Never too young for activism
Current mood: hungry

If questions submitted by Yahoo!Answers Community Service is any indication, young people in the USA want to get involved as activists in causes they care about, but aren’t sure how. Here are a few tips to get engaged:

• Look online for local, national and international organizations that are addressing the issues you feel most passionate about. Read their information, get involved in the advocacy efforts they promote, and subscribe to their email newsletters, if they provide such. Your goal is to stay educated and up-to-date about the issue(s) you care about, and to be able to be fact-based in your interactions with others when talking about this cause.
  
  
• Link to these organizations on your online social networking profiles (MySpace, FaceBook, Change.org, etc.), so that visitors to your profile will see these links and, perhaps, click on them themselves.
  
  
• Volunteer with these organizations, if you can, and attend their events if at all possible. This will keep you educated about their work and the issue(s) you care about, and will allow these organizations to demonstrate grassroots support for their work.
  
  
• Write your local, state and national representatives, as appropriate, to tell them you, as a individual citizen (not representing any organization), are concerned about whatever issue it is you feel passionate about and why you think they should address such. For instance, for international issues, such as regarding Sudan, you would write your national representatives (US Representatives & Senators), but for local issues, such as the lack of a recycling program in your community, you would write city and county officials.
  
  
• Write a letter to your local newspaper editor as a conerned individual, saying why a particular issue is important and encouraging others to care and get involved.
  
  
• Look to see where people running for local, state and national offices stand on the issue(s) you care about most. If a candidate’s web site doesn’t make it clear on where the person stands on the issue(s) you care about, write that candidate and ask.
  
  
• Create a blog on your MySpace, FaceBook or other social networking site and write about your experiences as an advocate, about what you are learning from the organizations working on a particular issue, about campaigns or events these organizations are undertaking, what kind of responses you get from political candidates, etc.
  
  
• Let the organization(s) you are supporting know about your advocacy efforts; you can send them copies of letters you have sent to the media or local officials, or let them know you are blogging about their cause.
  
  
• Be ready to register to vote as soon as you turn 18, and encourage everyone in your family to register to vote.
  

Currently listening : Van Lear Rose By Loretta Lynn Release date: 27 April, 2004

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Blood diamonds & civil wars in Africa
Current mood: awake
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

Why are there civil wars, let alone poverty, in countries that have wealth? It can be hard to understand... and there's no one explanation. Taking It Global gave it a try recently, with a spotlight on Sierra Leone, and did a pretty good job, focusing on how a lack of corporate responsibility contributed to the civil war there:

Known officially as the Republic of Sierra Leone, this country located in West Africa has.. a civil war caused in part by the diamond mining industry and the mismanagement of profits from Sierra Leone's substantial diamond resources. The Civil War was prolonged as it became funded in part with profits from the diamond mines, these came to be referred to as conflict diamonds, which are generally defined as 'rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments'. The situation in Sierra Leone was one of the reasons for the creation of the Kimberly Process, a certification process, which includes major corporations involved in the diamond industry, and works to ensure that diamonds being sold are conflict-free. Sierra Leone's civil war ended in 2002, but the role of the diamond industry in this violent Civil War is often used as an example, when discussing Corporate Social Responsibility, of why corporations must take into consideration, and be held accountable for the effects they have on people and politics, as well as communities and the environment.

Currently listening : Eye By Robyn Hitchcock Release date: 13 November, 2007

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How To Give
Current mood: animated
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

I don't just encourage other people to donate their money and time to the causes they believe in; I also donate and volunteer myself. Per the repeated questions on the Community Service section of YahooAnswers asking again and again "How do I pick an organization to donate to/volunteer with?", I've realized that there are a lot more people out there than I ever realized that want to help but just don't know where or how to start. So I created this web page of advice on how to make your choices regarding giving money, donating items, volunteering, or a career that will be focused on helping others. I hope that it will help you think realistically about what you can do now, and what you might be able to do in the future, in terms of all four of these categories.

