5 Ways to Get Involved in Social Justice

3 minute read

While government officials have the power to change laws, history has proven time and again that real change happens when communities apply pressure on the government. Rarely does it happen the other way around. In today’s world, with huge gaps between the rich and the poor, gender inequality still rife and Black citizens disproportionately threatened by the police, it’s as important as ever for individuals to get involved in social justice in whatever capacity they can.

But what does social justice mean and why is it important?

 

What is social justice?

Social justice is the idea that everyone should have access to the same opportunities and that wealth in a society should be distributed equally between its citizens. To get involved in social justice means to strive for greater equality within your community and actively play a part in pushing it forward.

Here are five ways you can get involved in social justice and make a real change in your community.

5 Ways to Get Involved in Social Justice

1. Self-educate

Real change starts with you. Analyse yourself and your own everyday habits and beliefs. Is there anything that could be considered problematic there? Are you willing to admit that there are certain topics on which you may have formed opinions without knowing the full facts?

Being ready to challenge yourself and remaining open to new ideas is a great first step towards social change. If you’re able to change your own mindset, you can begin to change others’ too.

 

2. Go local

Look at what you can do locally to make a difference in your community. It’s great if you want to change the world, but start by making a difference on your own doorstep. Who’s better equipped to fight local battles than the people who live that experience?

Get to know what movements and issues are going on in your town. Learn about local affairs and stand up for the rights of your community by lobbying local representatives and signing petitions. Or find out what volunteer opportunities are available near you.

5 Ways to Get Involved in Social Justice

3. Use all the tools in your arsenal

It’s easy to think that writing a status on social media achieves little, but you might be underestimating it. Think of how many people are on social media every day and the potential audience that one tweet could reach.

A great example of this is the #MeToo movement, which saw more than 500,000 responses on social media within 24 hours. Over the subsequent 12 months, users retweeted the hashtag 18 million times and brought to justice over 200 men who had been abusing their power to sexually harass co-workers and employees.

Social media is a great platform for informing people about why social justice is important. Just getting the story out there can make more of a difference than you know, so jump on a hashtag and show politicians that even if the mainstream media are ignoring an issue, you aren’t!

 

4. Show up

Really want to make some noise? Demonstrate, protest, lobby, do whatever it takes to get your voice heard. The more people shout about an issue, the less likely it is to get swept under the rug.

Even if speaking out doesn’t make politicians change their mind every time, it sends a strong, clear message that makes your voice harder to ignore. And it inspires others to make a difference.

5 Ways to Get Involved in Social Justice

5. Commit

When you can, spend time volunteering with charities that are fighting for social justice each day and need your support. You could donate money, material things they may need, or simply your time―they’ll appreciate whatever you can manage.

And if it feels like the right direction for you, why not take it one step further and dedicate your career to championing social justice by working for a charity. There are thousands of them out there and they all need talented, passionate people like you.

Check out what roles are available now.

 

This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated to ensure relevance and to reflect the current jobseeker experience.

 

Benita Culshaw

Benita is Digital Content Assistant at CharityJob

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