5 Ways To Change The World

These past few days, I’ve been unsure what to say so instead I did. I signed petitions, I shared resources, I educated myself, I reached out to friends and family, I wrote letters and emails. While contributing, I knew there was a way I could do even more. Drafting post after post, none of the words felt right. That was until this tweet came across my timeline and I was forced to face the truth:

Good Morning ☀️

What’s your biggest struggle as a blogger and/or YouTuber ?

— CherishingFlo (@CherishingFlo) June 5, 2020

I tweeted my reply as quick as the words crossed my mind, “Currently I’m struggling to find a way to shift from the mindless content I was writing to posts that I’m passionate about. Yes, I love what I’m writing about as far as they are hobbies, but I’d like to write a blog that actively makes a difference” – tweet via @bricuzisaidso.

Bri Cuz, I Said So acknowledges it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Today I decided to say something.

Here are 5 ways you can make the world a better place:

Do something

Be active both in the world and in your community, no act of love is too big or small. As the planet takes steps toward eco-friendly living, the topic of pollution has become more commonly spoken about. If this is an issue you find yourself concerned about, google ways to take action. Go for a walk around your neighborhood with garbage bags and gloves to pick up litter or find a cleanup location through Ocean Conservancy to celebrate the 2020 International Coastal Cleanup this September!

Find causes you’re passionate about whether it’s something you witness in your own backyard, or an issue happening on the other side of the world.

Speak Up

Use your voice to speak up for issues you’re passionate about. One great way to get your voice heard is to attend your town’s meetings. This is the best way to address issues in your own community. Sign and create petitions to make a change using Change.org – the world’s platform for change. On a larger scale, organization websites typically have a “Take Action” tab with templates for letters you can send to government officials addressing the issues if you can’t seem to find the words for yourself.

Share those petitions and articles on your social media accounts. Ask friends and family to take action with you and provide information on the causes you are passionate about. Start the conversation in your digital world and in real life by spreading awareness throughout your communities.

Get Educated

We have more resources available to us than ever before through the internet, libraries, and experts in our communities. Get to listening, reading, researching: having the information will allow you to have a better understanding of ways you can help and how they are helping. Use your social media accounts, YouTube, and Google to gather information and find others who are actively working toward to same goals as you. Watch documentaries and listen to podcasts, the ways we consume new information during this time are endless.

Be Considerate

Listen to the way you speak to yourself and others. The things you consume and create physically, digitally, emotionally. What you put out into the universe: energy, purpose, waste. When we allow ourselves to zoom out of our own personal narratives, it’s easy to get lost in the vastness of the world. Remember why these things are important to you personally and why they are also more than you. Be considerate of the world around you both seen and unseen. From the products you use to the ethical practices of the brands creating these products.

The number one place to start making a change is within yourself.

Be Aware

Consider how things may be affecting you both directly and indirectly. Consider how things may be effecting others (family, friends, strangers) both directly and indirectly. From the food you take into your body to the thoughts you take into your mind.

Are you aware? Your level of consciousness can change the world!

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

Resources:

Here are some resources supporting Anti-racism and Black Lives Matter:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA9ADiosKL0/

Black Lives Matter Resources Archive

Raise Your Voice: BLACK LIVES MATTER

 Donate with No Money by Listening #BlackLivesMatter via Youtube

Children’s books that discuss race and racism: a twitter thread by @wanderingbritt_

A Detailed List of Anti-Racism Resources by Katie Couric via Medium.com

Anti-racism Resources adapted from the AntiRacism Resources Google Doc Compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein via GoodGoodGood.co

A Growing List of Resources for the Movement for Black Lives Matter shared by Eye on Design AIGA

UNC’s Anti-Racism Resources via The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Fighting Police Abuse: A Comunity Action Manual via American Civil Liberties Union

Here are resources supporting the LGBTIQA+ community and Pride Month:

The Safe Zone Project Resources

LGBTQ-Inclusive Dos and Don’ts by The Safe Zone Project

The History Of Pride Month And What It Can Teach Us About Moving Forward Today by Brian Thompson via Forbes

Here are resources supporting eco-friendly living and helping the planet:

Ten Easy Ways To Live A More Eco-Friendly Lifestyle via Wheels for Wishes

Petition for Target to stop filling the world with plastic bags!

Here are resources supporting animals rights and their living environments:

NonHuman Rights Project

Why Animal Rights? via PETA.org

Who is FARM – Farm Animal Rights Movement

Business Ethics Course: Animal Rights and the Implications for Business shared by BC Open Textbooks

Here are resources supporting the spread of education regarding sexual health and the sex education community:

What is Sex Education? via Planned Parenthood

Hypersexuality: The opposite spectrum of coping rarely discussed in sexual assault victims by The Establishment via AfroPunk

Big or small, ALL changes make a difference! As human beings, we are all responsible for making our planet clean, safe and peaceful. What are you contributing to make the world a better place?

cheers to having the power to speak up for what we believe in,

xxo Bri