(Akiit.com) Getting active and supporting your local community is good for you, good for the people and good for the local economy too. But most people aren’t even sure where to start. Then when you being to look into it, you might find that all of the options become overwhelming. But that needn’t be the case. Here are a couple of ways you can make an impact on your community.
Volunteer
In each and every Community there are a lot of volunteer opportunities, you just need to be aware of them. If you are thinking about ways to volunteer but are worried that you don’t have enough time the chances are you will be perfectly capable of finding something that works around your needs. Most volunteer projects are very flexible, after all, most of the time, they need help.
- Here are some positions you can look up:
- Coffee mornings for senior citizens
- Mentorship programmes for young and or underprivileged teens
- Friendship groups that cater to vulnerable members of society
- A community garden or conservation volunteer
- Thrift store assistant
- Community project worker
If none of those sparks your interest, then think about what are you really want to do. There are likely many animal shelters that could also do with some support.
Impact
When it comes to making local impacts, you need to know what affect local governments and legislation have on the area. In most cases, there will be many community groups and plenty of information online. Want to start with the basics and learn a few critical political phrases and terms.
Here is a couple to get you started:
- Impeachment
- Hirschman cycle
- Jawboning
- Voting reform
- Legislative day
The more you understand about how things currently work, the more impact you will have in community groups and discussion forums.
Pick it up
A straightforward way to have a significant impact on the local area is litter picking. You might be surprised how much actually needs to be done. You can put together a small group of residents, and head out and clear streets of things like cigarette ends, chewing gum, wrappers and other discarded items.
While doing this, you can actually make a solid effort to recycle as you go. Ensuring that or papers plastics cardboards and glass are taken care of properly.
Fundraising
You could choose to fundraise for local charities, or if there are people in the community that have high medical expenses or something similar then see if you can set up a funding page. Local schools, animal shelters, can all do with help from time to time. You don’t need to make huge donations, things like blankets, food, and other supplies don’t always cost a lot of money but can make a massive difference to those people who need it.
Not everyone that makes a difference in the lives of others considers themselves to be a, but the truth is if you go out of your way to make the world a little bit better for others that is exactly what you are.
Staff Writer; Carl Moore