Ways to Stay Involved in Reproductive Justice Activism Now that You’ve Graduated College
Posted by Diana
May 8, 2014
If you’re like me, you became involved with reproductive justice activism in college. College was where you first realized that underneath your sarcasm, snark and occasional misanthropic tendencies, you really wanted to be an activist. You channelled all your angst, frustration and passion into reproductive activism. It’s awesome that you spent four years or five years or two years learning about and engaging with reproductive justice activism. Or maybe you were late to the party and have only been involved during your last semester of college. Now you’re about to graduate and you’re panicking, not because you don’t have a job — well, that too — but you’re panicking because you don’t know how to continue your activism now that college is over. Fret not dear friend, I’m here to help. Below are some ideas on how to continue the activism you’ve dedicated your life to even though victories and successes don’t happen often.
Contact your neighborhood community health clinic: Most neighborhoods have a community health center/clinic. They tend to be non profit and always in need of volunteers. Volunteering is a great way to see in person the reproductive justice needs of your community. Another thing you can do is seeing if your local Planned Parenthood (if your community is lucky enough to still have one) or women’s clinic is in need of volunteers.
Get on listservs and facebook pages: Staying in touch with the activists you met in college after graduation is not easy. People move away, some get full time jobs that leave very little room for extracurricular activities. It’s very easy at this time to lose contact with everyone. This is why listservs and facebook pages come in handy. Get on them. Get on the listservs of organizations that you admire and/or want to work with. Join facebook pages of events/groups/organizations in your community both on campus and outside of campus. Facebook pages is where most groups announce upcoming events and programs.
Attend community events: Some of the best reproductive justice events I’ve ever been a part of have been on campus. I certainly enjoy talking about issues with people my age but limiting ourselves to the campus bubble is not a good idea. Venture out into the community and find out what you can do to help. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to listen and educate yourself. After all, you can’t be an effective activist if you’re not in the loop about your community’s needs.
Whether you stay in your college town or move away, there’s always something to do, especially this election season. When in doubt, find out who’s registering people to vote and go from there.
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