Currently listening : The Lowdown By Roger Wallace Release date: 04 June, 2002

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International Bike Fund announces international trips 2008
Current mood: angsty
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

The International Bicycle Fund, a non-governmental, nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes sustainable transport and international understanding, has announced the dates of its African, Asian and South American bike travel programs. Trips include visits to traditional villages, national parks, wildlife viewing, important local sites, and extraordinarily beautiful scenery of western Uganda and a lot of people contact. These are excellent opportunities to gain a better understanding the lifestyles, history, culture and economics of the people. These trips are around two weeks each, and cost anywhere from $1190 to $1790, plus airfare. These cultural travel programs are IBF's main source of revenue. You can view full schedule and more details online. I have never been on an IBF trip; I'm just a huge supporter of anything that promotes alternatives to cars and inter-cultural understanding. I'm a big fan of IBF, particularly its page on encouraging bicycling and sustainable transport and its page on urban planning & design

Currently listening : Shout, Sister, Shout: A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe By Various Artists Release date: 12 August, 2003

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Win $500 To Do Good! (and update on MySpace Impact
Current mood: focused
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

MySpace Impact is a sponsor of theTake Action! Tour, coming to a city near you (in the USA) this February/March. Take Action! 2008 will benefit the non-profit organization - and former MySpace Impact Awards winner - Do Something. As part of this partnership, Do Something is offering special TakeAction! Grants this January, including one grant in the category of Poverty Relief empowered by MySpace Impact. The $500 grants are available to anyone in the U.S. or Canada, 25 or under, who has a great community action project or even a great idea that you want to get off the ground.

Currently listening : There, I Said It! By Tommy Womack Release date: 20 February, 2007

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contribute to the Digital AIDS Quilt
Current mood: determined

50% of new HIV transmissions take place amongst 15-24 year olds, so we need to connect with each other, empower ourselves and make change. Project Stitch is a youth focused HIV awareness project brought to you by AIDS Vancouver and YouthCO AIDS Society. The Digital AIDS Quilt is a multi-media collage created by young people. Now 289 pieces strong, this quilt expresses our experience and understanding of HIV’s-s impact. Add your piece to the ever-evolving quilt and you could potentially win a digital camera! Submit here

Currently listening : Train a Comin' By Steve Earle Release date: 28 January, 1997

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volunteering during the holidaze
Current mood: hungry
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

Volunteering during the holidays can be VERY difficult, because organizations are overwhelmed with requests from people wanting to volunteer at this time of year -- everyone is suddenly looking for that feel-good experience and, therefore, there aren't enough opportunities to go around. Be ready to present yourself very well when making inquiries (spell check emails, rehearse what you want to say on the phone, etc.), and be ready to contact many organizations before you are ultimately chosen to volunteer during the holidays.

If you want to volunteer at the holidays, do not wait one minute more -- you have to start looking NOW.

VolunteerMatch, Idealist and CraigsList all list volunteering opportunities with thousands of organizations in the USA. Also, contact your local volunteer center.

Currently listening : The Essential Bessie Smith By Bessie Smith Release date: 23 September, 1997

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Semester of Service beings Jan 2008
Current mood: artistic

The Semester of Service (www.ysa.org/semester) is a public-private strategy "to help young people find their voice, take action, and have impact on the most critical problems facing the world, such as climate change, hunger, homelessness, malaria, water scarcity, disaster preparation, aging, violence, and literacy." In January 2008, Youth Service America and the Corporation for National and Community Service are encouraging students, ages 5-25, to develop a 14 week service-learning project that launches on the Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 21, 2008) and culminates on the weekend of Global Youth Service Day (April 25-27, 2008).

Currently listening : The Essential Dolly Parton By Dolly Parton Release date: 28 June, 2005

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Help Free Eric Volz!
Current mood: sympathetic
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

Here's a few simple things you can to TODAY, right now, to make a difference in someone's life and to stand up for social justice:

1. Go to the MySpace Page for Eric Volz and ask to be a friend; this will allow more people to be reached by this story.
   
2. Go to the Eric Volz web site and read about this horrific miscarriage of justice: Eric is an American living in Nicauragua, and has been wrongfully convicted and jailed for a murder he did not commit.
   
3. Write your congressperson and senator to tell them you want them to do something about this horrific case. You can find the addresses online
   

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Climate Change: fight it!
Current mood: cold
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

Because climate change is one of the most serious issues facing young people around the world today, and in recognition of the incredibly important role that youth play in solving this crisis, TakingITGlobal has
created a Youth Guide to Action on Climate Change. The Guide seeks to inspire, inform and involve youth in the fight against climate change and equip them with the skills they need to make a real difference.

Currently listening : Positively Na Na By Tommy Womack Release date: 09 June, 1998

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