The Rent To Live Here

People need to understand that it takes an entire community to effect change. Small groups of individuals can have a certain degree of success; however, nothing is stronger and more effective than united, mass movement in a positive direction. Grass roots activism requires work, and social improvement requires sweat from all residents to achieve the labor needed to build new and better conditions.

The down and dirty chores that must be completed to make change a reality become so much easier to do when all with a stake in the matter contribute their individual talents. True, David did slay Goliath with the help of God. But, in our county, even with the grace of God, no one person or no one small group can be successful in defeating a large enemy that is so well entrenched. The imperative is that we all rise and take pertinent actions to defeat the deadly beast of prescription drug abuse.

One overriding question that is continually posed to those already active in the struggle is -- "What can I do, personally, to help?"

The answer is "many, many things." Minimal participation requires educating oneself about the problem. Beyond that crucial process and issuing statements of support is the real nitty-gritty, the bottom line. Joining a group and participating in group activities is essential. Still, an individual group member can do many other things to help procure change.

Today, the blog entry explores some of the best methods for total involvement in the movement.

Convert Friends

You can become active by converting friends to a cause. Does converting friends reach out to masses? Probably not, but it certainly has a high rate of success. Consider the tremendous boost that one or two new, committed activists can provide. And, if all current members would reach out to just one friend, membership roles would surely burgeon. Face it, some require a bandwagon to ride. Just ask any politician.

Hit the Streets  

Lord knows the Scioto Rx Task Force Action Team has planned and executed plenty of activities all over Scioto County in the last couple years. These activities do not immediately convert as many people as desired, but they do raise awareness. Every time the group does "hit the streets," hundreds of people witness the activity. Whether the group attending an event is small or large, shock waves emanate from the assemblage. Awareness is so important. You will be amazed at the natural curiosity you will develop when you go public.

Petitioning

A petition (including statement of position and desired outcomes) with signatures can be effective. When you write the petition, keep some important things in mind. The petition should be relatively brief and explicitly clear in design. A signature on a petition should be legible, dated, and signed only by the party supporting the position. Give prior consideration to the recipient(s) of a petition. You must choose the best possible target for your call to action.

Personal Outreach

Writing letters to the editor, e-mailing and calling officials is something everyone can do with little effort. You probably won't see the immediate impact of stating your personal opinion. Often, targeted officials collect all information and thoroughly analyze it before they reply with what they consider to be an appropriate response. Unfortunately many replies are standardized form letters - this is the nature of the game. But, the volume of individual responses is often the key to the amount of attention personal correspondence actually generates. Of course, personal, factual writing can produce great results also.

Lobbying Government

The process of influencing public and government policy can mean doing considerable political work. This means understanding all the regulatory and political bodies that can affect an issue. It is important to "speak the language" when lobbying. Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Mandate Communications, said, adding: “If you want to talk about your issues to a politician, think about how to explain it in the context of the policies and the voters that matter to them.” (Braniac, "How to Effectively Lobby an Elected Official or Legislator," www.ehow.com, 1999-2011)

Every politician worries about being re-elected, and they know the happier their constituency, the more likely their own re-election. All elected officials are "counters" - and they all pay attention to the numbers of voters in their districts who are pro or con any issue.

The "counting" is done by staffers. If you want to make a personal visit, always call for an appointment - remember that for congressional visits, you don't have to go to D.C.; all members of Congress have local offices. A call is almost as powerful, sometimes even more powerful, than a visit. Your prime goal is to speak with a staffer, so when the receptionist answers, request to speak with a staffer - the receptionist will understand that you are asking not to be made just a number on her tally sheet. Many times, no staffers will be available, so ask if there's a better time to call - and there should be. If the receptionist offers to have a staffer return your call, all the better.

If you wish to write, here are some pointers:

(1) Keep it to one page! This is an absolute; if you feel you need to say more, make a call or a personal visit. 

(2) Make sure you start by thanking the legislator for his/her good service. 

(3) Make your point clearly, short and sweet, but offer to be available for more input, and don't be surprised if you get a call from a staffer. 

