VOLUNTEER
For many charities and organisations, time is just as precious as money. Give both if you can; but if money is tight, see if you can offer hands-on help.
From helping at a food bank to running social media for an awareness campaign, there’s always plenty to do.
Image by Tom O’Brien
BREAK THE LAW
Depending on where in the world you live, aggravated trespass, obstructing the police or criminal damage are offences for which you may risk arrest, a fine or even imprisonment.
But in the UK, it’s worth remembering that the defence of “preventing a greater crime” can hold good in Crown Court. That greater crime might, arguably, be genocide, global warming, poisoning of the water system… or many others.
Yes, you may wish to check with a good lawyer before you cross the line, but take heart from the Ploughshares activists, who walked free after damaging Hawk Jet planes in order to prevent them from bombing East Timor.
This action contravenes the law (obviously, in this case): proceed with caution.
Image by Kate Evans
RAISE FUNDS
Now more than ever, charities and services need money.
Fundraising needn’t be dreary: just find a way of making some money from what you enjoy, whether that’s running a craft fair, selling plant cuttings or drawing pictures.
Image by Steve Reynolds
SWAP THEM OUT
Changing your social media avatar or your mobile ringtone sounds pretty frivolous, doesn’t it?
But these small injections of your political beliefs into everyday situations can spread the word far and wide: every time your phone rings, every time you comment on a thread seen by others.
Image by Tessa Astre
LOOK TO YOUR BATHROOM
Environmental considerations be hanged; there are some things that just have to be disposable, right? No-one wants to use a cotton bud or toilet paper more than once, for example.
But you can still seek out less environmentally-damaging products, like paper cotton buds, or unbleached and recycled loo rolls.
As for sanitary products, well, that’s somewhere that there *are* reusable options, but if you can’t use them for whatever reason, the same applies: look for brands that don’t wrap each item in plastic, which use unbleached paper, and are composed of certified materials.
Image by Jo Harrison
HACK THE GOVERNMENT
In Taiwan, the government wasn’t being as transparent or making as much use of online technologies as certain hackers would have liked — so they created their own version of the government websites, just changing one letter of the URL (from gov to g0v).
With a single stroke of the keyboard, the public could access public assets and information as they ought to be, sharing open data and inviting collaboration.
Several years on, one of the primary instigators of this movement has become the country’s Minister for Digital.
Image by James Harvey
GIVE MINDFULLY
Donate money to an organisation whose values you share. They’ll know exactly how your money can best be put to work.
Image by Dave McKean
SKIM YOUR PROFITS
Comic makers can donate some of their proceeds to organisations that need the support (and include information about them in the publication, to help spread the word).
In fact, of course, anyone who sells anything can advertise that they’ll donate a percentage of the takings to a worthy cause.
Image by Pete Renshaw
SLEEP OUT
UK charity Centrepoint encourages a form of fundraising where you’re sponsored to sleep rough, typically in a public space such as a hall, and with others.
OK, so you’re hardly having the authentic homelessness experience, but it does mean that you learn a little about the discomforts of those on the street, while raising the money to help them.
Image by Aki Alaraatikka
BREAK THE CARTELS
London People’s Energy are campaigning for a publicly-owned energy company: “We want a new public company that cuts bills and cuts polluting carbon emissions. A non-profit company with social justice, clean energy and democracy at its core.”
You can do the same — and not just with energy, either. How about truly public transport, banks, or mobile phones for the people?
Image by Kirsty Hunter
VOLUNTEER
For many charities and organisations, time is just as precious as money. Give both if you can; but if money is tight, see if you can offer hands-on help.
From helping at a food bank to running social media for an awareness campaign, there’s always plenty to do.
Image by Nate Macabuag
BECOME AN EVENTS MANAGER
No need to wait for someone else to organise it: running an event is easy, especially if you’re a fan of checklists.
Hire a venue, make a Facebook page, alert the ‘what’s on’ magazines: bingo!
Now you can run a fund-raising event, or invite speakers, or collect and sort goods for the homeless. Or take it outside: a ramble or a group cycle rally can also be a great chance to raise funds and plan action.
Image by Yen Quach
LISTEN, PAY ATTENTION, & RESPECT
Respect the wishes of other people. If someone, for example, asks you to call them “him” instead of “her”, do it. Trust their judgement about themselves.
Image by Siiri Viljakka
GROW WILD
We depend on bees for many of our fruits and vegetables, but since 1945 the UK has lost 97% of it wildflower-rich meadows on which many species of bees depend.
Why not grow your own mini wildflower meadow or create a bee friendly habitat for your community, school or workplace?
If you have a space big enough, Friends of the Earth will provide kits and support to get you going and keep our world buzzing.
Image by Birta Thrastardottir
SIGN, SEAL, DELIVER
Signing a petition is so easy that it sometimes feels like it can’t be changing anything, but there are many examples of petitions that have reversed policy, halted poor decisions and changed the world.
