by Ellie Langford Parks

Do you want to change the world? If so, you are not the only one. There are 23,000 non profit organizations in BC, with 1.5 million people volunteering.  They raise awareness and dollars for worthy causes: AIDS/HIV, environment degradation, climate change, health, peace, homelessness, local food and many more. If you are working to make the world a better place, here are a few things to consider.

Don’t be intimidated by the ‘experts’
You likely aren’t an expert, but you can read and understand the experts. Use critical analysis to judge for yourself. Experts are sometimes wrong or biased. Do research, know the facts, know the players, know the laws, know the issue. Knowledge is power.

Consider the level of impact
Impacts can be made at the personal, organisational, community, national or even global level. We can change our personal choices: what we eat, where we shop or bank, where we travel, and what method of transportation we use. Changes in lifestyle choices and in government and corporate policies are important. Shifts are needed at all levels to effect change. By joining groups, coalitions and movements, we increase our visibility and impact.

Keep on learning
A commitment to ongoing learning is essential. There are many ways of learning: from experience, from others, online, from books and videos, and in training workshops and degree programs. Analyse your skills and then go fill the gaps.

Plan trigger events
It is a myth that Rosa Parks decided spontaneously she was not going to give up her seat on the bus. In fact, she and many others in the civil–rights movement had trained at the Highlander School.  The movement was planning and waiting for the right moment to mobilise support for the bus boycott. Decide what trigger could help your cause get noticed, plan for it, and be prepared when it occurs.

Create clear, measureable goals
So you want to end poverty or stop global warming, but how do you measure gained or lost ground? A few clear measureable goals can focus your attention and efforts and can draw others in as well. Opportunities 2000 in Waterloo focused on families living in poverty and aimed to affect 2000 families by the end of that year. 2000 by 2000 was not only a great sound bite—it was a clear, measureable goal.

One of the best things about BC is the many passionate, involved citizens who care about others and work for positive change. As Julia Butterfly Hill said, “The question is not ‘Can you make a difference?’ You already do make a difference. It’s just a matter of what kind of difference you want to make during your life on this planet.”
 

 
Ellie Langford Parks is involved in many social change efforts; she works in the adult education and community development field and volunteers in her home community of Saltspring Island. She has a Master’s degree in adult education and community leadership focusing on social change.