Often, students feel like they can not make a positive impact on the world. This is especially true in the case of politics. It may be because they are feeling doubtful about their capabilities or simply do not know how to get involved. However, there are many things that university students can do right from their desks!
Written by Navreen Dosanjh
What are Politics?
In simple words, politics is the way that a population makes decisions. These decision-making processes have helped the world distribute power and resources. Political scientist, Harold Lasswell, puts it best: Politics is “who gets what, when, and how.” It is therefore very important, because it determines entire social fabrics: The relationship between justice and law enforcement, whether society should be based on cooperation or conflict, etc.
Why Get Involved in Politics?
Students are the future of our world. The decisions that politicians make now will affect them for decades to come. Getting involved in politics early on encourages students to speak up about their perspectives and learn how to fight for their rights and interests. It increases the chance for their voices to be heard and changes to be made.
Student involvement in politics can also be chock full of amazing learning opportunities. It can teach students valuable skills in research, communication, and critical thinking. Furthermore, reaching out and getting involved in the community can open the doors to many successful careers and scholarship opportunities.
How to Get Involved in Politics as A Student
The first essential to get involved in politics is to find a political idea that interests you, whether it be climate change, mental health, or student debt. The next step is research, research, research! Find out as much as you can about your topic of interest.
After researching, there are two major routes you can take to make a difference:
1) Join a non-profit organization:
A non-profit tends to organize around a specific issue. They raise money through fundraising efforts to bring awareness to issues and help those directly affected by them. They also reach out to either support politicians fighting for specific policies that would benefit the cause or protest and lobby against politicians who they believe will harm it.
2) Volunteer on a political campaign:
Find a politician who you feel you can connect to, and who you believe will support the issues you believe in. Attending town halls and school meetings is a great way to get started in meeting local politicians. Volunteering in campaigns can mean making phone calls or canvassing door-to-door to spread enthusiasm and awareness about candidates.
Joining organisations like these help students become active members of society. They also help them make connections, which is vital to making effective positive changes. These connections can also help students get employment and scholarship opportunities!
A large and powerful step that students can also take to get involved includes sharing their views online. Growing an audience to share important information, not only helps spread awareness to issues, but also helps give credibility to students when they look to reach out to politicians.
Politics can be an amazing place for students to make a great positive change to the world. It lets them support issues they are driven about, to create a voice in society, and to finally have a hand in influencing their own future. All it takes is pushing them to take that first step.
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