Things you can do to make a political difference. If you haven’t been a political activist before, the one thing you can count on in becoming a political activist is that it will be different than you now imagine and much more than you now imagine.
Background Stuff | What to Do?
The problem with political activism is really only partly in knowing what to do. The opportunities for becoming active for a political cause are virtually limitless. And you have limited time even if the limit is 24/7. And so an equally large part of being political active is really in knowing what not to do. So you need to 1) be aware of your available time, 2) know your priorities and, 3) choose your battles wisely.
Unfortunately, the best way to become wise about choosing your battles is in going through the process of choosing battles unwisely. So here’s a strong starting suggestion: At first, absolutely minimize your commitment to your chosen cause, particularly organized political causes.
For an organized political cause (more than just you), a good sign of a well-run cause is that commitment to the cause is not made an issue. In fact, a well-run cause may discourage any talk of commitment, particularly with a neophyte activist. Meaningful commitment to a political cause tends to requires experience with political causes. If it turns out it’s the right cause for you, it’s a virtual 100% certainty that you will be more than welcome to re-commit. If not, you will find that your soon-to-be ex-compatriots will be far more concerned that you are active somewhere, anywhere than that you are no longer active with them. Believe it.
Any good administrator involved with a political cause knows the exactly the same thing that any good administrator of a volunteer organization knows: Appropriate volunteers (activists) are always welcome regardless of the level of their commitment and that this is exactly the way it should be.