(4) End with appreciation for the opportunity of discussing this important issue, and looking forward to the legislator's support. (

5) Don't forget that it is always in good taste to address your letter to, The Honorable Senator X.

Organizations And Clubs

Talking to groups like community clubs and organizations, parent/teacher/student organizations, librarian unions, activists, etc is very effective. They can all be very helpful allies to the cause while giving leaders a platform for disseminating information. Just get in contact and let them know what an organized group has to offer. For example, Scioto Rx Drug Task Force, SOLACE, Fix the Scioto County Problem of Drug Abuse, and The Apostolic Coalition are a few of the groups that offer speakers and many helpful services.

In Conclusion

No one can realize the potential of his or her contribution until their brains, hands and feet move. We could speculate all day, but, I find, the smallest actions can produce spectacular results. Each of us has a spark of unique talent to lend. Together, with all our movements, the contributions add immeasurably to the power of impact. I truly believe that activism, to be successful, requires acquisition of good information, time to digest the information, a commitment to appropriate response, and ACTION.

A Little Less Talk, A Little More Activism

There is no formal school for activists. No university degree qualifies the graduate to practice grassroots organizing. Activists as  practitioners of social change, come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, and even from all political parties. And all activists learn from experience. On the other hand, they should be able to benefit from the experience of others. Unfortunately, more often than not, people suddenly find themselves in a situation that requires a certain moral heroism. They had not planned to become activists.

So, activists find their passion. Many find it quite by accident. They organize. Then, they spread the word and get ready for appropriate action. Activists may or may not protest or confront others. Instead, they may try to persuade people to change their behavior directly, but they may not lobby, dissent, or protest politically.

For example, transformational activism is the idea that people need to transform on the inside as well as on the outside in order to create any meaningful change in the world. This type of activism may encourage people to see how they are connected to others and to look for common values to unleash collective creativity in change.

Sheila Kuehl ("I Do, Therefore I Am...," The Advocate, August 17 1999) explains how the Latin sentence, "Cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am) has never been a favorite expression of her activist views. She believes the more appropriate expression to be "Facio, ergo sum." (I do, therefore I am.) For Sheila, "do" completes the responsibility of the activist's mission.

People typically think about a cause of some importance and meekly ask, "How Can I Help?" Their initial caution to commit to action is understandable because they feel they must balance their support with all other aspects of their lives. And, indeed, many don't even ask the question of how they may help because they are afraid of dedicating themselves to something well beyond what they're actually willing to do. To these people, the offer of help is redeemable only in brief measures, if it is even justified as more than just a pleasantry of kind acknowledgment.

Others feel very cautious to commit because they do not trust anyone's strong, passionate desire to engage in a difficult struggle. Many of these people fear the "give an inch, take a mile" attitude that those in charge of the cause can apply to their first efforts. In other words, they fear being convinced by some strong personality to exceed their involvement over predetermined personal limits.

Stuart Bechman ("Making a Difference...," www.infidels.org, July 16 1997) says that although activism is encouraged by those in a democratic society, "... the more impact you wish to make, the more effort it will take. This is the tradeoff that most would-be supporters face in deciding to support a cause. But the good news is that no effort is wasted or pointless - many, many causes have been significantly furthered by just a few people spending a few minutes a day letting others know of their support for these causes. The single largest factor in a cause being realized is the number of people who are willing to stand up and make their voice known, over and beyond any other activity or effort."

There’s always a volume of excuses not to get involved in such efforts such as "It’s too time consuming," or "It's too easily ignored," or "It's not worth the effort." But, the truth is, people do not have to carry the world on shoulders to take advantage of their opportunities to create social justice with activism. Each person is extraordinary in talents and can help others by taking part in activities involving using information and wielding contributions to power.

Drew Davidson of ETC Press (www.etc.cmu.edu/etcpress, Carnegie Mellon University 2010) explains, "Activism and public relations are two areas that lend themselves well to the usefulness that cross-media communications can provide. Through grassroots movements and community support, we can use media to advocate for a variety of social justice issues."