In the UK, if a petition to Parliament gains more than 10,000 signatures, it must be considered for debate in the House. There is a similar law in Australia.
Once you’ve signed, share: your social circles are influenced by what you do, and sharing can bring in several more signatures.
Image by Nicholas Sputnik Miller
BE A RAGING GRANNY
Your rampaging days are not over just because you’re a grandparent.
According to Raging Grannies International, “The delights of grannying include: dressing like innocent little old ladies so we can get close to our ‘target’, writing songs from old favourites that skewer modern wrongs, satirising evil-doing in public and getting everyone singing about it[…]. Grannying is the least understood yet most powerful weapon we have.”
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions (depending on what you do, of course!): proceed with caution.
Image by Rachael Ball
PUT IT LIVE
We live in modern times — so whether you’re taking part in a protest, witnessing police brutality, or viewing conditions in a refugee camp: get it on film and show an unbiased, unedited picture to the world.
Putting a video on Twitter, Facebook, Periscope, YouTube or Instagram can be the quickest way to get news to spread — and to show the reality of a situation.
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions: proceed with caution.
Image by David Baillie
PUT UP A UNITED FRONT
Women have made massive strides in the workplace, but discrimination and inequality is still a daily reality of work for many women.
After being repeatedly talked over and ignored, female staffers in the White House came up with a plan to make their voices heard in a male-dominated office. When any one of them gave their views in meetings or emails, the other women would back them up by repeating that view themselves, overcoming the muffling effect of male dominance.
Image by Woodrow Phoenix
ATTEND MEETINGS
Go to your political party’s local meetings: otherwise known as creating an instant social circle for yourself, filled with people who share your world view. With the added bonus that you can change the world.
Image by Emily Haworth-Booth
START WRITING
Our parents wrote to the letters page of their local press.
These days, with online space to fill, many publications are happy to accept high-quality thought pieces from the public.
For local issues, approach your regional press and get your community onside. For national issues, go big.
Image by Keijo Ahlqvist
GET CREATIVE
Art speaks loudly. Painting a picture, making a movie, creating a song, a comic or a performance is a very direct way to the heart, and thence the minds, of society.
Image by Soizick Jaffre
SWAP SKILLS
Save some money and make some friends: pay for services like babysitting or carpentry by doing whatever you’re good at in return. Setting up a local bartering system can bring communities together, too.
Image by EdieOP
CARRY WATER
Along the US/Mexico border, the Border Angels charity leaves jugs of water along desert migrant paths, to prevent dehydration — an all-too-common cause of death for migrants.
Image by Katriona Chapman
START A COLLECTION
Consult the websites of migrant aid charities and food banks to see what kind of food is needed — usually dried or tinned goods.
Then ask your neighbours to help you collect them. Allocating one type of food to each street in your neighbourhood can be good — and then the competitive instinct kicks in as you see which street can come up with the most.
Image by Fumio Obata
DONATE SKILLS
You don’t have to have money to donate to a charity or other organisation: perhaps there are practical things you can give, like book-keeping, odd jobs, managing their social media — or even pro bono legal help.
Whatever you’re good at, there’s an organisation that will be glad of it.
Image by Dave Windett, writer John Gatehouse
PART-OWN YOUR STUFF
When every house in the street has their own electric drill, laminator, or anything else that you might only use a couple of times a year, it only benefits one thing — capitalism!
Let’s save some money, make friends amongst our neighbours, and do a bit of good for the environment by starting a sharing group. If that goes well, you could work up to sharing bigger things, like cars…
Image by Joe Decie
EAT LESS MEAT
More people are recognising the serious impact of the meat industry on our planet.
Producing meat — especially beef — destroys forests to make way for grazing land, diverts scarce water resources and uses up resources to produce animal feed that could be used to grow vegetables and grains, feeding more people.
Cows’ burps also produce massive amounts of methane, a climate-changing gas twenty-five times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Eating less meat, or going vegetarian, can only be a good thing. Good for the planet, and good for you, too.
Image by Sarah Lippett
BE WHO YOU ARE
…and allow others to be who they are.
BlackLivesMatter say ‘be unapologetically black’.
The same can apply across all ways of being. Be who you are, unapologetically. And help others do the same.
Image by Steven Appleby
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR PRIVILEGE
When the UK branch of Black Lives Matter used civil disobedience to shut down the road to City Airport, they sent white protesters.
Why? Because in societies where black people are more likely to experience police violence and be sent to prison, white protesters — when invited to — can use their relative freedom from police brutality and harsh prison sentences to further the cause.
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions: proceed with caution.
Image by Zara Slattery
BE SOMEONE TO LOOK UP TO
Be a mentor to someone who needs your life experience.
Centrepoint, the homeless charity in London, says “If you’re passionate or knowledgeable about something, you could apply your skills to helping homeless young people. Buddy up with a young person who wants to get into the gym or supervise gym sessions if you really know your stuff, volunteer at cooking workshops, teach young people to garden or run sessions that help them gain some of the professional or life skills you have.”
