How To Get Involved 101

This will look different for everyone, and how you show up might change based on a variety of factors, both external and personal; that’s okay. Here are a few ways you can actively get involved 

in your community. 

  Community Outreach

• Think of volunteering your time. This can be in person, for example, participating in street clean-ups such as @LAStreetCare. It can also be online through sharing resources, voting guides, or educational materials on social media. 

Fundraising/Mutual Aid

• This can be fundraising events, monthly events, or weekly supply drops like @WaterDropLa and @lacommunityfridges. Mutual is not just raising money, but often supplying basic needs for your neighbors, both housed and unhoused. 

Local Government 

• From midterm elections to city council meetings, getting involved in what’s going on in your community is fairly accessible, as most meetings are legally required to be open to the public. Knowing who in your community is voting for what, such as more funding for LAPD, is power when it comes time for re-elections.

Protesting/On The Ground organizing

• This type of activism centers around Calls To Action + A Clear Demand, meant to disrupt the ordinary to bring attention to a specific cause and create tangible change. Protests and actions On The Ground come in many forms, large and small. @ValleyofChange, at times, has been a protest of 1 person, and @PYMlaocie has, at times, been crowds of thousands, but both actions matter. Blockades such as the ones we’ve seen regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline, shipments to Israel, and even Starbucks supply chains are all impactful.

Abolition 

• Dismantling systems built to uphold white supremacist ideals. @BLMGrassroots, for example, seeks to dismantle the police state, mass incarceration, capitalism, and uplift BIPOC communities. Abolition often involves extensive organizing and strategizing to reach a common goal.

While you can absolutely volunteer your time to one segment of activism, you will find they all intersect. At the root of getting involved in your community is a common goal of improving the world around you for your neighbors, loved ones, and those after us.