12 Ways to Change the World

Ever wonder how you can make a difference, starting right here, right now? Here are 12 great ideas from our very own Peace Corps volunteer. 

1. Start with individuals. Big life-changing projects are great, but thousands of little changes are even more effective. Make someone else’s day in a pay-it-forward type fashion. Smile at a stranger. Help someone with their groceries. Buy a coffee for the guy in line behind you. Say thank you to a stressed-out teacher. A little bit of uplift can spread and have effects you couldn’t imagine.
2. Make an impact with every search. Good search.com – a search engine just like Google or Bing – donates to your charity of choice every time you use it to search the web.
3. Freerice.com . Do some brain exercises and save the world at the same time. Freerice.com donates 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme for every correct answer to their language, math, science or geography questions.
4. Shop consciously. Every time you make a purchase, you’re giving your approval to the business, their practices and ethics. Do some research online to find out which products and businesses are positively contributing to the environment, their worker’ well-being and the world as a whole. Check out Fair Trade (fairtradefederation.org) or similar sites for starters.
5. Volunteer. It’s the simplest, most effective way you can help. Look into different organizations in your area to find what skills or interests you can offer to make the most significant impact. Try volunteermatch.org or ask at your city administration.
6. Clean your house – stock someone else’s. Giving to Goodwill or caring centers doesn’t end with outgrown clothes – there are places to donate unwanted books, cell phones, toys, bikes, eye glasses, electronics, furniture, etc. And it’s a great excuse to dive into spring cleaning and upgrade!
7. Give of yourself…really. Donating time or money not an option? There’s always donating blood or platelets (carterbloodcare.org), hair (locksoflove.org) or, if you’re really ambitious, how ‘bout a kidney (kidney.org)?
8. Looking for a pet? Start at the animal shelter. Or if “Can we keep him?” isn’t in your plans, just volunteer to play with the animals for an afternoon.
9. Voluntourism. Plan your next family vacation around a service activity, whether in your state or on the other side of the globe. See the sites, meet new people, feel good about yourself and humanity.
10. Bring the world to you.  If traveling’s outside your budget, look into hosting an international student or adopting an entire family through a refugee placement organization. Cross-cultural exchanges are one of the best ways to promote understanding and tolerance on an individual level.
11. Become involved politically.  Support what you feel is important and promote those who you think will make the biggest positive difference in our government.
12. Be aware. Stay informed on what’s happening in your community and in the world. God works in mysterious ways, and you might just have the perfect solution to that need seen on the 10 o’clock news.

Valerie Cooper, UBC & TCU Graduate, Class of 2009, and current Peace Corps Volunteer