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Blog Action Day: The "P" Word

Today's Blog Action Day, and all the participants are supposed to blog on the theme of "poverty."

Well, I started to panic just thinking about blogging about poverty. How, I thought, could I even know where to start on such an overwhelming issue; was it possible to make a dent in such a massive topic? And why didn't I even feel motivated to blog about this widespread and pertinent problem that everyone should care about? It was starting to feel more like Blog Inaction Day to me.

I realized that my reaction was part of a much larger issue: poverty, as a topic, makes many people feel lost and helpless. It makes people think of unbeatable odds, crushing depression, and the overwhelming vastness of the world. It does not make people want to spring into action as much as it should. A lot of social change organizations have realized this, and are developing new ways to get people excited about solving poverty-related issues. For some, this means not even using the word "poverty" at all.

But the reality is, whether you like using the "p" word or not, a lot of you are already taking action. While one little blog post might not do much, I bet that more than 11,000 blog posts will have some impact. That's how many of you joined Blog Action Day to tackle the issue (or some small aspect of it) today!

The Blog Action Day website has ideas for overcoming that barrier to action, as it answers the question, What Can One Person Do? Other blogs propose interesting ways to get involved: Skelliewag lists 30 easy ways to fight poverty while using the internet; the SlideShare blog offers examples of how presentations can be instrumental in making a difference; and Yanko Design is hosting a contest to generate designs that address poverty.

To use Idealist to take action, start by searching for solution-oriented keywords such as microfinance, fair trade, or credit union. And to hear about some unique, inspiring, even controversial ideas, listen to our podcast episodes about Christianity and poverty and community banking; and read our blog entries about street papers, green-collar jobs, raising money for rickshaw pullers, paying students for academic performance, and the role AmeriCorps*VISTA has played.

Please share other innovative solutions in the comments below!


This entry was written by Joanna as part of Blog Action Day.