Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what’s the use of seeing?
– Thich Nhat Hahn
Thich Nhat Hahn was a Buddhist monk and internationally recognised peace activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Bystanders No More exists to help you take actions that are true to who you are, and to help you consider whether who you are today (i.e. what you do and you don’t do) is consistent with who you want to be.
We will not tell you what to do. Instead, we will show you some of the things that we, as former bystanders, are now doing.
There are several paths to taking action and they all connect. Questions to consider:
- What policies could I back?
- How can I lobby elected representatives?
- Which organisations could I support?
- How can I speak up without using social media?
- How can I have powerful, constructive conversations on this sensitive topic?
- How can I engage in social media advocacy as safely as possible?
- How can I take care of myself whilst I watch atrocities unfold in real time?
All these activities are important, but we also need to start somewhere – becoming an empowered change-maker is a process, not an on/off switch! It may be best to build initial momentum with the topic that you feel most confident about: what more can you do in that space? To support your growth, pick the topic where you feel least confident: what is one small thing you can do today that will move you forward?
Rev. Mpho Tutu Van Furth
, Pastor, Preacher, Public Speaker, Author, Artist, Student,
Josh Paul
, Senior Advisor at DAWN,
