Lesson 3.5: Digital Activism




Watch

On this page, you will learn what digital activism is and how you can take part.


A Fair Trade Cell Phone

Your mobile phone, computer, and game console have a bloody past - tied to tantalum mining, which funds the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Drawing on his personal story, activist and refugee Bandi Mbubi gives a stirring call to action.



Ready to Start?


Have a look around the following social movement sites. Are there any that interest you? 

And this is just a beginning. What other social movement sites do you know of? Share with friends and family. 
Can you think of any cause-related online campaigns that have resonated with you? What were they? Why did they catch your attention?

Consider how the websites to the right address hate. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Who is behind the website?
  2. What is the website's main purpose?
  3. Who is the audience?


Canadian Race Relations: Canada's leading race relations agency is dedicated to the elimination of racism in the country. (crr.ca)

Stop Racism and Hate Collective: This Canadian website has resources and current events and offers help on reporting hate crimes. (www.stopracism.ca)

It Gets Better Project: Dan Savage created this project to inspire hope for LGBTTIQQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited, intersex, queer, questioning) youth. (itgetsbetter.org)

Think Before You Speak: This campaign in the United States raises awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender bias and behaviour in schools.

The Bully Project: This project highlights solutions for systemic changem starting with the film "Stop Bullying. Speak Up!". (thebullyproject.com)
  1. Explore some of the websites from this page. How might you participate and share your views?
  2. Think of a topic that you believe in to create a persuasive presentation using a digital tool such as Powerpoint, Animoto, Prezi. Share your presentation and spread the word for your cause on one of the websites from this page, or within your social networking community.