How To: Start an Awareness Campaign About Your Cause

Chances are there are tons of people out there who don’t know much about your cause or how many people it affects. Make some catchy flyers so they can be in the know and learn how they can make a difference too.

1. Double Check. Are you allowed to post your signs around school or on telephone poles and community bulletin boards? If your town won’t allow you to post on public property, see if you can pass out flyers at your town hall, public library, a local business or at school.

2. Do Some Research. Figure out how you want to present your data. Do Something has some great info on tons of causes including facts, effects and dangers.
3. Investigate. What are the cause-relevant things happening in your area? For instance, if your cause is alcohol abuse, call your local Alcoholics Anonymous and ask about the details of alcoholism in your area. Don’t be afraid to include this info on your posters.
4. Details. See if you can get a quote from an expert. Call your local university and track down a professor. If your cause is drug addiction, talk to a recovering addict (Narcotics Anonymous may be able to help you here). Real stories are powerful!
5. Image it. Sometimes pictures make stronger statements than words, so don’t be afraid to use them. If you campaign for locally grown food, as to take a picture of a farmer's produce!
6. Power in People. Now that you’ve got all this info, get some friends together to help you design and complete the posters or flyers. They can also help you put them up when you’re done.
7. Variety is Key. Keep in mind that in order to make this campaign effective, you have to vary your strategy. So think about making a few different kinds of signs:
• Small flyers to pass out to people
• Big, colorful posters to post on telephone polls: you want these to grab the attention of the people will be driving and/or walking by.
• Informative flyers to post on cork boards or town message boards.
8. Timing is everything. Think what time of year is best to campaign. If your cause is climate change, aim to have a campaign around Earth Day. If it’s alcoholism, April is Alcohol Awareness Month! But if you’ve missed the date, don’t be hesitant to start a campaign regardless.
9. Be Bold. Think of strange places you can put up posters and see if you can get permission to post them there. Marketers have put up ads in odd places because it’s an effective tactic. Like the doors in bathroom stalls of restaurants, cafes, and/or even in restrooms of your local bus or train station. Try it out!
10. Post and Repost. While going out one day and posting is great, keep in mind that weather may damage posters so you’ll want to go out periodically and repost your signs. You also won’t catch everyone in one day so schedule a few days to go out and distribute fliers.
11. Recruit speakers.Who can come in and speak to students at your school, church, or community center about your cause? If your cause is discrimination, visit your local synagogue to see if someone can come in and speak about anti-Semitism. You can even go to your local police station and ask for resources. They’re usually more than willing to help support a positive cause.

And don't forget to let Do Something know the amazing things you've done!

Property of DoSomething.org

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- These are great ideas to start doing something for others! To help someone you don't necessarily need money. Think of the cause you want to help, and then you can contact a couple of friends that are willing to contribute. Present projects to your community, motivate other people to help with the cause. Throughout this time, you'll see the difference you're going to make to other people's lives!

- Make a Difference!

It's Okay to Make Mistakes...

"A couple of hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today. This is the man who discovered electricity. You think more people would listen to what he had to say. I don't know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I'd have to say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you're wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo? The early bird catches the worm. A stitch in time saves nine. He who hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we hadn't been told. We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day. Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore. Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant. That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying." – Grey’s Anatomy (Meredith Grey)

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- Most of us are familiar with the saying "Never leave that till tomorrow, which you can do today.", we know it is the right thing, but none of us applies it. If we have to turn in a homework paper for next week, we start doing it the day before; if we need to help somebody, we say "i'll go help them tomorrow, it's not like it's gonna make a difference", its wrong to think this way, because you CAN make a difference, maybe that homework wasn't good enough, or maybe that person that needed your help, is not there anymore. You never know what can happen. We are humans, and we learn from our mistakes, but it's not until we get hit, that we realize what we did wrong.

- Make a Difference!

Millions displaced by devastating floods in Pakistan brace for winter wi...