Image by Soizick Jaffre
FOLLOW THE LEADERS
Whatever you believe in, find the group that’s making change and follow them, by signing up for their newsletter, or following them on social media.
Seeing others working for causes we feel strongly about is encouraging, and may help us to do more ourselves.
On a practical level, you’ll never miss their messages, calls to action or fundraising events. You’ll learn about the more in-depth issues behind the cause. And believe it or not, every little ‘like’ or ‘follow’ adds legitimacy to their voice, helping them exert more power on governments.
Image by Mijal Bloch
MONITOR YOUR PARLIAMENT
Parliaments aren’t always the best placed to ensure that their work is being presented impartially, clearly, and accessibly &emdash; that’s why, in many countries, NGOs have taken it upon themselves to do it better.
Modern technology and the internet mean that it’s now relatively easy to set up a website that gives citizens easy access to everything their representatives are doing in Parliament, from what they say to how they vote.
And once those representatives see that they’re being watched in this way, it may have the knock-on effect that they start behaving a little more responsibly!
Image by Paul Peart Smith
CRAFT YOUR PROTEST
Sarah Corbett found traditional methods of protest to be aggressive, loud and unkind – so she embraced Craftivism, a gentler form of protest.
Her project to give embroidered handkerchiefs to the Marks and Spencers board worked: it brought about a change in policy that saw a higher-than Living Wage being introduced for the department stores’ workers.
Craftivism encourages contemplation, community and critical thinking — and anyone can do it.
Image by Joan Reilly
STOP THE ROT
Ask your local restaurants to donate their leftover food to the homeless — or like this bagel shop, turn it into beer!
Better still, see if there’s a set-up like the Real Junk Food Project which will collect waste food and turn it into meals for those who need it.
Image by Riyadh Rateme
If you’ve been angry six times this week, the next outrage might just start to feel a bit samey – but we’ve got to keep shouting.
You might lose a few Twitter followers, friends might begin to yawn… some things are more important.
Image by Richard Tingley
BUILD A WALL OF KINDNESS
While Donald Trump was first talking about his divisive wall, the concept of a “Wall of Kindness” was blossoming in Iran.
Stretches of wall are painted and furnished with pegs. Then, people hang clothes, food and and goods that they no longer need for the homeless or poor to take.
The concept is spreading: several UK towns currently feature their very own walls of kindness (in the case of Brighton, it’s a seafront shelter of kindness…)
Image by Jaime Huxtable
PUT OUT A WELCOME MAT
Let refugees know that they are welcome.
Befriend them, give them a friendly smile, put a poster up in your window (or that of your workplace), donate clothes and toys.
You may even consider fostering or sharing your home with those who need a roof over their heads.
Image by Karrie Fransman
ESCHEW THE NEW
Buy second hand. You’ll be benefiting a charity if it’s from a thrift store, or helping out the seller if you buy direct.
Either way, you’ll be circumventing big business and shrinking your carbon footprint.
Image by Myfanwy Tristram
CHECK YOUR VOCABULARY
Daisy Hernández, author of A Cup of Water Under My Bed, says: “What are you noticing about headlines when the police kill another black teenager? Is the teen described as a kid on his way to college or as a “black male”? I try to raise awareness that we’re trafficking in racial ideology 24-7 online — and that we can change the direction of these conversations every time we hit “comment.”
Same applies across all sectors of society — from gender non-binary to disabled people, and everything in between — but let’s especially listen to what the black community is telling us. Pick your words with care.
Image by Victor Szepessy
SHOP LOCAL
Using local businesses is one of the most pleasant political actions there is.
You get your goods (often with exemplary customer service) *and* the warm glow of satisfaction that comes from knowing that your money is going directly into the local community.
Image by Lucy Knisley
TELL STORIES
If you’re a great yarn-spinner, tell the first person stories that show the human side of the big issues. They really go straight to the heart.
If you’ve got skills in writing, video or radio, so much the better — and if you haven’t, what better time to learn them?
Image by Jessica Trevino
SUPPORT A FAMILY
Could you help a family who are new to your country?
In the UK, groups can become ‘Community Sponsors’: “you will be allocated a family fleeing conflict, and it will be your responsibility to support the resettled family from the moment of arrival in the UK.”
Other countries have similar schemes — check your local council or national government website for details.
Image by Karen Rubins
MAKE A JOKE
If humour is your strong suit, we need you now more than ever.
Things that make us laugh spread like wildfire online: you can smuggle important political messages in there, too.
Plus couldn’t we all do with a little more laughter in the world?
Image by Jim Medway
MEET THE NEIGHBOURS
Run a zocalo. Named after the Mexican city square, a zocalo is a simple scheme to encourage neighbourhood community.
