viva las vegas

The world is changing.

We have never lived in a society that protects its most vulnerable. There are always those who slip through the cracks, unhelped, unloved, understood by no one. We pick and choose who to care about based on measurements of worth that are unattainable, and unforgiving.

In light of the Vegas shooting, I'm finding myself feeling guilty. I'm not doing enough, listening enough. I want to be an advocate. I want to help make change, to feel like I am a contributor to humanity. It's hard to watch my country shrink farther and farther from its original ideology while I'm thousands of miles away. To see natural disaters, poor leadership, and violent hate wrack the nation, and to wake up every day knowing I'll have to explain to my new friends and acquaintances here why there continues to be so much tragedy. Why we continue to self-destruct. Why. Why. Whywhywhywhy.

I've been watching the news all day, consuming every video and article I could find. I feel the need to wholly concentrate on the current state of things, to be present in this time of uncertainty and fear. I feel the need to act.

It's difficult to make a difference everyday, or to even motivate yourself enough to move past the overwhelming amount of violence and injustice in the world to focus on a task that is useful and manageable. I know this was meant to be a travel blog, and I promise I'll get there, but today I feel the need to share ways that you can make a small difference every day- so that if you feel the need to help like I do, you have somewhere to start. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

There are a lot of online resources to help you become a more engaged citizen, here are a few I've started to use.

1. CHANGE.ORG

This website allows regular citizens like you and me to connect with people around the world to create petitions for causes we believe in. Being a member of CHANGE.ORG can also give you opportunities to contact your government representatives on prevalent current issues like DACA, gun control, and health care.

2. RESISTBOT

Resistbot allows you to contact your government representatives quickly and instantly- by texting RESIST to 50409 you can start contacting your local officials about topics that matter to you.

3. THE SKIMM

Another way to easily become a more engaged citizen is to become a more informed one. The Skimm is a service that emails you highlights of the current news each morning in bite-sized tidbits that provide information in laymen's terms. Try reading it when you take your morning poop or over coffee, it's that easy!

HUMANITARIAn/global EFFORTS

Maybe you're looking for impact on a larger scale? I've got that for you too.

1. The GLOBaL GOALS If you haven't already heard of this movement, I highly suggest you do a bit of research on it today. The global goals are 17 goals for sustainable global development created by the United Nations and signed by 193 world leaders that are hoped to be achieved by 2030. This movement is heavily supported through its social media presence, even retweeting something from their account could help raise awareness.

2. unicef

Just sign up for their emails and help when you can, honestly there isn't much more to say here.

3. ecosia

Ecosia is a search engine that can be used in lieu of engines like Google or Bing that is dedicated to using its revenue to plant trees in places like Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and Peru. They say that once you've done about 45 searches you'll have contributed to one full tree- and you'd be surprised how quickly the searches stack up. Next time you're doing a research paper or just curiously surfing the internet try Ecosia.

These are just a handful of examples, there are endless ways to help make this world a little better. Sending all my good energy to Las Vegas, and the families there in need of healing. Sending all my hope to the United States government in hope that we finally do something about gun violence in America. And sending you well wishes, reader. The world is changing, but we can help it change for the better.