TakingITGlobal - Panorama - Creating Change

Published on: Apr 24, 2003

Topic:

Type:

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=1240

TIG suggests that you need to "Think Globally, Act Locally! Global Change begins with positive action within communities." It's true. To create change anywhere, you need to start locally, and at a small level. even then, many people our age don't know hot to take action. It all seems to hard, so we stop trying, happy to complain about the world and how we dont have a say. But things can be different, if we choose to make them so.

Working on the 3 step process of "Identify, Learn and Involve" will get you started.

IDENTIFY
Before you even start a project or your own initiative, you have to identify your talents, skills, and what it is you want to change. To do this, all you need to do is get a piece of paper and write down answers to these three questions.

- What do you care passionately about?
- What do you want to change in your community?
- What skills do you have to help create this change?

As an example; you're a good skateboarder who is concerned about theft and property damage at your local skate park. Combining your skills and interests, you may decide that lockers should be installed at your local skate parks.

LEARN
Once you have your idea, it's simple to go out there and get into motion. But before you do, you need to learn a bit about your future project. Try and find out as much as possible, it can't hurt to know alot about a certain subject. The more you know the more chance you have got to be successful in your project you have started. Some questions you might like to find answers for include;

- Has anyone else done a project like the one you are planning?
- What were their experiences?
- What are the causes of the issue you are trying to solve?
- What can your project do to address these causes?
- What will your project do to address the effects of the issue?

These questions may seem pretty hard to answer, but tehre are lots of resources out there to help you. Take TIG as an example!

In terms of the skate park example you may find that:
- Skate parks all over the country have this problem
- they installed installed cameras in Adelaide but it didn't work
- theft was an effect of poor security at venues, making them soft targets for drug-related crime.
- Lockers would increase security and decrease the ease of theft.

INVOLVE
Here's where you get to really put your project into motion. To get it up and running, you need to inform people about your project, get them involved,and, in most cases, get some funding.

Spreading the world can sometimes feel like a bit of a "sales campaign," because, in reality, it is. you're trying to sell people your idea, so start locally, with people who will directly see benefit from it, moving onto people with a common interest. If it's a community project, try and get your local councils, schools, youth groups and local community involved. if it is a larger, nation-wide project you want to start, try and get support from national organisations or government agencies. Step up to a global project, then you might get international communites (such as TIG), international orgs or many other resources involved.

People/groups you may aproach for the skate park example;
- local council youth services department
- other skate parks
- other skaters
- skate-related media (magazines, websites, etc)

NOTE: The examples in this article has been written based on Australian "places recreation" but anybody over the world can use this as a basis for Creating Change

Peace
Besty

« return.



by Lewis Best
Published on: Apr 24, 2003
Topic:
Type:
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=1240


TIG suggests that you need to "Think Globally, Act Locally! Global Change begins with positive action within communities." It's true. To create change anywhere, you need to start locally, and at a small level. even then, many people our age don't know hot to take action. It all seems to hard, so we stop trying, happy to complain about the world and how we dont have a say. But things can be different, if we choose to make them so. Working on the 3 step process of "Identify, Learn and Involve" will get you started. IDENTIFY Before you even start a project or your own initiative, you have to identify your talents, skills, and what it is you want to change. To do this, all you need to do is get a piece of paper and write down answers to these three questions. - What do you care passionately about? - What do you want to change in your community? - What skills do you have to help create this change? As an example; you're a good skateboarder who is concerned about theft and property damage at your local skate park. Combining your skills and interests, you may decide that lockers should be installed at your local skate parks. LEARN Once you have your idea, it's simple to go out there and get into motion. But before you do, you need to learn a bit about your future project. Try and find out as much as possible, it can't hurt to know alot about a certain subject. The more you know the more chance you have got to be successful in your project you have started. Some questions you might like to find answers for include; - Has anyone else done a project like the one you are planning? - What were their experiences? - What are the causes of the issue you are trying to solve? - What can your project do to address these causes? - What will your project do to address the effects of the issue? These questions may seem pretty hard to answer, but tehre are lots of resources out there to help you. Take TIG as an example! In terms of the skate park example you may find that: - Skate parks all over the country have this problem - they installed installed cameras in Adelaide but it didn't work - theft was an effect of poor security at venues, making them soft targets for drug-related crime. - Lockers would increase security and decrease the ease of theft. INVOLVE Here's where you get to really put your project into motion. To get it up and running, you need to inform people about your project, get them involved,and, in most cases, get some funding. Spreading the world can sometimes feel like a bit of a "sales campaign," because, in reality, it is. you're trying to sell people your idea, so start locally, with people who will directly see benefit from it, moving onto people with a common interest. If it's a community project, try and get your local councils, schools, youth groups and local community involved. if it is a larger, nation-wide project you want to start, try and get support from national organisations or government agencies. Step up to a global project, then you might get international communites (such as TIG), international orgs or many other resources involved. People/groups you may aproach for the skate park example; - local council youth services department - other skate parks - other skaters - skate-related media (magazines, websites, etc) NOTE: The examples in this article has been written based on Australian "places recreation" but anybody over the world can use this as a basis for Creating Change Peace Besty « return.