Choose an issue and learn its basics
This article is part of Advocacy Basics: Growing as an Advocate.
Chronic hunger, sickness, and illiteracy are directly related to conditions of poverty, and the conditions that keep people in poverty are complex and tenacious. Ending poverty is not simply a matter of feeding hungry people. We must systematically and specifically change policies which keep millions of people in the U.S. teetering on the edge of insecurity regarding healthcare and food. Likewise, we must tackle policies that trap millions of people world wide in extreme poverty. Politicians are unlikely to address these tough issues head on without our insistence.
Each year, RESULTS formulates anti-poverty campaigns comprised of cost-effective and often overlooked solutions that target the devastating impact that poverty has on families, communities, and society as a whole. Focus your education and advocacy efforts on learning at least one of these campaigns to get started and in turn, become a powerful voice for change.
Steps Toward Becoming an Effective Activist
Step One: Learn the basics.
For the first step toward becoming an effective activist who can speak powerfully about our issues, use these resources to learn the background and basics of at least one RESULTS U.S. or global campaign.
Step Two: Find the story.
A personal story conveys powerful images that facts and figures cannot. To really speak powerfully about an issue in a way that will truly move the listener, learn and tell a moving story that will put a human face on the problem and illustrate a clear solution. Your member of Congress, the editorial writer at your paper, and guests at your outreach meetings will remember the stories that move them.