i live in a small-medium town where nobody really seems conscious. idk if i’m just not tapped into my local scene but i feel like i’d know if there were a dsa/foodnotbombs/etc branch here, i’ve looked online. i have a lot of desire to do something productive for my community but i just feel stuck and isolated from broader movements. how does someone even start organizing with their community when no foundations already exist?

  • FishLake@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    9·
    14 days ago

    Go to church, go to local events, have a child in school, join a hobby/sports group. There are foundations everywhere there are human beings in community with each other.

    Your local volleyball league is headed by a guy that’s part of the volunteer fire department. His coworker does controlled burns each spring as part of a wildlife restoration group. One of the group members is on the PTA at school. Another PTA member’s mother is retiring from the church’s donation closet. And they need someone to wash the clothes that get donated. And that person could be you.

    I know it seems like a small thing, but you gotta get out there, ya know?

          • FishLake@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
            2·
            14 days ago

            I get it. I really do. Interacting with other people who don’t care about Covid or communicable disease is inherently risky, even with N95 respirators or multiple precautionary measures. No mitigation effort is perfect, save for complete isolation. If you are able to take precautions and participate in community with others though you are showing solidarity with the most vulnerable in our society.

            I work in an elementary school. I get asked why I wear a mask all the time. I consider it my duty to my young, old, disabled, and marginalized comrades to answer this question truthfully. Despite their reaction to my answers, I have felt my influence on others in my school. Whether it’s one child who wore a mask while he was sick to our NEA rep pushing for better filtration in our HVAC. Your participation matters a lot.

            Edit: I don’t mean to make you feel obligated to take risk that you are uncomfortable with. Please don’t interpret what I’ve said as a moralistic grandstand or a condemnation of valuing personal safety.