Advice
How to help girls campaign online
Many of our girls are working hard to create change by getting their voices heard online, so it’s more important than ever that we know how to support them in this space. Here are some practical tips for safe and effective digital campaigning from Kajal Odedra, online activist and UK Executive Director of change.org
As an activist, Kajal Odedra has been campaigning for change on various issues for over a decade. ‘Being online has completely disrupted what it means to campaign, in an incredibly positive way,’ she says. ‘Young people have much more agency now.’ In her role as UK Executive Director of change.org, the world’s largest petition website, she sees first-hand how people are able to make change happen, both on a small and a large scale. ‘It’s amazing and infectious to see what young people can do,’ she says.
Kajal shares her top tips on online activism, which you can use to support older girls who want to campaign using the internet. Remember to always check the age restrictions of social media platforms.
Choose your platform
There are many different tools for online activism. If you’re a natural when it comes to social media, you could use them all. Otherwise, focus on one or two channels.
Twitter is good for connecting with influential people. Facebook groups are great for discussing ideas within your community. Instagram is good for public support. Whichever you choose, think about how you could show that people support you, which adds weight and momentum to your campaign. A petition is one good tool for this.
Remember too that online activism can go hand-in-hand with offline activism. So when you have meetings with people in person, you could report them back online. And give people following your campaign online an opportunity to physically take part in the action, at events or demonstrations, for example.
The #SchoolStrike hashtag is a good example. We wouldn’t have had the school climate strikes if it weren’t for a hashtag that spread around the world. But the weekly strikes have definitely been offline protests. The agency that young people are developing through action like the climate strikes is amazing and infectious.
Stay safe
Take care with the information you put out into the world. If you’re a girl or young woman and you want to tell your story, take the time to think about what you’re comfortable sharing. You don’t need to include lots of detail for your story to be powerful – ‘short and simple’ works well online. Also, if you’re not sure or would like a different perspective, take the time to talk it through with someone you trust – this could be a family member, friend or a Guide leader.
Block and report trolls
‘Troll’ is slang for someone who uses the internet to cause upset and start arguments. The way they do it is by posting inflammatory or offensive comments on social media or in chat rooms or forums. Young people, people of colour, women, and other minority groups who have found a voice online are often targeted by trolls. It can be very upsetting and it’s one of the hazards of using social media and the internet to campaign. One reason that trolling happens is because some people are afraid of you becoming empowered. But when you’re doing something great, the number of people who support you way outnumbers the trolls. Remember that.
Some people say, ‘Don’t feed the trolls.’ That’s personally my approach; I have a general rule of not responding because I know that if I go down that rabbit hole, my energy will deplete and I’ll waste time on the wrong people. I also don’t want to give that troll any more airtime or space by engaging with them.
Some activists call out bad behaviour in brilliantly witty ways and basically out-troll the troll. Taking a light-hearted approach in response can act as a bit of self-care, in creating distance between you and the troll by not taking them seriously. This is harder than it sounds though, so you should only engage in this way if you feel you can do so in a self-protective way. Another way some activists tackle it is to call on their supporters to reply.
It’s sensible to keep a record, tell parents, guardians and guiding leaders about it, and block and report trolls to whichever platform you’re using. If it’s hate speech, screenshot it and report it to the police because it’s a crime. You can also report it directly to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection command through its online reporting form.
Don’t get hung up on numbers
The media focuses on petitions with thousands of signatures and trending hashtags, and it’s understandable to feel intimidated. But numbers aren’t the point, and small can be beautiful. Glastonbury music festival banned the culturally insensitive sale of Native American headdresses based on a petition with only 65 signatures. If you really want to create change, it’s about what you do.
Celebrate your successes – and be patient!
Just as in the offline world, online campaign success may not happen overnight, and sometimes it’s hard to see exactly what difference your hard work has made. Bear in mind that change comes in many ways – good publicity, signatures on a petition, raised awareness, increased discussion among decision makers… Take time to look at what you’ve achieved as well as where you want to go next.
Remember too that, whatever your goal, campaigning is about much more than just what you’re asking for. It’s about the movement you’re building and the people you’re bringing together into a community. Online campaigning can be brilliant for creating this sense of togetherness and using it to make a real difference.
Kajal Odedra’s book, Do Something: Activism for Everyone, is full of practical steps on becoming an activist.
Click here for a PDF from Girlguiding on how to stay safe online
Read more in this magazine about safeguarding and activism
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