Today’s Good News: Avaaz.org Sparks International Activism
In just over a year, Avaaz has amassed over 3.2 million members from 192 different countries, partly by leveraging video campaigns alongside online actions (mostly on human rights issues).
I was happy when Avaaz messages started showing up in my inbox, since they gave me a chance to act on issues I cared deeply about. The first one I got was about Tibet - they were trying to get a million signatures on a petition about leaving the monks alone. They were at 100,000 then, and I didn’t know if they would get there, but I found myself checking the website regularly and cheering when the million mark was hit.
Their website is in 13 languages. Right now they’re building a petition to save Zimbabwe from Robert Mugabe, and raising money to run ads in newspapers in the region.
The beauty of it is, it creates a new narrative about how good people everywhere can come together for justice. They have a wonderful video called “Stop the clash of civilizations,” to wit: “Talk is rising of a ‘clash of civilizations’. But the problem isn’t culture, it’s politics - from 9/11 to Guantanamo, Iraq to Iran. This clash is not inevitable, and we don’t want it. ” Check it out, sign up, give money here.
Leave a Comment