How To (and How Not To) Change the World Without Dying in the

Attempt?

by Mariel García Montes

How do you actually change

the world?

Search criteria

•Cause

•What you want to do

•What you can (and want to) do

•Convenience (time, location)

• Social characteristics (friends, meeting new people...)

Searching opportunities by

cause

Searching by cause

•Children’s welfare

•Human rights

•Animal rights

• Environment

•Cultural development

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There are lots of causes

• Social entrepreneurship

• Specific medical causes (leukemia, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia)

•Happiness

•Cultural understanding (preservation of cultural diversity, intercultural education reforms)

There are lots of causesIn short, there are as many causes as there are problems in the world.

Some resources to think of causes you’ve never heard of:

• Most comprehensive resource: Global Issues, www.globalissues.org

• Causes in Mexico: Los grandes problemas de México, book by COLMEX

• Social Issues list on Wikipedia - http://bit.ly/2wOsH

• Children’s problems in Mexico - http://bit.ly/f8xRFz

• Environmental Issues on Wikipedia - http://bit.ly/h53Hq

• Can’t get off Facebook? Look at Facebook Causes - http://bit.ly/4j0tiq

• Yahoo Directory - http://bit.ly/fE2OfX

Searching by type of action

(what do you want to/can do?)

Searching by type of action

• Events (planning, attending)

• Spreading the word (recruiting, creating materials, teaching others)

• $ (donating, fundraising)

• Volunteer work of other types

Engineers Without Borders; Emergency

Architects

Photos by 1) ewb.org.au; 2) Sam

Bowstead

Images taken from cipce.org.ar; lawyerswithoutborders.org; worldvets.org; dance4life.com; http://www.hairdressersagainstaids.com/; http://www.comedorsantamaria.org.mx; http://www.sicdos.org.mx/;

www.it4communities.org.uk

But what can high school students do?

Images by Un techo para mi país; dosomething.org; fundacioneugenia.org; imjuventud.org.mx

A few other cool ideas:

(Micro)loan through kiva.org - $25 USD

Volunteer for 4 hours each week (not just medical services!)

You can even donate your hair at orgs like Rizos de alegríaHow about throwing

a ‘fundraising party’? Instead of gifts/drinks, ask for donations.

You can also do things you’re good at...

Baking for Good, a project started by Emily

Dubner in 2009.

(NYC)

Images taken from bakingforgood.com

Quick tips on finding opportunities

• Easiest to find opportunities in organizations outside the government, and that haven’t become very big.

•Use your common sense: would you show up for an interview for a job for ‘girls 18-22 only’?

• You can always ask to visit the place or attend an event beforehand;

• Be wary of tasks that seem too easy.

Opportunity finders

• Social Actions - www.socialactions.com

• Idealist/Idealistas - www.idealist.org ; www.idealistas.org

•CEMEFI/Haces falta - www.cemefi.org ; www.hacesfalta.org

• In the future, www.iniciativamexico.org

Starting your own thing

When should you consider starting your own thing?

• First and foremost: you’re always free to start your own thing

• Starting your own thing requires resources, the work of many people, time, a lot of effort. You’ll need experience.

• It’s a good idea to start your own project if there is nobody doing exactly what you want to do (do your research!)

Where to find resources for young entrepreneurs?

www.dosomething.org www.tigweb.org

www.global-changemakers.net

Global Changemakers

www.global-changemakers.net

• Network for young people who are interested in creating change in their communities;

• they offer support through events for activists, funding for projects, and speaking opportunities in international events;

• their website features content published by young activists from all over the world.

But can young people really change the world?

You bet we can.

But can young people really change the world?

Zuhal Sultan, 19, Iraq/UKFounder of the National Youth

Orchestra of Iraq

Nishin Nathwani, 19, Canada

Gay rights activist

But can young people really change the world?

Brenda Villegas, 19, SonoraClimate change activist, Premio

Nacional de la Juventud

Ryan Hreljac, 19, Canada

Founder of Ryan’s Well Foundation

(1997, helped 700,000+ people)

Image from zimbio.com

How can you prepare for this while at school?

Take your research one step beyond.

Nasma Dasser got an award for her research on the digital divide. She represents Swiss youth in the United Nations.

How can you prepare for this while at school?

Work on your language skills.

You never know if you’ll end up giving speeches in the World Economic Forum

meetings, like Leticia Oceguera

How can you prepare for this while at school?

Think outside the box, but keep social good in mind.

You never know if you will have only one opportunity to submit an article and win

the opportunity to be a war reporter.

You never know if that will be your way to give vulnerable

people a voice.

by Mariel García Montes, April 2011