The official Zocalo website says: “On Zocalo Day we invite you to step out from your home, plonk a chair on the street and get to know your neighbours. Of course, if you want to share tea and biscuits with them, all the better. Zocalos are mercifully free of fund-raising, red tape, council intervention and bunting. And with any luck, at the end of the night you’ll find you’ve acquired a whole load of new friends who just happen to live down the road”.
Some of those new friends might be people who are very much in need of a neighbourhood community, to combat loneliness or because they find it difficult to leave the house.
Image by Amy Lam
LAYER UP
Instead of turning the heating on, put another layer on. Just like your mum told you.
Image by Danny Noble
CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL
In Madrid, one restaurant charges its customers during the day, and uses the profits to feed the homeless in the evening.
Image by Jeroen Janssen
RECLAIM THE NIGHT
As many women will tell you, it can be scary walking alone at night, and for good reason. But everyone should feel free to walk where they want, when they want.
Take Back the Night marches, which see hundreds or even thousands of women join forces to march through parks, industrial estates and other places they feel unsafe, send that message loud and clear.
Men can take part by planning and attending support vigils for survivors of violence against women.
Image by Beata Sosnowska
KNOW YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Websites like TheyWorkForYou.com in the UK, and similar sites set up by NGOs in many other countries, allow you to subscribe to your MP so you get an email every time they speak in Parliament.
Keep careful watch and make sure you contact them if you’re displeased with their activity.
Image by Hannah McCann
PIN A BADGE ON
This tiny action takes your beliefs out into the world, and shows people you’re ready to discuss them. Badges on the lapel? That’s fashion forward, too!
Image by Sean Azzopardi
TRANSITION YOUR TOWN
Commit your town to increasing self-sufficiency to reduce the potential effects of peak oil, climate destruction, and economic instability.
Image by Dave Crane
SORT IT OUT
Organisations helping refugees and migrants need help sorting donations and packing aid.
For the more adventurous (or those less tied to duties at home) there are openings for people to travel and distribute goods. The migrant situation changes fast, so check the websites of charities organising the collections and distribution to see what’s needed and where.
Image by Beata Sosnowska
WRITE SONGS
The catchier the tune, the more likely it is to spread.
So, what if you wrote a hummable tune that listed all the lies politicians had told, like Chequeado did in Argentina? Or an anthem that got people up and protesting?
If music is your superpower, use it.
Image by Maël Estevez
SHARE YOUR SKILLS
Run a workshop to share your practical knowledge, whether that’s about cooking, gardening, bike repair, plumbing…or anything else that will help people save money.
Image by Jenny Drew
GO REUSABLE
Convenience be hanged, every disposable razor, pen, coffee cup or carrier bag we buy is wasting resources, magnifying our carbon footprint, and going straight to landfill — not to mention the horrible chemicals that were probably involved in its making.
We’re all used to the canvas tote bag now — it’s time to research permanent, reusable alternatives for the other wasteful goods in our lives.
Image by Daniel Locke
SAY IT OUT LOUD
When the political narrative directly turns against your beliefs, your race, your sexuality or your lifestyle, it’s frightening.
Do you know someone who may be reading the news and feeling that fear right now? Let them know you’ve got their back. You’d be surprised how much a few words can do.
Image by Josie Pearse
LEAVE A DEPOSIT
Shop dropping is the opposite of shop-lifting: instead of taking from a store, you leave something.
Slip a note into a jacket pocket, pin a badge onto a lapel, or leave a drawing between the pages of a book: a political message for a future shopper to find.
Works particularly well for spreading the word on issues like sweatshop conditions, the living wage, and undesirable business connections.
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions: proceed with caution.
Image by Kate Charlesworth
BORE ON
It can be dispiriting, always being the wet blanket who points out that buying certain foods or frequenting certain businesses is supporting unethical practices.. but peer pressure is a remarkably powerful tool.
Keep it up, and soon they’ll be the ones reminding you!
Image by Hanna-Pirita Lehkonen
HANG UP A WELCOME SIGN
If you own a business or work somewhere public, display a sign to make it clear that everyone is welcome.
In Portland, Oregon, USA, the Independent Publishing Resource Center made signs that read: We welcome ALL races,ALL religions, ALL countries of origin, ALL sexual orientations, ALL genders. We stand with you. You are safe here.
If you’re a maker, you can produce something similar — and make them available to others. Offer them via social media, using your local hashtag, Facebook page or message board.
Image by Sally-Anne Hickman
BE A TRUFFLE PIG
Even in the city foraging is a way to find great food. You’ll also get some exercise and fresh air, reconnect with the natural world and save money. Plus, it’s the ultimate in reducing your food-related carbon footprint.
Sign up for a foraging course to make sure you’re picking the right plants, though — we don’t want any poisonous toadstools in your dinner.
Image by EdieOP
STAY ANGRY
If your anger is justified, don’t let others shut you down by telling you it’s ill-mannered to contradict their views. That’s just a diversionary tactic. Stay angry.