Cross-media communications can encourage involvement and engagement in issues, giving people a chance to take an active role by speaking up and spreading the word from websites, to televisions ads, to buttons to wear.

Also, cross-media can help establish groups by finding people with similar interests and by helping keep them together with vital information. Dynamic websites enable all kinds of timely ways to touch base with activists.

This connectivity comes through the media, but it extends into the real-world by helping organize meetings. It helps people find content that they are interested in as well as help these people share their similar interests.

In conclusion, cross-media communication can dispel apathy. It can help change a group of fairly indifferent, semi-resistant, potential spectators into a dynamic group of socially concerned activists. The ease of using media contributes to the energy-saving advantages of joining a cross-media cause. Instead of falling victim to quitting, activists can contribute with their unique individual talents. In fact, the mass power of such an active attack is substantial.

From least to most active in listed order, Stuart Bechman ("Making a Difference...," www.infidels.org, July 16 1997) finds these contributions very beneficial to the activist community:

• Talk with those who agree with your viewpoint and offer a sounding-board for each other, reinforcing and strengthening your viewpoints.
• Talk to others who may not be aware of your viewpoint. Let them know of your viewpoint and of others who share it, what they're doing.
• Talk to others who you know disagree with your viewpoint. Engage in persuasive (but not confrontational) conversation to test your and their views against the other. See how well your viewpoint stands against theirs.
• Read/Listen to the media on a regular basis to learn about recent developments regarding the causes you support.
• Do research to discover organizations which support your viewpoint or cause, using the public library, an Internet Browser, or following up on authors and media sources who have written articles which support your viewpoint. Educate yourself by learning what these organizations know and have done about your cause.
• Provide a one-time contribution to any of these organizations which advocate your viewpoint.
• Prepare a database / card file of all organizations you discover that support your cause, including contact person, address and phone numbers, and any other related information such as clippings of their advocacy efforts. Use such acquired information to strengthen your viewpoint.
• Prepare a database / card file of all organizations you discover that oppose your cause, including contact person, address and phone numbers, and any other related information such as clippings of their advocacy efforts. Use such acquired information to test your viewpoint.
• Read/Listen to the media on a regular basis to study its presentation of the causes you support. Write a response to any articles or shows which seem to disagree with your viewpoint. Set a periodic personal goal to reach, say, two letters/month.
• Listen to talk shows which touch on issues of concern to you. Participate on a call-in basis to share your viewpoint. Set a periodic personal goal to reach, say, two call-in shows/month.
• Regularly support organizations which advocate your viewpoint. Become a member if you can afford it; or contribute money, time, or other resources you may have to offer.
• Pay attention to local political efforts that appear opposed to your viewpoint. Make your opposing viewpoint known in these efforts to any/all government officials privy to these efforts through a letter, a phone call, or personal appearance.
• Purchase 'Gift' memberships to the organizations that you support for local libraries and/or government officials so that they are kept apprised of the efforts and information being promulgated by the organizations you support.
• Participate regularly in local discussion groups that support your viewpoint. Contribute your ideas and opinions to these groups as often as you can.
• Support political candidates who strongly identify with your viewpoint, through money, time, or other resources.
• Write an article advocating your cause and submit it to a publication which supports that cause.
• Write an article advocating your cause and submit it to a publication which is neutral to that cause.
• Make a public commitment to regularly contribute in some way to an organization which supports your cause.
• Propose a project which you believe will further your cause and present it to others who may support your project.
• Take an advisory role in one of the organizations that supports your cause.
• Recruit another to join and support one of the organizations that supports your cause.
• Participate in a project sponsored by another.
• Offer to lead your (or someone else's) project to bring it to fruition.
• Find a friendly public forum which is interested in and supportive of your viewpoint. Speak on behalf of your cause in this forum.
• Find a neutral public forum which will allow you to voice your viewpoint. Speak on behalf of your cause in this forum.
• Lobby/campaign for money and/or resources for an organization that supports your viewpoint.
• Take a leadership role in one of the organizations that supports your cause.