Social Action Anytime
Excerpt from The Social Action Manual: Six Steps to Repairing the World by Rabbi Noah Zvi Farkas. Publication date: April 15, 2010
Social action can be done in almost any place at any time. The following are some helpful tips for doing social action in as little as a minute or as long as a year. Circle the ideas that interest you and add your own.
Social Action in….
1 Minute
5 Minutes
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Raise awareness of an issue on campus through publicity.
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Register to vote; help others register to vote.
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Join a social action listserv.
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Send an e-mail to members of your city council or members of Congress about an issue that concerns you.
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Your idea:____________________________________
15 Minutes
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Post informational flyers.
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Post on a listserv or blog about an issue.
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Collect change from friends at the lunch table to donate to charitable organizations.
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Use the internet to calculate your carbon footprint.
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Your idea:____________________________________
30 Minutes
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Present an issue to a school club or synagogue group (sisterhood, social action committee, or executive board).
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Write a letter to the editor of your campus newspaper.
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Plant a tree in an urban community.
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Meet with a campus administrator, school board member, or local community organization to advocate for your issue.
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Tutor someone who cannot read.
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Your idea:____________________________________
1 Hour
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Participate in a rally.
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Take a walking tour of your neighborhood with a community activist.
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Volunteer at a food pantry, soup kitchen, hospital, or women’s shelter.
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Write and mail a letter to your representative or senators.
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Host a discussion group about your issue.
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Your idea:____________________________________
1 Day
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Check the environmental soundness of your home.
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Host an “adopt a pet” day at your school or synagogue.
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Join a local team of volunteers to build houses for the poor.
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Clean a local beach, river bed, or park.
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Dedicate a Shabbat to educating your classmates or congregation about an issue.
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Your idea:____________________________________
1 Week
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Participate in a week of activities to raise awareness about a particular issue.
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Volunteer for a spring/winter/summer break volunteer program.
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Perform an energy audit for your school or synagogue.
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Dedicate a week to raising money for a social issue like domestic violence or child poverty.
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Your idea:____________________________________
1 Month
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Organize your own social action initiative in your school or synagogue. Include service projects, rallies, and fundraising.
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Spend part of a summer volunteering with a community organization.
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Organize a speaker series or film festival about a social issue.
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Build a community garden.
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Your idea:____________________________________
1 Year
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Organize local communities to fight against injustice.
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Create a learning theme for your school or synagogue that reflects a particular social issue such as, “Judaism and Caring for the Elderly.”
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Reduce the carbon footprint of your home/school/synagogue through multiple projects and educational programs.
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Create your own nonprofit organization dedicated to a particular issue, like helping to plant trees in your city or improving literacy rates.
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Your idea:____________________________________