Image by Jeroen Janssen
THROW A HASHTAG OUT THERE
Social media campaigns can be a hugely effective way to get the word out to the masses.
Take inspiration from Movember or the Ice Bucket Challenge. If you need to bone up, there are many many advice guides available online.
Image by Zoe N. Sugg
JOIN THE PARTY
It costs surprisingly little to become a card-carrying party member. It also gives you the right to vote on important party decisions, like leadership and the stance they take on important issues.
Image by Freya Harrison
STAND UP
People like you don’t stand for election, right? That’s exactly why you should consider it.
When government is dominated by the rich, the privileged, the male, or other dominant groups, legislation tends to favour those people. We owe it to our own communities to represent them in local and national politics.
Image by Rosa Devine
SHOUT TO THE STREET
Use your window as a political billboard.
Share your beliefs with the postman, visitors, and passers-by.
Many organisations, charities and causes offer posters that you can request by mail or print out directly from their websites.
Image by Joanna Neary
BROADCAST
Radio and podcasts are a great way to get your message across — right into people’s ears!
It’s one of the most direct, and intimate forms of media.
Is there a community radio station near you, and would they accept, for example, a programme full of refugee voices? In Brighton UK, RadioReverb does just that, hosting Refugee Radio.
No stations in operation? Time to set up your own. Why not?
Image by Michi Mathias
PLANT RADICAL ROOTS
Start a community gardening project where everyone reaps what you sow together.
You’re growing cheap, healthy food, and at the same time, creating friendships, getting fresh air and exercise, improving mental health, and reducing the amount of fruit and veg that needs to travel half way round the world.
Image by Zara Slattery
REQUEST TRUTH
Under many countries’ Freedom of Information Act, citizens have the right to request information from publicly-funded bodies, and in most cases, if the bodies hold that information, they must provide it.
FOI can be an extremely powerful tool. Use it to uncover corruption, misspent funds, cuts in budgets, and more.
Image by I.Fluke
SWITCH TO GREEN
If we’re going to prevent climate disaster, we need to get fully behind renewable energy.
Switch to a green energy provider and ensure that the water in your cuppa is boiled by the wind, sun and sea rather than fossil fuels. Swapping providers is really easy these days, and you’ll be making a proper difference every time you boil the kettle.
Image by Aki Alaraatikka
SMILE, DON’T STARE
If you see someone who looks a little different for whatever reason, don’t stare. Just like anyone else, they have feelings too.
The difference between them and you? This might the first time you’ve been in this situation; for them, it’s a constant reality.
One of our artists says, “I’m a wheelchair user and get stared at a lot, but those that just nod, smile and acknowledge me, make my day”. He suggests, “See the person not the difference”.
Image by Mirka Oinonen
RESEARCH YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS
Read up on how people prefer to be supported. Your assumptions may not be quite right.
Image by Richy K. Chandler
CLICK THE LITTLE TRIANGLE
If you see an ad or status on Facebook, and it spreads hate, lies or misinformation, look for the small triangle (usually top right) which will enable you to report it. Same on lots of other social media sites.
In the short term it will notify the site that the ad needs reviewing — but it may have an aggregate effect, too. If everyone did this, those advertisers would begin to be shunned by social media platforms and businesses who have an interest in keeping their users happy.
Image by Christine Wong
RAISE A BETTER GENERATION
Kids are the voters of tomorrow. Let’s make sure they have some solid values and a good understanding of the way the world works.
Talk to them about unfairness in the world. Teach them equality and understanding. Help them to understand their own rights, and the rights of others. Let them know that our elected representatives are available, and how to access them when we need them.
If you feel a political figure has let you down, tell your child about that too: people are fallible, even those in power, and that’s an important lesson to learn.
Image by Rosa Devine
GO SLOW
Fast fashion — the phenomenon of cheap highstreet shops churning out clothes that are only designed to last a season, cost almost nothing, and then end up in landfill — is bad for the environment.
“Clothes are the second largest source of pollution after oil,” according to the US organisation Opposing Views.
It’s very likely also bad for the people who make the clothes. Ask yourself how much the factory workers must be being paid, to be able to offer garments at such low prices. Then research the more ethical options and take your custom there.
Buy fewer items that are high quality and will last longer.
Image by Rica March
PUT THE PRESSURE ON
Tell your MP or other representative what you expect them to do about the issues that matter to you. And keep telling them.
You might get a pat, generic response: that’s not good enough, and you should write back to tell them so. Otherwise, how will they know? It’s our job to hold our representatives to account.
Image by Simon Russell
QUESTION THE NEW NORMS
If the government has slashed support to vital services, there’s a risk that within a generation, we’ll forget that they were ever publicly-funded.
Don’t stop putting pressure on the government to remind it of its responsibilities in whatever areas you consider most important: could be healthcare, libraries, services for the vulnerable, and many, many more.
Image by Ash Pure
HAVE YOUR DAY IN COURT
Your government should serve you. If you believe they have gone so badly astray from this path that they are doing actual harm, there is recourse: you can take them to court.