Millions displaced by devastating floods in Pakistan brace for winter without a home

PUNJAB PROVINCE, Pakistan, 8 December 2010 – Flood waters that have devastated one-fifth of Pakistan’s lands and affected the lives of more than 20 million people have been receding in most of the affected areas, but the misery left behind is indescribable. And now, at least 10 million displaced persons across the country are returning home to try to rebuild their shattered lives.

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- It is incredible to see how many horrible things are happening around the world and we still don't appreciate what we have. People dying from different kinds of diseases, for not having enough food to survive, not having a home, or even a family. Pakistan has gone through a very rough time, and many people got their homes shattered. It's time we start thanking God for what we have, and appreciate each and every one of the blessings he has given us. Let's show him that we can help others and contribute in making the world a better place!

- Make a Difference!

How to Improve Life

Introduction:

Ever thought life cannot be improved? There will always be an obstacle in the way, but there are certain things that can be done to make life better. So what are you waiting for? begin your way to progress.

What will you need:

*faith

*strength

*a goal

*a positive mind

STEP 1:

Don't regret anything.

We often ask ourselves: "Why didn't I do it?" and regret things we didn't do. First of all, don't think about what you could've done but you didn't. What's done is done, you can't change what happened. If it happend, it was for a reason.

STEP 2:

Go out.

Many of our problems are made by our thoughts. Don't stay alone with all the thoughts that take over your head. Go out, either with friends or family, but this will help you clear your mind.

STEP 3:

Do something different.

Try new things, explore life. We keep getting attached to what we already have, and we get stuck there thinking there's nothing else to do. But there's a whole world out there waiting for us to explore.

STEP 4:

Help other people.

By helping other people you help yourself too. They might have the same problem as you, and you will also feel good by doing it.

STEP 5:

Identify what makes you happy.

Think of the things you love, of them that satisfy you. It will help you get organized and make you sure of what you really want.

STEP 6:

Don't assume what's going to happen.

How you feel isn't always how things really are. When you expect things, it doesn't really mean they will happen. You're inventing something that hasn't happened and you will find them by being negative.

STEP 7:

Don't judge anyone.

If you don't know the person, there's no reason to say things about them that you don't even know if they're right.

STEP 8:

Let go of your past.

Learn from yesterday.Most of us hang on to our past, but you have to live your present, and stop thinking about what happened. Start again and make life what you want it to be.

STEP 9:

Be positive.

Life is not easy, and sometimes we cannot fix things. But if you're positive and think you can do it, you will do it. It's never too late to start something, but it's hard to take the path not knowing if you chose the right decisions. If you want to give up, don't, if you think you can't do it, try; if it didn't work, try again.

STEP 10:

Don't rush.

If you're really trying to achieve a goal, but you haven't already, don't get mad and think that you'll never do it. Because everything takes time and hard work. Throughout this time, you will learn and mature.

STEP 11:

Don't be a perfectionist.

It is considered an unhealthy belief that work that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable. If you’re searching for a Prince Charming or a Cinderella for a perfect relationship, you will spend your life alone.

STEP 12:

Don't envy.

There will always be someone that will have more than you. You don't have to feel bad about it, because what we have is what we've achieved; and maybe, that person that has more than you lacks what you have

STEP 13:

Read.

Sometimes when you read, you learn things that you didn't know they were real. Reading also helps you have something to talk about when other people don't even know what to say.

STEP 14:

Be strong.

Going through problems is hard and you have to be prepared for them. You are going to fall, but that doesn't mean you will stop the battle against life. When you fall, you have to get up and keep fighting, don't give up.

STEP 15:

You won't always get what you want.

In life, everything is hard to get and if you don't got it, it was not meant to be for you. For example, if you wanted to go to a party, but something came up and your parents decided not to let you go, don't get angry at them and say things you will regret later; if you didn't go, it was because you were not supposed to.

STEP 16:

Meet new people.

Socialize with other people, it will help your self esteem and make new friends. If you have a low-self esteem, think that everyone is different and that others are not better than you, people will like you for who you are, not for who you try to be.

- Make a Difference!