5 Ways to Get Involved with Global Issues in a New City

I’ve just moved from Toronto to Vancouver and am looking for ways to get involved with global issues in my new city.  I thought I would share five strategies that are helping me to get connected with change here on the West Coast.

1) Look for Posters

Large charity events usually have lots of advertising.  As soon as I arrived here I kept seeing posters for the annual AIDS Walk for Life.  I participated in the Toronto walk last year, so it’ll be nice to get involved with an event I’m familiar with to get a feel for the health activist community here.  And the added bonus is that we’ll be walking next to the Pacific Ocean in beautiful Stanley Park!

2) Look Online

Smaller charities and events might not have the budget for bus stop advertising but they often try to promote their events in weekly event listings like Toronto’s Now Magazine or Vancouver’s Georgia Straight.  I found that the Straight has two categories in its event listings online that I should watch: Take Action and Benefits.

There’s also probably an online database of volunteer opportunities in your new city.  Here is would check out Volunteer Vancouver, which has chapters in lots of cities.

3) Look on Campus

Even if you’re not a student, universities are often hubs of activity for a cause.  Browsing through campus events can really give you a sense of what types of causes are popular in your new city.  Yes, I said popular!  We’d like to think that causes aren’t trends, but it is often true that the focus of charity will change over time and in different locations.  So far, Vancouver seems to have a strong focus on green issues and pet rights.

4) Look for local chapters of organizations you have been involved with before

If they are big enough, there’s a chance that your new city will have a local chapter of a charity you’ve been involved in before.  I just found out that there is a Twestival Vancouver (@YVRTwestival) event (thought they aren’t supporting any international causes) happening this fall, so I don’t have to worry about missing TwestivalTO!

Sometimes, if there isn’t an actual chapter, there might be people who involved with the charity of your choice anyway.  Even though CAPAIDS is based in Toronto, there are board members across the country.  I plan to connect with the Vancouver members to get involved with future CAPAIDS events here.

5) Go to 1 event and get invited to 5 more

Activism tends to have a snowball effect: going to one event usually helps you to learn about other ways to get involved.  This might mean meeting a new friend who is connected and can send events your way, or learning about a new aspect of an issue that you want to learn more about.  This is a good thing to know if you can’t find an event or organization that is exactly what you’re interested in.  Go to the event anyway, and its likely you’ll find something else that gets you closer to exactly what you’re interested in.