Yes, it takes guts; it takes money too. But it may just save the world. In the US, for example, kids are suing the government over climate change.
Image by Amber Hsu
MEME IT UP
If something strikes you as politically outrageous, world-changing or important to know, ain’t nothing like a meme to get it out there.
Visit a site like memegenerator.net, stick it on Twitter or Facebook and bob’s your uncle.
Image by Henri Tervapuro
KNOW WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA
Subscribe to an online service so that you’ll always know when an important vote is coming up.
Contact your MP or representative and tell them how you want them to vote — even if you know they’ll be toeing the party line. Get your right-thinking friends to do the same.
If enough people make their feelings clear, your representative will convey that upwards to Parliament.
What if there’s no website like this for your country? You can set one up!
Image by Sarah Mirk
REREAD HISTORY
They say history is written by the victors, so a great way to understand the roots of injustice is to read the accounts written by the other side — people who have survived loss and oppression.
Try historian Henry Reynolds’ account of Britain’s near-genocide of indigenous people in Australia, or Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.
Black History Month can also be a great way for anyone to learn more about the history we don’t hear about in schools.
Image by Graeme McGregor
START A PETITION
Starting your own petition is really easy. In the UK, use a service like 38 Degrees to exert power on big business or non-governmental institutions.
For governmental issues, use their own petitions facility at https://petition.parliament.uk
Image by Aneurin (Nye) Wright
REPRESENT EVERYONE
If you’re an artist who includes characters in their work (from cartoonist to scriptwriter to designer), make sure that you depict all kinds of people.
By showing characters who are disabled, non-heteronormative, from religious or ethnic minority backgrounds and so on, you can play a huge part in the public’s perception that all types of people as unremarkable or sympathetic.
Image by Kripa Joshi
BEAR WITNESS
The work of comic artists like Olivier Kugler and Kate Evans show us that documentary or reportage drawing can be a powerful tool.
As comic artists we might feel that we don’t have much to offer when faced with gross injustices, poverty, or warfare. But we can tell stories, and in a very immediate way.
A way that can change minds, soften hearts, even alter the political discourse.
Image by Sousa Machado Arts
START A CLUB
Casserole clubs are an Aussie concept: volunteers share extra portions of home-cooked food with people in their area who aren’t always able to cook for themselves — the elderly, the disabled, the lonely. Cooks share once a week, once a month, or whenever works best for them.
Image by Laura Sorvala
CHECK FACTS
Facts are a better weapon than insults, that’s for sure.
In a ‘post-truth’ world, let’s hold onto the importance of veracity. In the UK you can use FullFact.org, and in the US, Politifact, and there are numerous projects worldwide with the same mission: remaining politically neutral while simply researching and presenting the facts behind news stories.
Image by David Blumenstein
LOOK FOR THE REASON
Most human beings don’t just hate for no reason: they have a narrative that explains their beliefs.
Perhaps they see a link between the immigrants coming into their town and the fact that they can’t get a job or a house.
Maybe a strong religious upbringing implanted a fear of alternative sexualities, and a belief that they are doing harm in the world.
Once we begin to understand the reasons for beliefs, we can also understand how to change them. We might even find that there are some valid grievances underlying the rhetoric — tackle those and let’s see what happens.
Image by David Blumenstein
PLANT A TREE
The Woodland Trust gives eight reasons for planting a tree, from providing a habitat for the many creatures that live on, below and around them, to helping with flood defences.
In the UK, they’ll even provide trees for schools and communities, for free.
Image by Abigail Lingford
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES
Trying to make a better world?
Write a blog as you go about it. Sharing your experiences with the world sets a precedent, and normalises them for the next person thinking of doing the same.
Image by Richy K. Chandler
TEACH LANGUAGE
Help people who have just arrived in your country by getting them started with the lingo. It’s one of the most basic, yet life-changing things you can do — and by virtue of being a native speaker, you’re already an expert.
Image by Kane Lynch
QUESTION SOURCES
Don’t believe everything you read. Always check whether that news story has come from a trusted source — especially if you’re planning on sharing it!
Image by Roger Langridge
CHALLENGE HATEFUL VIEWS
Online or face-to-face: don’t let it pass, say something.
Image by Al Davison
RESIST IMMIGRATION RAIDS
The Anti-Raids Network list this as one of their recommended actions. We reckon there might be a hundred ‘fun’ or ‘accidental’ ways to do this.
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions: proceed with caution.
Image by Nic Vas
PRINT MONEY
Towns like Totnes and Lewes in the UK have created their own local banknote. It can only be used within the town walls, meaning that its recipients must shop local, and its benefits never leave the local community.
Image by Kel Winser
GIVE UP A LUXURY
In the habit of buying something you don’t need?
Whether it’s your mocha-chocca-latte of a morning or your fast-fashion habit, why not challenge yourself to give it up — for good, or for a set amount of time — then give the money you would have spent to an organisation that really needs it.
