How Can I Get More Involved?!

I often hear people say that they want to get more involved. On a daily basis, I get e-mails, Facebook messages, MySpace messages, Tweets, and more — all from people who want to get involved.

Over time, I’ve come to understand that it’s not the planning process people want to get involved in. Very few people I’ve bumped elbows with want to sit through meetings, walk in and out of businesses looking for sponsors, update web-sites, and plan out events. Most people that I talk to are typically referring to direct action.

Hundreds and hundreds of people are looking for some sort of way to become directly involved with the movement.

The upside is this renewed interest has shifted us into a new wave of grassroots organizing and created a new wave of energy and ideas surrounding the fight for equality. We currently have the ears of hundreds of thousands of individuals across the nation, and rather than waiting for these huge, multi-million dollar non-profit-factories to tell us what to do — we’re doing it ourselves!!

The downside to this, is that in order for us to get more involved, there have to be people willing to work together to plan things for folks to get involved in.

Unfortunately, the movement cannot and does not maintain itself. Its messages need to be crafted, it’s face consistently needs to be developed, and its actions must remain … well … ACTIVE.

Remember, “getting involved” often also means being willing to put up posters, hand out flyers or postcards, make phone calls, write letters, and most importantly — work together in teams with others to plan things to be involved in.

However, if you are someone who has limited time and isn’t much for planning, simply rallying ten or twenty friends to support your local action is always a welcome support!