It's Your World--If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers

Contents

Introduction

YOU CAN SO CHANGE THE WORLD . WHY PEOPLE BECOME ACTIVISTS . ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE . CHOOSING YOUR CAUSE . DO YOUR RESEARCH . HOW THIS BOOK WORKS . A FEW MORE THINGS

Helping Animals

THE ISSUES . BE A RESPONSIBLE PET OWNER . MAKE YOUR HOME A CRUELTY-FREE ZONE . REFUSE DISSECTION . MAKE AN ANIMAL RESEARCH COLLEGE GUIDE . VOLUNTEER AT A SHELTER . BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN FOR LOCAL ANIMALS . START A PAWS CHAPTER IN YOUR TOWN . SHAKIRA'S STORY . EMMA'S STORY . THE 5-MINUTE ACTIVIST . RESOURCES

Fighting Racism

THE ISSUES . TEST YOURSELF FOR BIAS . PLAN A "RACE MATTERS" MOVIE NIGHT . WHAT IF YOUR FAMILY IS RACIST? . INVITE A SPEAKER TO YOUR SCHOOL . MOBILIZE AGAINST HATE GROUPS BY WRITING A LETTER TO THE EDITOR . OTHER WAYS TO FIGHT RACISM . CHIKA'S STORY . EMMANUEL'S STORY . THE 5-MINUTE ACTIVIST . RESOURCES

Saving the Environment

THE ISSUES . MEASURE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT . GIVE YOUR HOUSE AN ENVIRONMENTAL MAKEOVER . START AN ENVIRONMENTAL MAILING LIST . FIND OUT IF YOUR SCHOOL SPENDS MORE ON ENERGY THAN ON YOU . CHECK YOUR COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY . IDENTIFY LOCAL POLLUTERS . ADAM'S STORY . DAVID'S STORY . THE 5-MINUTE ACTIVIST . RESOURCES

Ending War

THE ISSUES . PUT UP A PEACE POSTER . INTERVIEW A VETERAN OF WAR . ORGANIZE A TEACH-IN AT YOUR SCHOOL . START A FAITH-BASED PEACE COALITION . GO TO A BIG PROTEST . ANA'S STORY . HANNAH'S STORY . THE 5-MINUTE ACTIVIST . RESOURCES

Fighting the Spread of HIV/AIDS

THE ISSUES . GET TESTED . FIGHT FOR COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION . GET LOCAL BUSINESSES TO SIGN AN ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PLEDGE . OTHER ACTIVISM IDEAS . LAURA'S STORY . HENRY'S STORY . THE 5-MINUTE ACTIVIST . RESOURCES

Stopping School Violence and Bullying

THE ISSUES . MAKE AN ANTI-VIOLENCE CONTRACT WITH YOUR PARENTS . DISTRIBUTE A FLYER ABOUT THE WARNING SIGNS OF POSSIBLE SCHOOL VIOLENCE . CREATE A BULLY BOX . CONNECT WITH AN AT-RISK YOUTH . BRITT'S STORY . MISSY'S STORY . RESOURCES

Defending Women's Rights

THE ISSUES . LEARN ABOUT FEMINIST HISTORY . DISCUSS FEMINISM WITH SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER GENERATION . SPEAK OUT ABOUT DATING VIOLENCE . FIND OUT IF YOUR SCHOOL IS TITLE IX COMPLIANT . HAVE A LETTER-WRITING PARTY TO FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS . SARA'S STORY . ERICA'S STORY . THE 5-MINUTE ACTIVIST . RESOURCES

Protecting Civil Rights and Civil Liberty

THE ISSUES . FIND OUT WHAT DATA THE GOVERNMENT HAS ON FILE ABOUT YOU . START AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PAPER . DO AN ART PROJECT ABOUT SURVEILLANCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY . HOST A VIDEO SCREENING ABOUT THE FOURTH AMENDMENT . ASHLEY'S STORY . ALAN'S STORY . RESOURCES

Promoting Tolerance Toward Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth

THE ISSUES . TALK TO YOUR PARENTS ABOUT AN LGBTQ ISSUE IN THE NEWS . START A GAY/STRAIGHT ALLIANCE AT YOUR SCHOOL . ASSESS WHETHER YOUR SCHOOL IS SAFE FOR LGBTQ YOUTH . MAKE A VOTER GUIDE . SARAH'S STORY . STACEY'S STORY . RESOURCES

Acknowledgments

General Activism Resources

Sources used in writing this book

Mikki Halpin wrote the essay "A Girl's Guide to Geek Guys" for Bunnyhop, and it quickly became an Internet classic, earning Mikki a special place in geekdom. She was editor-in-chief of the online magazine Stim; co-founded the classic 'zine Ben Is Dead; and has written for many publications, including Wired, BookForum, Studio Mix, The Independent, and BUST. She is the author of two books. She lives in New York City.