Image by Penny Sharp
BE PLAYFUL
People love online games and quizzes, so they’re a great way to get a political message across, or to educate people about the detail of a complex issue. If you’re a coder, you could make games for the general good.
Image by Maria Björklund
OPEN YOUR EARS
Opinions are like… ahem.
Anyway, everyone has one and we’re often eager to express them.
But when you’re speaking to someone with direct personal experience of an issue, like discrimination, take the time to let them speak, understand their experiences and reflect on their viewpoint.
Image by Miia Vistilä.
DONATE YOUR WASTE GOODS
If your car is only good for scrap or your phone is due for an upgrade, there are services which will take them off your hands and donate any proceeds to the charity of your choice.
Image by Paul Shinn
SEEK OUT A NEMESIS
Speak to someone you disagree with.
Have a full discussion as though both your perspectives are valid and worthy of discussion. Because here’s the thing… you might just find out that they are.
Image by John Riordan
FOLLOW THE MONEY
You work hard for your money, so the last thing you want is some dodgy corporation using it to fund something you’re opposed to.
Banks can use your money to invest for their own profits, so find out if your bank is putting it into, say, the arms trade, fossil fuels or businesses that use slave labour.
Then close that account and tell other people what you’ve done. And remember to tell your bank: “It’s not me, it’s you”.
In the US, the Sacred Stone Camp, campaigning against the Dakota Access Pipeline, called on people not just to close down their accounts if their bank was funding the pipeline, but to take a picture of themselves doing so and spread it far and wide via social media. They recommended putting the withdrawn funds into a credit union, a non-profit co-operative run for its members.
Image by Guin Thompson
FORM A POSSE
Gather people together — online or in your living room.
What are you going to achieve — the downfall of the state? Helping the homeless? Changing legislation? Make an action list. Then act.
Research shows that meeting in person is a more effective way of staying motivated and productive.
Image by Jan Wheatley
BE AN INTROVERT
If you can’t find it in yourself to go out and protest, there’s a simple way to help: by supporting your louder friends who can.
Cheer them on, cook them food, help them make signs — whatever you can manage.
Image by Beth Zyglowicz
CALL OUT
Sites like Human Rights Watch’s “Call It Out”, Everyday Sexism, Bye Felipe and For Exposure use the simple but effective strategy of collecting real-life instances of bad behaviour (in these cases, hate crimes, sexism and non-payment of artists) and publicising them to the world via a website and Twitter account.
By sharing the incidents you witness, you’re contributing to a public database that holds the nation to account.
Also, it’s pretty simple to copy this model for any other areas of injustice, and set up your own website. One we’ve heard about recently is Beer Sexism, collecting examples of women-unfriendly behaviour in the world of microbreweries.
Image by Apila Pepita Miettinen
RESIST IMMIGRATION RAIDS
The Anti-Raids Network list this as one of their recommended actions. We reckon there might be a hundred ‘fun’ or ‘accidental’ ways to do this.
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions: proceed with caution.
Image by Nic Vas
INTERPRET A NEW LIFE
If you’re bilingual, your language skills could be of great help to those settling in your country.
Contact migrant aid charities to volunteer interpreter skills, or translate vital printed materials.
Image by Hannah Berry
WALK THE STREETS
It’s really easy to organise a march or a demonstration these days, thanks to social media. So, get everyone out on the streets and let’s shout about injustice.
Image by Simon Russell
MAKE A NOISE
Campaign, march, demonstrate, use non-violent direct action. Take heart from those who have taken this route before, and who have made change — through history, like Martin Luther King, and in recent times, like the Feminist Library campaign in London.
Image by Una
QUESTION THE NARRATIVE
It’s a really good, if somewhat cynical, habit to get into: ask yourself what forces or agendas are behind the news.
Every story can be presented in a variety of ways. If you believe that output is being swayed by forces that aren’t entirely neutral, call it out.
Teach your children to do the same (that part’s easy — just shout at your TV or radio every night).
Image by Landis Blair
INDULGE IN CONSUMERISM
Don’t feel guilty about going on a little shopping spree — just make sure you’re buying the t-shirt, badge or mug from an organisation whose cause you support.
Image by Ally Shwed
PAY WELL
Fair pay means giving employees a wage that covers a basic standard of living with some extra to account for unexpected costs or to go towards building a more secure future.
The Living Wage Foundation say: “In low paid sectors a vicious cycle of high levels of staff turnover and absenteeism can drive problems of operational inefficiency, low standards and weak productivity that hit the bottom line.”
If you employ staff, consider joining companies like Brewdog and Oliver Bonas which pay the real living wage. You’ll bring a piece of mind to your workforce. You’ll nurture happier, more engaged workers who’ll stick around. And you’ll reflect fair values back into your business
Image by Beth Dawson
HACK YOUR STREETS
With cutbacks to local authorities, who’s going to make improvements and repairs to our streets?
