Thrill-Seeking for Nerds (who want to change the world)

Lobbying is one of the most intense and effective advocacy actions! And it's no wonder- a face to face conversation with your member of Congress gives both parties the opportunity to be heard and understood, and speak in depth on their positions and room for compromise. There’s an idea many people have in their heads of a cartoonish, fancy-suited man with a briefcase sneaking around Capitol Hill and bribing politicians to represent his interest. I, too, think of that image with extreme distaste. Yes, there are paid lobbyists, but that’s not what I mean by a "lobby meeting" with volunteer constituents . “Lobbying” as a general concept gets its name from people who used to wait around in the lobby of the office building, hoping to snag a few minutes or even precious seconds of a lawmaker’s time to promote their cause. [A panorama taken while my family waited to meet with Senator Blunt. My mom appears three times in the shot, among the crowd waiting in the lobby.] These ...

Hey, teen advocates! Here's a really cool book you should get for your mom! [Book cover, depicting women linking arms in front of the Capitol. "What would you change about the world if you could?" and changyit.com are written above and below the book, respectively] This Women’s History Month, I’m proud to celebrate the most important woman in my life and how she has been a part of global history– my mom, Cynthia Changyit Levin , writing her debut book From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started! On International Women’s Day (March 8), her book was officially launched for the world to read. It’s a warm, funny, and inspirational guide to political advocacy specifically geared towards moms and their unique power. Experts and everyday advocates alike have written glowing endorsements already, but as Cynthia Changyit Levin’s eldest child, I feel uniquely qualified to say this is the perfect representation of her life’s work...

When advocacy feels like an uphill battle, who keeps you climbing? Today, I looked for inspiration on what to say about advocacy that I haven't already said here. I found it in a project for U.S. History class, at the end of last school year!  The assignment was to write a letter to my hypothetical future grandchildren about what life was like during 2020. It reminded me how tiring advocacy can be, but also that the power of personal relationships and fun moments do more to keep me engaged than the urgency of statistics, and I think that's a valuable lesson about movements. Here's an excerpt of what I wrote to my imaginary grandchild: Separated from my local community because I was isolated at home, the Sunrise Movement became my community. All that time online was draining, and electoral politics feels soul-sucking, so our team made sure that we were real friends to each other. These were the people I stayed up with until 1 a.m. on election night video calls. The combined ...

So, I have a sensory processing disorder (SPD), and it makes me really sensitive to touch and sound. Sometimes, this greatly affects what kinds of advocacy actions I can and can’t do, so I wanted to talk a little bit about what having sensory issues means for my experience with advocacy. Like, this school event? (photo is pre-covid) No. absolutely not. Even if we’re not in a pandemic, you will not see me in a crowd like this. [A cheering crowd forming Ws with their fingers runs onto an indoor basketball court, celebrating a win. Signs in the background say "Bomber Territory"- our school's mascot is, unfortunately, a bomber plane.] First, a little explanation if you’re not familiar with my SPD: loud noises, unexpected noises, and certain types of sounds put me in a fight-or-flight state. So does physical contact with other people. Sometimes, I get sensory overloads when it’s all super overwhelming, and my brain feels so scrambled I can’t recognize what’s happening around m...

This is a shout-out to the Sustainable Development Goal I feel like people most overlook: number 17, "partnerships for the goals." If you're not familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , they're a list of 17 interlocking global goals of better living for the planet. The United Nations set up a ton of specific targets to be reached around the world by 2030, and they were officially adopted by 193 countries in 2015. Goal 17, at the very end of the list, isn't quite as straightforward as many of the others. I know that personally, as a Model United Nations delegate, this is the goal I ignore most often. My peers and I seem to find climate change and gender equality resolutions more exciting.  "None of the other SDGs can be achieved without achieving SDG 17, because this SDG is highly linked to all the other 16 SDGs." - Naduni Kalungalla Naduni Kalungalla, a Model UN delegate in Sri Lanka, has had a similar experience.  "SDG 17 is actual...