Activism vs. Social Project
Despite the fact that in common usage the concepts of activism and social projects are often used interchangeably, I think it is important to understand the difference between them.
For me, it is very important to distinguish between activism on the one hand and social projects, organisations and NGOs on the other.
Activism is about solving your own problem. NGOs are about solving a social problem.
If you want a tree to grow in your yard, but instead there is an asphalted car park, you can do nothing about it - just be dissatisfied. Or you can start being an activist: find out who is in charge of yard improvement, go around to your neighbours and collect signatures from them, organise the necessary measurements and approvals, and as a result a tree will grow in the middle of your wonderful yard. And then you will move - and history will repeat itself again. And another yard will have a tree instead of a car park. Or not: perhaps there will be a more stubborn Housing and Utilities Department, or it will turn out that the communications are only half a metre under the asphalt, and you can't open it up in any way.
Another scenario is also possible. You decide that you need a tree in your yard and discover that your neighbourhood or city has no landscaping regulations. Or they do exist, but are not enforced. And you go to court. Or you will initiate public hearings. Or write petitions and letters to the head of the region or district. In the process, you will discover that some other legislation or law enforcement practice requires corrections in order to achieve your goal. And in the end, you may succeed in changing the situation at the level of your district, city, or even the whole country. Or you may not succeed. In any case, the problem is that it will take a very long time for a tree to appear in your yard, but you can make a difference in the lives of many people suffocating in the asphalt and concrete jungle.
Activism - is solving a one-off problem, or solving the same recurring problem using similar methods. The key here is personal interest and desire to solve one's own problem - which, of course, is a recurring problem for other people as well.
A social project - the second case - is about solving a social problem at a systemic level. When we realise that a large number of people in society have a certain problem, and we want to make sure that it basically never occurs again.
In my opinion, it is very important to separate, and to understand for ourselves: are we now activists, or are we an organisation? What and whose problems are we solving, and for what purpose?
And it is optimal, probably, when activists work in an organisation, and they have a clear understanding of what exactly and how exactly the organisation does to achieve their goals, and how they can most effectively invest in it.
