Today is Blog Action Day everybody! If you are also participating and reading this post, please leave a comment with a link of your participation, I would like to check them all out!
The theme of this year’s Blog Action Day is #RaiseYourVoice.
On this occasion I decided to share my ways of raising my voice with you all, with the hope of inspiring some of you to raise yours in many various ways too.
Writing this blog
I should say, obviously. One of the stated purposes of this blog is definitely to raise my voice on this platform on issues I have no other means to raise. Most usually I don’t feel I am doing the job I picture myself doing with this, when I picture what I want this blog to become, mainly out of lack of time. But I am certainly trying, and constantly looking for opportunities to voice my concerns in meaningful ways.
Besides the blog, I also try to participate in conversations on Twitter, which is still one of the best social media platforms to #RaiseYourVoice!
Giving to charity
Many just think about this with regards to our own communities, which is of course very important, but this is one very simple way of contributing to the solution of global problems too.
My favorite platforms are UN agencies’ websites where you can give any small amount with just a few clicks, but there are many other ways to help online. These are the latest causes I helped:
https://www.kickstarter.com/aidrefugees This kickstarter campaign is set up by the UN Refugee Agency, you can help them to aid the millions of refugees forced to leave their homes these days. (On www.kickstarter.com you can look for any couse that you feel close to your heart and wish to support.)
http://support.unicef.org/ UNICEF is one of the most famous UN agencies, helping children in need around the world.
I usually feel the urge to go to one of these sites after I am spending a relatively bigger amount of money on something that is not a necessity and I feel really grateful to be able to afford it. Then I inevitably think about those not so fortunate and cannot even cover their basic needs.
On these sites you can choose to give whatever small amount you are able to give at the time, that is barely noticable on your account, but can make a huge difference in someone else’s life. And I always say that if this could become the general way of thinking, that could eventually mount up to solving all the world’s problems that are possible to be solved financially. I believe in that. And if the world would be better off, we all would be better off. Isn’t it worth just a tiny portion of our incomes from time to time?
Volunteering
OK, well, I am a little behind on this front nowadays. Again, lack of time.
Unfortunately, in Hungary there is no longtime “culture” of volunteering, but there are now certainly many organizations that are working to change this. (If you are in Hungary and speak Hungarian, try www.onkentes.hu for opportunities.)
Again, since we are blabbing world affairs here, you can make a difference on a global scale this way, too. Try www.unvolunteers.org. You don’t necessarily have to commit to travel the world helping those in need, you can try online volunteering, you will see how many organizations are there that need your help.
Lending my voice
I am not sure to whom this phrase is to be credited, but I certainly don’t have anything better.
My favorite platform to do this is www.one.org. The long time slogen of ONE was that they are not asking for your money, they are asking for your name. And what is it that you would not do, if Bono asked you to?
One sort of a spin-off of ONE is (RED) on www.red.org, which you are now familiar with if you have been to a U2 concert lately (yay, November 3.!!). These organizations are not funded by the general public, all they are asking for is that you sign your name under a good cause. And it is not much to ask, right?
One of the most popular online platforms with petitions to sign is www.change.org. You will find there are great many causes you can support with not more than your signature.
As a professional woman
Currently I am working in an industry where I am very often the only woman at the table. Most of the time I don’t feel any disadvantage of this, I guess I am fortunate to be able to say so, but when I do, it always hits hard. I can still be amazed when I get acquainted with men who think that when a woman is speaking it does not matter that much, they don’t even have to listen.
This topic would also deserve a separate post, so let’s just say here that I am certainly supporting any idea that promotes gender equality. Gender should not be the basis of differentiation, merits and results should.
To go on with the theme of Blog Action Day 2015, I would really like to check out other posts, and promote them. So, again, if you are participating too, please let me know!
Please check out my Twitter account as well, I will try to be active there throughout the day.
Let’s raise our voices together!
