It’s time to mobilize–be a leader in your community!
Organizing an online event or activity and directly engaging your local community or campus is one of the most effective ways to inspire action and bring attention to an issue. Many students think that being a part of the democratic process is challenging and complicated. You can help demystify the process and empower your peers.
Currently, Science Rising is actively discouraging in-person events and group gatherings. This means that virtual engagement is an important tool to involve your peers and communities in the Science Rising movement while societal efforts are in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
We encourage you to get creative when planning your event or activity. The possibilities are endless. Here are some more ideas to help get you started.
Go big. Get your school to commit to a campus-wide civic engagement initiative.
Several nationwide efforts and opportunities are already underway:
Is your campus participating in the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge? The All-In Challenge is a nonpartisan initiative that supports colleges and universities working to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation. If your campus isn’t already involved, you can get started by finding a faculty member or campus official and working with them to fill out the commitment form.
Has your campus joined the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE)? NSLVE helps colleges and universities analyze and aggregate their voter registration and turnout rates in national elections. If your campus isn’t on this list, here’s how you can get your campus to join.
Does your campus have an action plan for civic engagement? This can be in addition to or separate from participating in the All-In Challenge and NSLVE. The Students Learn, Students Vote coalition has created a comprehensive guide for how students can develop and implement these action plans.
Organize your own event or activity
Right now many individuals are distancing themselves to public spaces in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus and minimize the health impacts. Despite this, you still have the power to organize virtual events or activities such as webinars or online panels.
Check out our list of Science Rising event planning resources on our website.
Need help funding an event? Apply to the Science Rising Challenge Fund for up to $1000 in financial support.
Don’t forget: Add your event to the Science Rising event calendar!
List your online event or activity and we’ll add it to our events calendar so that other STEM students and science advocates can find it and participate. Plus, we’ll send you reminders and additional resources to help you make sure your event or activity is a success.
Did you complete this activity?
Well done! Have you also completed the two required activities for the Science Rising Challenge — registering to vote and having a plan to vote? Then congratulations! YOU have completed the Science Rising Challenge!
Share your achievement with your friends and let us know you’ve completed the challenge. We’ll send you a cool button to recognize your accomplishment and your participation in our democracy!