I want to talk about the despair and hopelessness we may be feeling while these horrible world events continue to unfold.

First and foremost I want to acknowledge that it is human and natural for feelings of despair and hopelessness to show up when we are trying to change horrendous realities in the world with little access to power compared to those in charge. These are difficult feelings but they are valid. These feelings are ones we often try to escape but they are important.

The despair in these moments is an indicator that things aren’t working. The hopelessness is a signal that if we keep doing things the way we are, we won’t see the changes we want in the world. These feelings are literally telling us we need to change things.

And yes I know - everyone has been working on changes tirelessly. So it is essential to take a step back and notice which changes are working and which ones are not working.

This is how we respond to our despair and hopelessness. We need to take a step back and assess. (Sprinkled in with self-care)

A way that I have been thinking about this is to organize our activist actions, thoughts, ideas, and initiatives as short-term and long-term goals. We need to do things that can have an impact now and we also need to do things that have an impact in the future.

Things for the Now:

• Financial Choices (how we spend and don’t spend our money for immediate impact)
• Social Circles (ex: spending time with people who understand us - being validated in our experiences, validation strengthens us)
• Political Choices (protests for immediate impact, contacting political leaders for immediate impact)
• Embody our Values (live in ways that resonate with you)

*an important thing to note is that if your actions are not having immediate impact - and that was your goal - then you need to reflect on the action. In your reflection consider if the action is contributing to long-term goals - if it is not then take some time to reflect whether or not it should be a part of your activism

This is not a sprint - it is a marathon. Which means we need to distribute our resources - our energy - so that we can support our causes overtime with long-term impact.

Things for a better Future:

• Financial Choices (how we spend or don’t spend our money for future impact (ie. permanent choices))
• Alternative and Ethical Brands
  • Investing in them - supporting ethical entrepreneurs who are already out there
  • Support can be financial, social, promotional (both on social media and in-person)
  • Supporting new entrepreneurs or new ideas - sharing ideas of products you need with ethical entrepreneurs or working with them to help create products
• Political Choices
  • Who we vote for
  • Projects to put together information about political leaders so others can make informed decisions
  • Supporting organizations that are increasing access to accurate political information
• Being part of people, groups, spaces that agree with our position

This is a limited list - everyone has amazing ideas and if this gets your mind going I’d like you to write down your ideas and choose the things that are doable for you.

A crucial thing to remind ourselves is that not all change is immediate - as much as we want it to be. This means that we do need to thinking about which things we are choosing to do to support the cause and engage in them consistently instead of trying to do everything. Another way to maximize impact is find out how the community is supporting the cause and join those initiatives to increase impact.

Reminding ourselves and others how our actions (however small) are having an impact is helpful in fighting hopelessness that may creep in. And I invite you to listen to that hopelessness, reflect on the choices you are making and note if there are any changes that need to be made.