The DD:FF Challenge

Make Democracy Stronger — Start Today !


What you need:

A jar                                       Slips of paper                          Dedication and energy

 How it works:

At the end of every week, jot down what you did to defend democracy that week and put that slip of paper into the jar. Place your jar where friends & family will see it. At the end of the year, tally it up!

Challenge to sponsoring groups:

Provide a prize for anyone who has 50 or more actions (~one per week): patch, certificate, special recognition. Or assign points based on difficulty and have a friendly competition.

The rules are simple: Not everything counts.

These actions count:

  • Attended a meeting that concluded with an action plan, specific assignments, and a way to measure and report the effectiveness of each planned action.
  • Wrote a letter or email to an elected official about a specific bill. 
  • Attended and spoke up at an elected official’s town hall or made an appointment and presented your views/concerns to an elected official at his/her office.
  • Reached out to a member of a marginalized group and asked them what you can do to help.
  • Volunteered with a group, school, or religious organization that aids marginalized groups.
  • Did voter registration or voter education.
  • Helped develop, produce, or distribute voter education materials.
  • Helped with a local, county, or state campaign.
  • Ran for office.
  • Researched and donated to an organization that is pro-democracy.
  • Subscribed to a newspaper.
  • Voted.
  • Participated in, or enabled, a protest relevant to DD:FF. (‘Enabled’ means you provided food, transportation, legal observing, etc.)
  • Attended and spoke at a public meeting of your municipal, county, school, or state government.
  • Worked or volunteered at a polling place.
  • Helped with a ‘sanctuary’ activity, such as providing housing or legal aid to an undocumented immigrant.
  • Joined or rejoined a union.
  • Bought local. ate, shopped, or used personal services only at locally owned businesses, not big chains.
  • Recruited someone for a DD:FF action.
  • Researched an issue and submitted a letter to the editor about it.
  • Learned how to intervene when a stranger is being harassed or taught someone else what to do.
  • Made a plan to reduce your use of fossil fuels: installed solar panels, cut back on driving, used the bus or biked instead of driving, turned down the thermostat.
  • Organized an alternative activity to draw attention away from hate groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s “10 Ways to Fight Hate” has many examples you can follow or adapt. Turn a negative event into a positive counter-event to raise awareness and money for community-building efforts.
  • Moved money from a corporate bank to a local credit union or into a social-good investment fund.

These do not count:

  • Attended a meeting that was just talk, no action plan.
  • Posted something on Facebook or posted a comment on a web site
  • Signed an online petition. (Most of these exist to mine your data, and they are not very effective. See www.indivisibleguide.com.)

 

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