At this time of year, you may be asking yourself, “How can I make a positive impact?”
Whether the 2024 election or the spirit of the holiday season has inspired you, there are many ways you can get involved in your community and help shape its future.
We spoke to Evan Weissman, founder of Warm Cookies of the Revolution, to share some ideas. The nonprofit uses art and creativity to make challenging issues more accessible through events, videos and other formats.
Identify what you’re working for or against
Weissman said the first step to creating positive change is deciding where and how to focus your energy. What do you want to prevent or obstruct? What do you want to protect or construct?
“You want to be defensive about the things that you don't like, that you want to be [in community] with other people to try to stop,” Weissman said. “That could be volunteering with organizations that are going to be defending things that the federal government is most likely going to be attacking” he explained, listing issues such as immigration and LGBTQ rights.
Weissman also encouraged people to think, “What are the constructive things that I want to be involved with civically?” This could be mentoring a student, leading a skillshare, or engaging in other actions that promote justice and equality.
Traditional approaches to civic engagement
If you’re feeling inspired to create civic change, Weissman said, there are a few ways to go about it.
You can take a typical approach, such as calling your representatives or attending city or town council meetings. Or, you can automate feedback to your representatives by subscribing to Issue Voter.
Issue Voter allows you to sign up for alerts based on your location and the topics you care about, regardless of political affiliation. Once you create an account, Weissman explained, you’ll get a message like, “Hey, this vote is coming up about military. Here's what the proponents are saying, here's what the objectors are saying.” Then, you can simply click a button in the message and Issue Voter will send an automated email with your name and information to the appropriate representative, articulating your support for, or opposition to, the measure.
Creative approaches to civic engagement
Disinterested in, or unable to, engage in traditional approaches like writing your representative or attending a public meeting? You’re not alone.
These approaches “can be hard for a lot of people,” Weissman admitted. “[Public meetings] are challenging because they're often not held at good times. They maybe don't have all languages represented … they might not have childcare.”
Plus, taking action “with other people is pretty key,” Weissman emphasized. That’s something you don’t get from making a call or writing a letter.
“Even if you're someone who's shy or introverted,” Weissman said, “I still think that things don't feel as challenging and impossible when you can do them together.”
As a part of Warm Cookies programming, residents of Aurora can also take advantage of a $500 stipend to host a civic party, and residents of Silverthorne and Leadville can participate in cross-cultural community gatherings in the coming months.
Here’s a list of accessible – and fun – ways to collaborate with others and create positive change in your community:
- Create a civically-minded book or craft club
- Lead a mutual aid fundraiser
- Start a community fridge or food pantry
- Lead a winter clothing or holiday toy drive
- Donate blood
- Start an identity-based discussion or activity group
- Create and distribute care packages to people experiencing homelessness
- Volunteer at a local animal shelter or foster animals at home
- Mentor a student
- Offer community yoga, meditation, tai chi or breathwork
- Lead a clean-up for a park, riverbank, or other public space
- Volunteer as a conversationalist to help someone learn a new language
- Donate money or other resources to a cause you believe in
Have other ideas for civic engagement? Share them with us at [email protected].
