices of society and the individual that have lost their usefulness and provide a viable, realistic and feasible alternative. Remember that when you are an activist, you are an idealist, and for this reason you have an obligation to imagine the way things can improve. Professor Anthony Weston has a lot of valuable tips in his book 'How to Re-Imagine the World' on how to share your ideals with others.

Step 9. Maintain an affirmative view, one that shows people that you are “for” and not “against” something

Step 10. Imagine ways to show people problems and how to improve the situation

Visualization is always more powerful than words.

Step 11. Remember that fear is at the heart of resistance

The fear of losing one's job and one's lifestyle are the fears that drive most of the resistance against the activist's message. If you offer no actionable, workable, and respectful alternative to the people who might be affected, don't be surprised if they have no interest in your message of change.

• Create a complete view, rather than a fragmentary one. How do you see a future where the changes you are supporting have occurred? Represent this vision for everyone and let them immerse themselves in it.
• Learn how to think outside the box. Subvert the way you understand their minds and learn to work with this new understanding.

Step 12. See the problem as the solution

This step can be complicated, but it is also the most exciting, creative and innovative approach to problems. Dig into the complexity of the problem and draw conclusions that can serve as a solution with a little concentration and thinking about things differently.

• Get the message out. When you've mastered the basic motivating and affirmative communication techniques, get ready to get the message out. There are many methods available to get a message out, focus on what you are good at and what you can do with the time and resources you have available. Some tips for getting a message out for your cause include:
• Flyers: Create a flyer that says the name of your organization, the date and time you meet, what exactly your organization does and in what field. Post flyers around the school, in the neighborhood (check if there is any regulation on this, you certainly don't want to get a fine), on the bulletin board of the community, in bars or restaurants, etc.

Step 13. Banquet:

Try to rent a banquet, either at school, or at the university, or in a public place, such as a supermarket or park. Keep a signature collection list, information about your organization, and colorful posters to attract people (even having gadgets to give away isn't a bad idea).

• Use the internet: There are many sites dedicated to finding volunteers. Spread your message on the internet and consider contacting schools, churches, student associations, friends, relatives and online communities for additional support.
• Introduce yourself: The absolute best way to get people interested in your cause is through face-to-face confrontation. A person is much more inclined to participate if they feel part of the group. The person can ask questions and get more information. Don't hesitate to go to the girl reading a magazine in the coffee shop, she might want to be part of the group you are creating.
• Get help from the volunteers who have joined your cause. If there are many people involved in your group, or many have signed up to be temporary volunteers, it might help to create sub-committees. These committees can be useful for very large groups carrying out different projects or studying different strategies to achieve the same goal. Here are some examples of people you might need for a big deal, like a benefit concert, charity marathon, or protest march:

• Public Relations (PR): These committee members seek votes, especially before events. It also manages every advertisement that passes on campus or in newspapers, on radio and television. They book stalls for signature collections and help create banners and posters to post throughout the area. I am also a point of contact with the press to allow media attention to focus on the event.

  

• Campaign organizer: This subcommittee member cooperates with organizations, local shops and anyone who can support the event through advertising, sponsorship, donations in kind of space or food, etc.

  

  • Logistics: This aspect is dealt with by members who are concerned with pragmatic things, such as schedules, engagements, finding the necessary materials and services, acquiring the required permits, organizing parking and food, etc.
  • Financial: This member takes care of taking note of the event budget and settles money matters. His skills are the creation of a budget, the payment of hired people and service providers, the decision on the eventual ticket price for the event, and the preventive estimate of what needs to be achieved with the fundraising.
• Expect some dissent. Change worries most people and causes them to react in ways that aren't always polite or constructive. There are various levels of negativity you need to prepare for, learn to anticipate all kinds of dissent:
• Disagreement on something about the cause: It is a good thing to ask yourself questions based on the dissent of others towards your cause. Always try to understand if there is an argument behind the dissent and try to reexamine your approach in the light of the dissent. That doesn't mean you have to change your approach, unless you want to, but it does mean that keeping an open mind will make your cause stronger and more bombproof. Always ask yourself "What can I learn from this?". Stay egalitarian, non-violent and focus on the cause, not on the people who disagree.

