April 2025: how to influence & organize
Each month, we break down our topic into four weekly modules. Catch up on previous editions here.
This week's module: ACT
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Here's what we'll learn today Reader
So much happened this week!
The Soapbox team did our first two college events, we had huge fundraising successes, we did a corporate event, we partnered on Shamichael Hallman's Meet Me At the Library book talk, and we figured out the equation to courage.
(So far we have: knowledge + experience + support = courage. I'm sure there's an exponential somewhere, maybe an integral, some funny calculus, etc. so any math geniuses please help us refine it.)
Here are some pics: stickers we made last night in Seattle, a very short me standing next to a very tall Shamichael, our corporate lunch, and Drew & me workshopping courage.
Courage is foundational to influencing and organizing change. It's a scary world out there! And even the small things can feel overwhelming: making a friend, going to an event, putting up a poster in your neighborhood... but we've all gotta do it if we want to keep living on Earth.
So today, in our ACT module, I'm sharing some resources that will increase the "support" piece of the equation for you as you think about wielding your own courage for planetary health.
What's your input on the courage equation? Reply and tell me!
✨ Huge props to Drew Wilkinson (here's a Q&A with him) + Nathan Hatch for today's Changeletter content!
Your bite-sized action plan Reader
✅ Choose one "R" to influence change
In our LEARN module, we went over the 4 R's of Social Transformation by NCCJC's Jodi Lasseter (Resist, Reform, Re-imagine, Re-create) to demonstrate that we all have a role to play for influencing change.
- Resist by joining a nonviolent direct action network like Extinction Rebellion. You can also find local resistance groups through mutual aid networks near you! (Search "mutual aid" + "[your city]" on Ecosia, a non-Google search engine that plants trees and protects your privacy better)
- Resist by making stickers for your favorite cause or slogan and putting them up in your neighborhood. All you need is labels, laminate, and basic art supplies like colored pencils or pens! Here's our Instagram post that shows you how we did it.
- Reform by establishing a relationship with your local representative. Here's a tool you can use in the United States to find your rep. If you're outside the US, search "who represents me" + [your city]" on Ecosia
- Reform by joining Citizens Climate Lobby. If you live outside the USA, Canada, or Europe where CCL has chapters, there are very similar reform orgs in your country you can join. One of the best ways is to follow local climate justice influencers/organizers on social media/their newsletters.
- Re-imagine by making your Better World Bingo board if you haven't yet! Instructions: Soapbox Better World Bingo.pdf
- Re-imagine your own influence by drawing/journaling on what are the senses of courage? What does courage look like? What does it sound like? What does it smell and taste like? What are the textures of courage?
- Re-create by having a courageous conversation with someone about climate action. This can be as simple as encouraging a friend to go on a walk with you instead of doomscrolling! It doesn't have to be a whole thing! If you want some help with how to structure this conversation, you can look into motivational interviewing or check out Soapbox's Action Pack on how to talk about climate change.
Pretty much everything good that's ever happened in your lifetime is because someone made it happen through their own influence, unless were a property-owning white man in the 1700s.
Right to vote? Someone made it happen.
Right to marry interracially or same-sex? Someone made it happen.
Right to work in an air-conditioned office and not as a teeny weeny baby? Yup, someone made it happen.
Right to not drink tap water and instantly die because of the chemicals? Well, we're still working on it, but you get the point.
For better or for worse, we must fight for our rights, our public spaces, our well-being, and our very futures on Earth. And we'll only win if we organize and do it together 🤗
See you next week!
-Nivi
Upcoming Soapbox events
- SEATTLE on Tuesdays 4/22, 4/29 we're connecting, learning, acting, and reflecting together on how to organize + influence this month. Here's the Seattle calendar!
- NYC on 4/17 (TOMORROW!) | plant-based supper club: how to organize and influence. Get tickets here
- DC on 4/29 l joyful climate advocacy dinner party. Join us!
Our entire events calendar for ALL locations + virtual can be found here.