Here’s a radical idea — you!
Naturally, this one isn’t strictly legal (although in some places, local councils are training residents up to fill minor potholes) so it will all depend on your perception of the balance between doing good, and staying within the law.
This action may contravene the law in some jurisdictions: proceed with caution.
Image by Steve Reynolds
EXPOSE YOUR KIDS
Make sure your children are reading books and watching movies that present a diverse range of characters and expose them to worlds outside their own.
Choose entertainment that will help shape them into true citizens of the world.
Image by Sally Kindberg
BE SOMEONE’S VOICE
There are those whose voice is easily drowned out: those with learning difficulties, the frail, the elderly, those who find language difficult.
For them, it can be impossible to get their wishes and needs expressed to doctors, the judiciary, landlords and others who have some power over elements of their lives.
Volunteer via local charities to advocate for people whose voice is not heard.
Image by Kate Moon
HOLD AN AUCTION
Ask your artist friends to donate a piece of work, then sell it in a live auction or online, to raise money for a cause that needs it.
Image by Lily-Rose Beardshaw
BECOME A BIG TWITTER FISH
In this day and age, cultivating a large set of Twitter followers isn’t just a vanity project: it’s an asset.
Followers can be mobilised for important causes You can also use your tweets for good, via platforms like Just Coz.
Image by Deborah Fajerman
EMPLOY THE LESS EMPLOYABLE
Could you give a job to someone who would find it hard to secure work elsewhere?
Consider recruiting from groups such as ex-convicts – giving them less reason to return to a life of crime – or those with autism, learning difficulties or disabilities, allowing them a chance for paid work that few others may offer.
Image by Wallis Eates
SEE PEOPLE AS PEOPLE
The charity Streets of London say that we must “challenge the perception that homeless people are any different from the rest of us. Homelessness begins when something bad happens and you don’t have family or friends around to help. It could happen to any of us.”
The same logic can be applied across many sectors of society: they may be temporarily disadvantaged, but they are people.
Image by Woodrow Phoenix
SPEND WISELY
Read up on the places where you spend your money: do they pay their workers a living wage? Do they support sweatshops or child labour? Do they fund the weapons industry or finance a political party that you disagree with?
Many apps and websites can help you. Shopping with local independent businesses can also help you avoid many of the big, bad brands.
Image by Emmi Bat
KICK IT OLD-SCHOOL
Got access to a photocopier or printer? Make a zine, then hand it out at a gig or political meeting. Whee, it’s just like the 80s all over again.
Image by Rachael House
GO LARGE
Billboards aren’t just for the big multinationals: anyone can display their message in ten foot high lettering above a busy street, if they’re willing to pay for it (and provided that message is legal!).
Or why not send your words all over town, on the side of a bus, like Stonewall did? Crowdfunding could help you raise the money.
Image by Hunt Emerson
SEND A LETTER
Asylum seekers in detention will welcome your letters.
Image by Sha Nazir
SPEAK UP AGAINST BULLYING
If you see someone being bullied, online, at work, at school, at home or in public, stand by the victim.
And speak up: report it to your boss, your teachers, the police. If they’re the people doing the bullying, go public. You owe it to everyone.
Image by Cesar Lador
CRANK UP THE SINGER
If you’re handy with a sewing machine, making your own clothes means that you can opt out of the multinational fashion business, which often exploits workers, ships garments half way round the world, and dictates how women should look.
Fashion-loving blogger Ivy Arch set herself a challenge to stay away from clothes shops for a year, in 2013, and never went back. As a result, she’s now got one of the most personal and eclectic wardrobes you’ve ever seen.
Image by Jacqueline Nicholls
DIG DEEPER
Have conversations that help you understand the opposite points of view.
Knowledge is power, and what’s more, a little understanding makes for much more useful dialogues.
The internet is already full of people throwing insults at those who hold opposing views. Let’s genuinely try and understand where they’re coming from.
Image by Rakel Stammer
DIVERSIFY YOUR BOOKCASE
Seek out and read stories, books and comics created marginalised people. Recommend them to others. It’s a win-win: not only are you increasing your knowledge about a different world view, but you’re supporting the authors too.
Image by Amanda Priebe
POP YOUR BUBBLE
Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook foster ‘echo chambers’ — networks where everyone shares broadly similar views
After shock elections and referendums, citizens of both the USA and the UK understood the need to seek out opposing viewpoints. In the UK, PositionDial.com provides a subtle and thoughtful way of doing this — and then gives you actions you can take.
Image by Adrien Lee
VOTE, VOTE, VOTE
The UK group Disabled People Against Cuts say “There are 12 million disabled people in this country. If all of them over 18 voted, our world would change”.
The same goes for everyone. About 41% of eligible people didn’t vote in the recent US elections, and in the UK, 33% didn’t vote in the general election while approximately 28% didn’t take part in the EU referendum.
Image by Jenny Soep
