Achieve Social Change by Contributing to a Self-Help Project
One of the most frustrating things over the past three years, and what we half-jokingly refer to as our “current political climate,” is that no amount of phone calls to our representatives, donations to the ACLU, or controversies with extended family members on Facebook seem to be causing the problem. matter. Morality is crumbling around us, people are suffering, and it may seem like the only thing that can be done is to complain that no one is doing anything.
(Not that you shouldn’t call your congressmen anyway. You should. Definitely call. These are just phone calls, and social media rants never seem enough. )
Enter: mutual aid.
What is mutual aid
Mutual assistance is the provision of material support to a person or group of people whose needs are not met. He shares resources with those who need them most, including the oppressed, those affected by natural disasters, or those affected by unfair or harmful government policies.
It is about building social relationships and literally helping to meet needs, as opposed to symbolic help (tweets of support) or pressure on government officials to adopt new policies. It’s about making changes, not statements, and it’s more personal and direct than just donating funds.
This video by Dean Spade and Ciro Carrillo explains perfectly what mutual aid is and what it is not.
In a nutshell they say:
The essence of this work is this: the government screwed up, we cannot rely on it. You’re not alone. The problem is in the system, not in the person to whom it is directed. And we’re going to take matters into our own hands and help each other survive right now, instead of expecting help from the same systems that have a clear history of harming.
Some examples of mutual help
People involved in self-help projects offer travel, clothing and other assistance to people recently released from prison. They put food, water and supplies in the desert, where people often die trying to cross the border. Mutual aid is anything from food projects and shelter programs to kindergartens and community collateral funds for people who cannot afford collateral.
Several notable self-help organizations include Food Not Bombs , which was formed in the 1980s to collect discarded food and distribute it in protest against war and poverty; Mutual Disaster Relief , which supports disaster survivors in providing resources to each other; and No More Deaths , which aims to end the deaths of migrants along the US-Mexican border.
Where to begin
The Big Doors Brigade has tons of resources for people who want to start a self-help project but are unable to raise funds. Their Self-Help Toolkit contains many resources, including webinars, training opportunities, articles, and links to organizations doing similar work. Topics include:
- Bystander interference
- Emergency Preparedness / Disaster Relief
- Health care
- Immigration
- Legal support
- Prisoner support
- Sex trade support
You are now armed; go and help.