The idea of activism might seem intimidating at first. However, there are many different types of activism you can do to help create changes in the world. Whatever your personality is; you can find something to do to help an important cause you care about.

Consumer Purchasing – Every day when you shop you have the opportunity to buy from companies that support your morals and values. The important part is knowing which companies support what. One of my good friends helped me with this. They recommend using “Boycott“. This website & app. lets you pick and choose campaigns from 17 categories such as animal welfare, environment, and human trafficking. From there you can browse the many ongoing campaigns such as Don’t Buy Deforestation Paper, Boycott Chocolate Produced by Child Slaves, and Boycott Trump Products. Once you have joined the campaigns that you wanted, you can then scan barcodes or look up products and it will give you a list of anything that the company supports that you don’t. The best part is it stays up-to-date with the help of community moderators. If you can, I would highly suggest using this method to research the companies and get to know them better.

Letter Writing & Petitions – Create your own (click here for instructions) or support others. For online petitions check out iPetition. Write, call, or email your concerns directly to the source.

Volunteering – Alone or with a group, this is a great way to spend your time. It lets you interact with others who share the same interests or goals. This in itself is uplifting and motivating to be around.

Protests, Demonstrations, Civil Disobedience & Direct Actions – Activists interfere in an attempt to stop actions on the spot or create immediate awareness. Check out one of my favorite action groups called Direct Action Everywhere. These are events that are usually planned well in advance, organized, and typically led by experienced activists.

Examples: Blockading roads or traffic to prevent something from occurring (construction or unethical shipments). Disrupting civilization (restaurants, malls, events, etc.) Sitting in trees, to prevent them from being cut down. Hanging banners from institutional facilities. Redesigning advertisements to present a more accurate, educational, and unbiased message to the public. This is called subvertising. Tearing up fields of genetically engineered crops. Hacking unethical websites. Cutting fishing long lines or driftnets in the sea. Taking an animal away from torture and/or slaughter. Typically the animals would then be given to a sanctuary (which is awesome to volunteer at).

Litigation – With the assistance of attorneys and legal-aid groups – lawsuits are filed against institutions and their executives.

Social Media – This lets you share with others what you are doing and why. You can share pictures, videos, publications, and anything you would like that is relevant to your cause.

Everyday Tasks – Bring along leaflets, brochures, or even stickers that can be offered to others. Pins or stickers on your bag, purse, or coat. Wearing clothing that promotes your cause. Bring sidewalk chalk with you, especially if you have kids,  to draw or write about it.

I hope some of these types of activism inspire you to find what suits you. If there is a type here that I have not mentioned please leave a comment or contact me to add it.

Also an important note: Police enforcement is recommended in advance of certain activism events to ensure everyone’s safety.