Generic policy-signing

Making an impact

There’s a vital step between attending protests and holding local office that most people sleep on: force-multiplying outreach for under-the-radar local policy. Most people don’t care or aren’t aware of issues outside the national culture war that dominates mainstream headlines and social media. By becoming a force-multiplier for your community, you can enact more tangible change than the majority of typical social media engagement will bring.

How to start

It’s more accessible than most realize, and can be done in a few simple steps:

  1. Pick an issue: Social rights, environmentalism, housing, and most other issues always have something happening at the local level. You don’t have to solve them all; every now and then, just pick one and commit to one positive change.
  2. Form a micro-coalition (if you can): The people around you likely share similar values in various areas. If you can get one person on board with you, you’ve had 100% more impact than any one person can make alone.
  3. See it through: Send a letter, sign a petition, attend a hearing, or swing by a protest.

That’s it! You can roll out of bed any day, search online for ongoing local issues, and chip away at doomerism by enacting small but measurable positive change.

But why?

How many times have you vocally supported expanding public transit, making housing more affordable, combating NIMBYism, or helping the environment? Small efforts to contribute to your end of these discussions crop up every week; you don’t have to follow every single one, or run for office, or even step outside. Every now and then, find one thing to do, multiply it, and see it through. It will have more of an impact than 100 people who left nasty comments under a social media post and kept scrolling.