A lot of people want to make a difference but lack the knowledge of where they can start or where they can make the biggest possible difference. The truth is that while the number of ways to help your fellow man is virtually infinite, the biggest difference can always be achieved locally. Here are a few ways you can get involved in helping your local community.
- Start thinking about local politics
One of the main reasons people are so skeptical of politics is that they can’t see the difference they’re making. Even when the cause they were fighting for triumphs, they see the multitude of people who participated and realize that things might have turned out the same if they had waited that one out.
This just has to discourage a person. However, what about local politics? There are so many offices available locally where you can actually make a tangible difference. We’re talking about posts that you can actually get and the actual work that you’ll do better than others.
Even when it comes to just local activism. You can make so much difference (good or bad). Just take one (albeit negative, example). Out of all the books banned in the US in 2021-2022, over half were banned due to activism of just 11 people.
Regardless of what you think about their stances on literature, you have to admire their commitment. We’re talking about people taking these matters into their own hands, advocating, protesting, and complaining until they finally got their way.
If you showed just a bit of this commitment, think about how much you could do on local matters. This form of civic engagement needs to become more popular for local communities to move forward.
- Volunteer
The next thing you could do is volunteer for a local cause. This is incredibly important and could make a world of difference. When it comes to local causes, it’s often a shortage of labor, not necessarily funds, that breaks programs.
Other than that, volunteering is deeply personal. When donating (although it’s an incredibly effective way of helping, and we’ll discuss it in depth a bit later on), you’re removed from the actual events. With volunteering, things are different. Here, you’ll be directly involved with the cause and get to see the results of all your hard labor first-hand.
This is literally the best way to get engaged on the subject matter, and it’s a great way to keep yourself going. Just because you’re doing something good, this doesn’t mean that it’s not completely exhausting. So, you need the passion and motivation to drive you forward. One of the best ways to actually get motivated is to see the immediate effects of your effort.
Another thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that volunteering will put you face-to-face with others from your community trying to do some good. In a way, it’s a great networking opportunity and a way to strengthen the overall sense of community.
- Donate
For a lot of people, the biggest bottleneck when it comes to volunteering is the fact that they just don’t have enough time. They work so much, and that bit of free time that they have goes to their personal life. So, even if they are passionate about a cause, how long until you start resenting it and give up because it totally messes up your work-life balance?
No matter how important the cause is, it is never a good idea to overestimate your altruism.
So, what do you do if you just don’t have enough free time?
Well, you need to get the most out of your current situation. Since you don’t have the time because you have to make money, why not use some of that money to help people out? This way, you’re getting the most value out of your resources. Sure, you could make a fence in the local park on your own, but you could also pay someone to do it quicker and better than you ever could. Not only that, but chances are that your hourly wage will make this entire idea more time-efficient.
The best thing about donating locally is that you often donate to the people you know, which means that the fears of fund misappropriation (which are common when it comes to donating) will be lower. Not only that, you can also see the results.
- Buy local
You don’t even have to go out of your way to donate, volunteer, or run for an office. Sometimes, all you have to do is strengthen the local economy, which means buying locally.
Now, why aren’t more people buying locally?
The truth is that in a modern, globalized world, buying locally isn’t necessarily the cheapest option. Sometimes, you’ll pay a bit less if you wait for a product to be hauled across the country to your doorstep. Since most people just rely on delivery, they really don’t see that much of a difference.
At other times, people buy at major chains, completely oblivious to the fact that the money is going to the headquarters located on another continent.
So what if you pay a bit less or face fewer options – strengthening the local economy and supporting your neighbors is worth it. Sure, no one asks you to agree to ridiculous compromises by going for a bit less (or investing more effort into finding things locally), but it is really not that hard.
Regardless if you’re buying groceries or looking for professionals to help you upgrade your home’s electrical system, it’s always best to go for a local business.
You don’t even have to buy (vote with your wallet). Instead, you can just endorse local businesses online, share and update their posts, rate them favorably online, and show your support this way. Sure, it’s not as good as actually spending money there but it makes a world of difference and you should never underestimate it.
Wrap up
Helping your local community is a choice. It always requires sacrifice, and you’ll pay for effort, time, money, and even your mental well-being. Is it worth it? Absolutely! However, you need to find a cause that matters to you. This way, you’ll never run out of intrinsic motivation, which is the fuel that will keep you going when going gets tough.
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