In Canada

There are plenty of ways that you can have impact in the fight against extreme poverty and related issues by working in your community. Here are some ideas and tools to assist you:

Get Active on This Site

The Global Citizens for Change website is a tool in-and-of itself. It is a place for people across the country to connect on issues of development, to promote awareness-raising events, and to learn about what other people are doing in their communities to fight extreme poverty.

Please see the following sections for current information: action alert, events page, discussion forum, and tips of the week.

Get Others Involved

To have impact and create change, we need to generate an understanding amongst our fellow Canadians of issues related to extreme poverty. Look for opportunities to do awareness-raising talks at local service clubs, churches and schools, and with other groups that exists in your community.

How to do make great presentation
Make Poverty History presentation for schools

More presentation resources coming soon . . .

Get Political

Meet, call or write to your local Member of Parliament to let them know that, as a constituent in their riding, you care about how they represent you in the House of Commons around issues that affect the world’s poorest communities.

It may sound a bit intimidating, but it’s your right as a citizen. You will most likely find that your Member of Parliament will be very interested in what you have to say, and that connecting with their office is easier then you think.

Political Action Kit

Get Your Local Media Involved

There is great opportunity to use your local media to build interest in the issue of extreme poverty. You can write a letter or article for your local newspaper, work newsletter, e-zines, or community bulletin. Smaller media sources are often looking for content, and working with them is a great way to build awareness in your community.

Connecting with local media

Organize Events

Host an event to get other people in your community interested in issues of poverty. Host a concert, wrap a building in white, form a coffee house discussion group, organize a march or rally, host a photo exhibit, have a movie night of important films at a local theatre—there is no end to the type and scope of event you can organize in your community.

Have a look at what some other folks are doing
Tips on organizing an event.

Get Active about the Issue of HIV/AIDS

More than 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS. In the developing world, 6 million need antiretroviral drugs, yet just over 1 million have access to them. Without these medicines, the rest will die. These deaths are preventable and unnecessary. The AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest public health crises in history. You can do something about the crisis and join a nationwide movement to support prevention programs and provide universal access to treatment.

Call on our government to take four steps to fight the global crisis: increase aid, increase access to affordable medicines, cancel the debt, and support public health care systems in developing countries.

Learn how with this AIDS Community Mobilization Kit.