A wealth of resources are available to help turn your energy and motivation into real actions that make a difference, even during this pandemic. The links below showcase the many ways you can take action, strengthen your advocacy skills, or organize with Science Rising virtually in 2020.
QUICK LINKS:
- Participate in our democracy: Register to vote!
- Organize a training or event
- Tools for online events and activities
- Funding opportunities for your organizing efforts
- Engage with policymakers
- Bring science to the public spotlight through local media
- Bring your skills and resources to support local communities
- Support government scientists
- Team up with advocates on social media to spark a public dialogue
- Get creative
- Science Rising signs and visual resources
Resources are drawn from the many groups participating in Science Rising, along with a broader network of citizen advocacy groups. (This is a continually expanding list—email us at support@sciencerising.org with suggestions!)
Too many options? Try this quick round-up of actions based on your available time and resources.
Step one of democracy: Register to vote
Democracy depends on public participation. Encourage, motivate, and inspire your community to engage in the democratic process. Help your friends, neighbors, and community members to apply for early voting and organize online events and activities to support voter registration and turnout. Science Rising encourages everybody who is eligible to vote to do so.
- Register to vote
- State-specific voting information
- Student voting guide
- Participate in Vote Early Day
- Understand your state’s voter ID laws
- Make a plan: Know how to vote by mail, absentee ballot, or in person
Organize an online training or event
Support your peers and partners’ desire to learn and sharpen their skills in science advocacy, science policy, or other ways to elevate the role of science in our political process.
- Organize an event or activity
- Checklist: how to organize an event
- Planning an inclusive and accessible event
Tools for online events and activities
Need help transitioning to an online learning environment? Here are some tools to help you put on a great online event!
- Inclusivity checklist for virtual events
- Zoom vs Google Hangouts: Which should you use?
- Getting started with Zoom, everything you need to know
- 5 tips to make your Zoom meetings more fun
- How to deal with disruptors in Zoom meetings
- How to organize an event that makes an impact webinar*
*Resource is in the context of the 2018 Midterm Election
Funding opportunities for your organizing efforts
Apply for grants to help support your civic engagement and science advocacy events and activities. Make sure to keep an eye out for application deadlines and distinctive qualifications.
Engage with policymakers or candidates
From starting a conversation with your elected officials to coordinating call-in days to hosting a digital party that generates personal letters or public comments, teaming up with fellow scientist advocates and partners can significantly increase your influence on policymakers—and help to hold them accountable for how they act on science.
- Engage with a policymaker or candidate
- Submit effective public comments
- Craft a killer one-pager
- Get candidates on the record: key questions to ask
Bring science to the public spotlight through local media
Whether it’s joining forces on a group op-ed, meeting online or by phone with your local editorial board, or getting an online group together to craft letters-to-the-editor, you can help make science accessible and set the record straight on misinformation.
- Elevate your voice: write an op-ed
- Getting media to cover your event: the basics
- Writing op-eds that make a difference
- Writing a letter to the editor
- Writing a letter to the editor on voting rights
- Writing a brilliant press release
- Tips from journalists: how to build great connections with media
Bring your skills and resources to support local communities
Engage in your communities and connect with a local community group to offer technical support or scientific assistance. Listen to community needs and help connect them with the right scientific resources or expertise they need to advocate for themselves.
- Host an online public education event with community groups
- Building strategic local action
- Different Voices, Same Message webinar
Support government scientists
Organize a group to send them thank you letters to show you stand with government science and scientists.
- Read this guide to whistleblowing for federal employees and contractors
- Know and share these resources for scientists from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund
Team up with advocates on social media to spark a public dialogue
Come together with science advocates across the country to raise awareness about issues at the intersection of science and equity, and invite others to the dialogue.
- Organize a Twitter chat
- Suggestions from Science Rising for participating in our Twitter chats and organizing your own
- How to use Facebook Live effectively
Get creative
Need more ideas? Here are some more fun options to consider:
- Host an online film screening or a lecture. Give people a way to take action at the end on the issue being discussed.
- Host a virtual data-saving hack-a-thon to help protect data on federal web sites
- Organize a group to engage with candidates about the issues you care about–and write them questions that put science front and center in the discussion
Science Rising signs and visual resources
To help highlight participation in Science Rising, we offer the following visual resources:
- Download these Science Rising Powerpoint slides for your next presentation on promoting STEM civic engagement.
- A note on printing signs: To produce signs for rallies or other events where people will be holding up the sign, ask your local print shop for 100# (100-pound) cover stock, double-sided. For hanging up at an event, a more standard 20# paper weight, single-sided is generally sufficient.