Step 14. Disagreement on something not related to the cause:

It was to be expected. You are going against the established order, the status quo. You will meet people who will question your knowledge, your authority, your information, and even your sanity, from time to time. Some forms of dissent will be clear tactics to quell, hide and manipulate. Other times they will be more subtle, mischievous and dangerous. Know when to answer and when to be silent, and learn to understand when to get a lawyer involved.

• Expressions of hate, whether the cause is understood or not: There will always be someone who likes to fight and express their hatred, after all it is the way that mean people use to make themselves heard. Pure hatred and the spirit of abuse must be treated calmly and delicately. If you feel threatened in any way, get the police for help. If they are just teasing, do your best to ignore them unless you are very sharp with words, in which case you can respond in kind, with respect. However, remember that many people recognize pure hatred for what it is and often, letting it express is more effective than trying to respond.
• Don't exhaust yourself. When you are tired, exhausted and you don't know where to turn your head, activism becomes a bad thing. This is the time when negative thoughts make their way in and you may feel like you want to blame everyone else for the way the world is turning. At that point you have lost your perspective on the motivations behind people's behavior, and you have fallen into a spiral of generalizations that everything is wrong and you feel hopeless rather than strong.
• Rest for a long time. Take breaks and refresh your mind to remind yourself where it is headed.

Step 15. If you feel obsessed, it may be because you are

Learn to understand the difference between obsession and passion. Passion is a strength that is obtained through full awareness, while obsession is an underground strength that is often obtained without understanding why, how and where you are heading.

Step 16. If you start to hate people, react abruptly and think bad things, thoughts in bad taste about what you would like to do to a certain category of people, take it as a warning sign to step back and correct the shot. in the direction of your purpose

• Expect bad times. At times it will seem to you that all your efforts have been in vain, or that things have crystallized. Everything that has to do with progress encounters these deadlocks. It is important to expect these moments and learn how to overcome them. Break these deadlocks by making new associations and recombining your old approaches with new ones.
• Think about how you can support change. While this topic would take an entire chapter by itself, it doesn't hurt to understand from the outset that a good activist thinks beyond change and sees a future where his vision has occurred, but then what? What happen? Does change need to be continuously supported? Or is the change you propose self-sustainable and capable of continuing to develop by feeding itself? Thinking about this ahead of time could change your tactics, especially if you're worried that change isn't enough, but change needs to survive on its own. Professor Anthony Weston harks back to the concept of "climbing change". Like the strongest climbing ivy, change must be able to attach itself to anything and maintain itself regardless of other conditions.
• Rely on the internet. As Weston says, "even the web is climbing", given its ability to spread everywhere, what is the best place if not this to allow change to manifest itself and survive? It also suggests relying on anything that can slip across borders, such as sports, philosophers, youth networks, and visionary elder communities. Think about the ways your activism takes shape and consolidates, regardless of the poison of despair and fear thrown at you.

Advice

• When working with others, consider the needs of the group. Learn to compromise on details, not core values
• Be creative! Activism doesn't have to involve huge events. Even bloggers can be activists through their posts, teachers can be activists by encouraging students to challenge their beliefs, artists can be activists by leaving pieces of art around town, computer lovers can open an e-magazine, etc.
• Consider the idea of using gadgets as an additional means of raising funds, if your activism takes place with very large events. You can have t-shirts made, do some candy sales, or sell books related to the topic you focus on.
• Strong organizations, from top to bottom (or vice versa) will ensure that everything will turn out for the best. Don't forget to document your steps, modify your plans as time passes, and communicate frequently with your interlocutors.
• Learn to raise funds. Although you can be an activist on a very small budget, there are forms of activism that do not require any amount of money. Artists need supplies, bloggers need to host their sites, posters need the money for printing. Some forms of activism may cause you to raise money if you know how to write a project.

Warnings

• Understand the consequences if you intend to participate in acts of civil disobedience. Carry a lawyer's business card with you if you think you might be arrested.
• Beware of discrimination within activist circles. Unfortunately, it is very common that there are activists fighting for a cause from a privileged position. Examples include sexism in groups in support of homosexual rights and racism among white feminists. Never let racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, etc. grow uncontrollably in the group. Keep in mind the needs of others, and listen with an open mind to problems you have not considered. Make your events accessible and learn how to create a safe space if you are not familiar with this concept.