Making A Personal Social Justice Plan
Sometimes it feels overwhelming to think about all the injustice in the
world, and it's hard to think about what steps we can take to make a
difference. It can also feel like our actions might not have much
impact. Still, we know that many small actions can have an impact. And
our actions also have a ripple effect - they affect others, and they
affect the actions others choose to take.
Here is a tool I have used to help organize my plans for how I want to
work toward social justice in ways both small and large. I encourage you
to write this outline down and then fill it in with your own plans. (The
actions given here are simply examples.) You can be as vague or as
concrete as you like, although writing down more specific plans will
probably be more helpful to you and will help you to focus on action
rather than ideas.
Some of the plans you write down can be ones with a specific goal (e.g.
working to stop a particular corporation from developing your area) while
others can be things to work on for your whole life (recycling;
understanding your own racial identity). It can be very useful if you
return to it regularly - maybe every six months or every year - to see how
much progress you have made on your goals and whether you would like to
change anything.
If you wish, you can also choose to focus this entire
worksheet on one goal - for example, if you have decided that one issue
needs to be a priority for you. And you may certainly want to change
around the categories (e.g. maybe right now you don't have any money, but
you have a lot of time; or maybe there's a particular community you belong
to which should have its own section. Maybe you have access to other
resources besides money and time (building space, connections to
organizations, family members or friends who have the necessary
resources)
My Social Justice Plan
WITH MY MONEY, I CAN:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(- Plan ahead, rather than just giving to the
first few charities that ask me for money)
(- Give to social justice organizations as well as
charities)
(- Give to organizations that support the
following issues: ........)
WITH MY TIME, I CAN
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(- Research organizations and choose one to
volunteer X hours a week.)
(- Find a volunteer position where I can use the
following skills: ........)
(- Attend large demonstrations.)
IN MY WORK, I CAN:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(- Advocate for workers' rights within the
company/ agency.)
(- Set up a recycling program in my
workplace.)
(- When looking for a new job, I can choose to
work a company whose goals, ethics, and methods I agree with.)
IN MY __________ COMMUNITY, I CAN:
(This could be a religious community, a hobby/ leisure activity group,
or any other group that is a regular part of your life.)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(- Speak up against appropriation of Native
American culture)
(- Challenge heterosexism when I hear it.)
IN MY SOCIAL LIFE, I CAN:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(- Work to increase the racial and ethnic
diversity of my circle of friends)
(- Have movie nights where I show
thought-provoking movies about issues like racism, workers' rights,
etc.)
WITH MY __________ SKILLS, I CAN:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(This really depends on your specific skills
and the issues you are focusing on: Are you a lawyer who can lead legal
teach-ins before a demonstration or offer free legal aid to low-income
victims of abuse? Are you great at taking care of kids, and would be
willing to offer child care during workshops, demonstrations, meetings,
etc.?)
IN TRYING TO PUT THESE STRATEGIES INTO ACTION, I AM FACING THESE
DILEMMAS:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
(- How to move into a multicultural
neighborhood without contributing to gentrification)
(- How to diversify my group of friends without
making people into "tokens")
(- How to convince my coworkers to recycle more
without becoming annoying or obnoxious)
Back to Activism & Social Justice or Beth's Pagan Community Page or maybe just Beth's World of Wonders