Act Locally
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Welcome! Whether you're a community leader, a seasoned advocate, a young person looking to turn your concern into action or somewhere in between, you'll find guides, tools and ideas to help you make a difference.
For more resources, inspiring stories and online tools, please visit the homepage of our Action Center.
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- The ABCs of Advocacy. Read our guide to strengthening communities through advocacy.
- Budging the School Budget. A SparkAction guide to influencing school district budgets, with real-world examples.
- The Federal Budget Process in Congress: 2009. What's it got to do with your hometown? Find out!
Volunteer Opportunities
FRAC's recently released report outlines the following key provisions it deems essential for the nation to meet President Obama's goal of ending child hunger by 2015. Those provisions include:
A top priority for national health reform is to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance, especially the 45 million individuals, mostly adults, who are uninsured.
The World Youth Movement for Democracy (www.wymd.org), a youth network of the World Movement for Democracy (www.wmd.org), is pleased to announce the launch of its Global Essay Contest.
The Witness to Hunger program armed 40 mothers with video cameras and set them out to document their lives and what it takes to feed a family in tight times. "These women are the experts on what it's like to deal with the consequences of what our lawmakers decide," says the program's creator Mariana Chilton. On June 2, 2009, these experts shared their stories on Capitol Hill.
A new federal study has found that volunteering produces many positive benefits for teens from low-income backgrounds - they become empowered, are more likely to volunteer and become politically engaged, and believe they will graduate from college and make a difference in their communities.
I will never look at my Saturday afternoons in quite the same way. This winter my previously immovable soccer-watching mania was usurped by classes in a tiny recreational hall in a housing estate in southwest Houston.
VolunteerMatch can connect you to local opportunities that match your skills and interests. You can find jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities and more using their interactive map or zip-code match system.
Ready to take action locally, or looking for a meaningful career or internship? Idealist provides information about thousands of nonprofit organizations around the world. Look for a gig, advertise a job opening or opportunity, get your organization listed on the site, create a link to or from your website, etc. using your zipcode and other interactive tools.
The nation’s largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering, the Corporation sponsors AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and Senior Corps to help people of of all ages and backgrounds to express their patriotism while addressing critical community needs.
Youth programs in our country really do work, according to two short reports by the American Youth Policy Forum. But how do we shape policy and programs to build a better tomorrow? Some Things Do Make a Difference For Youth: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs profiles forty-nine youth intervention programs and identifies the characteristics that make them work.
Tools to Improve Communities
June 13, 2011
Produced by: 
SparkAction
As bullying-related suicides and violence grab national headlines, Washington, DC, is considering an anti-bullying law, following in the footsteps of 45 other states with such bills. But what does it take to make these bills effective? In this SparkAction blog, Eddy Ameen takes a look.
June 7, 2011
Produced by: 
MTV Act
After the suicide of a friend due to cyberbullying, Nina, a 19-year-old from New Jersey, became active in WiredSafety's Teen Angels program that helps volunteers educate their peers on how to avoid cyberbulling and take control of their digital lives.
May 30, 2011
Produced by: 
SparkAction
After recent statements by high-profile politicians dismissed young Americans' value in civic life—and states enacting voter ID laws—Janis Richter is questioning some baby boomers' stance on youth engagement.
May 27, 2011
Produced by: 
Rock the Vote
Thomas Bates, VP of Civic Engagement at Rock the Vote, clarifies and responds to Wisconsin's adoption of the strictest voter ID law in the country.
May 27, 2011
Produced by: 
American Human Development Project , United Way of America, United Way of America
The Common Good Forecaster is an interactive online tool that uses Census data to forecast the impact of increased educational attainment on such factors as health, civic engagement and crime. Click on any state and get detailed data both state-wide and per county on all levels of education in comparison with the overall health, wealth, and levels of community involvement to see the
May 19, 2011
Produced by: 
The Save Our Schools March will take place in Washington, DC on July 30th, 2011--supporters of public schools, from teachers to celebrities, will take part in this national call to action. Get all the details in the link below.
May 18, 2011
Produced by: 
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
Jonathan Bloom explains the paradox of food waste and hunger in America, and gives simple steps of action towards a more sustainable, healthy, and fed nation.
May 16, 2011
Produced by: 
Students at the University of California, Santa Cruz took place in a national day of action called the Briefcase Brigades in April to start a discussion about youth unemployment and getting through college. Check out their video below!
May 16, 2011
Produced by: 
AT&T, America's Promise Alliance
This school year saw a change in ten communities
across the country. As part of the Grad Nation campaign, America's Promise
Alliance and AT&T offered an opportunity for high school students to make a
difference in their schools and neighborhoods through the My Idea Grants.
May 16, 2011
Produced by: 
SparkAction
A new video from SparkAction of the Briefcase Brigades, featuring footage of Brigades from coast to coast!