When we think of human rights movements, we immediately think of the historical human rights movements such as the Civil Rights Movement (1964). Human Rights Movements are powerful as they are movements around topics that shape eliminating racism or fostering gender equality. Even though Human Rights Movements are stereotypically known to take a larger scale approach, they can occur at smaller levels at the local scale. If you are interested in going into advocacy work, here are some options you can pursue at a local level.
Educational System:
American Civil Liberties Union:
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If you are interested in learning more about the educational rights of children in general in public schools, the American Civil Liberties Union reinstates the rules educating youth. Advocates point out the rights of children regardless their gender, racial, religion, citizenship and socio-economic status. If you are interested in learning more about the work the American Civil Liberties Union does, you can check out their website here.
Recognizing Mental Health in Our Educational System:
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Consider fighting for the educational rights for children who suffer from mental illness in the public education system. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), “half of individuals living with mental illness experience onset by the age of 14 in the United States.” NAMI aims to advocate for more effective mental health services and to recognize mental health within the school system.
Workplace Equality:
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There are also efforts to promote workplace equality by establishing no-discrimination policies (ex. Based on gender, race, sexual orientation). If you are interested in finding out about more efforts for human rights pertaining to workplace equality, check out this website.
Coming Out:
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Santa Cruz also has numerous human rights efforts pertaining to coming out. For example, The Diversity Center, aims to develop positive LGBTQ+ leaders in local middle schools and high schools and build a strong community. If you are interested in getting involved with The Diversity Center in Santa Cruz, you can check out their website here. On campus, the Lionel Cantú Queer Center also recognizes the importance of building a queer and trans community on campus for students. You can also learn more about their efforts here.
Houselessness Efforts:
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Santa Cruz has also had various houselessness efforts. For example, you can get involved with the Santa Cruz Homeless Garden Project. The Homeless Garden Project allows Santa Cruz locals to volunteer in the garden and produce fresh crops they can enjoy. If you are interested in volunteering at the Homeless Garden Project, check out their website here.
Food Not Bombs believes in sharing free food with Santa Cruz locals, specifically the houseless to ensure that everyone is feed. With Food Not Bombs, you can volunteer to prep and serve food. If you are interested in finding out more about their campaigns, you can check out their website here.
As you can see, the list goes on for Human Rights Movements at the local scale. By learning more about what your community can offer, you can make a truly positive effect on the people around you.
If you are interested in learning more about Human Rights Efforts, we would love to share a conversation with you at Common Ground if need help getting started. We are also honored to host over a dozen Laureates on May 15-18, 2018 for our Regional Conference of North American Right Livelihood Award Laureates who will talk about various human rights efforts they have took part in. Visit https://kresge.ucsc.edu/commonground/ for details.
