How to Take Action Through Your Passions

Everybody has a passion - a cause that rages a fire within oneself. Whether this passion is helping children with cancer or helping wildlife thrive, I challenge you to do something. I had a passion, and here's how I took action because of it.

It was December 2016. Life was good for me. I was an eighth grader with an optimistic outlook on life. However, my school year was going to take a turn for the worse. That December, I lost one of my best friends to suicide. On finding this out, I was numb with sadness. The person who would support you through everything was gone. I was stranded in the middle of 8th grade with nobody to turn to.

That December we decided to go caroling and raised money for the family. In the hard times, it can be hard to stand still, so we decided to do something. We continued this caroling for the next two years. Of course, when we went to high school, some of us got separated and went different paths. Personally, this situation was something that always was in the back of my mind.

In my freshman year, we had to do a Civic Action Project. For this project, we had to do something out in the community. I had a lot of different ideas, but none of them I felt passionate about. It wasn't until soon later - as I was talking to a friend - when I finally realized what I was truly passionate about. I decided to do a project on suicide prevention.

Like you, I had no clue where to start. There were so many ideas and concepts. Not to mention, I didn't have a lot of money to put into this. All I had was passion and motivation. Frankly, that's all I needed.

The first step to making a change is knowing what you are trying to do. I knew, from my experience, that I wanted to work on suicide prevention.

Next, I needed a name that stood out - and that's how Tunes for Tori came to be. This name reflected the caroling we did in honor of her. A few other things that we needed were mission statements and phrases that would complement our vision. For us, our quote was "Coming together against suicide. For Her. For Them." It reflects what we wanted to do.

Notably, you might also want to make a logo. Below is the logo I created. This entire logo was handmade, but you can also find easy to use logo makers online.

A website or social media page can reflect the progress or activity you are doing to make change. For me, I created an Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page.

Also, we also created a website at tunesfortori.com. Below is an image of my website. You can easily make a website for free on Weebly or SquareSpace. On your website, you might want to include statistics about what you are trying to do, and images to make your site look appealing. Be sure to update your social media and website with events or news that impacts your cause.

A vital step you should take in the process is try to spread awareness. Try to get your cause in front of as many people as possible. Send people invitations to your website and social media. Your relatives and friends are the easiest way to do this. Tell them to tell their friends too. You want to make people excited about your cause.

You can also raise awareness by getting booths and different vendor fairs in your area. Type up a brochure or get pamphlets from a larger organization that has the same mission, and hand them out. You might even get a business card with your website and social media information - just so they can learn more about the cause there. Finally, you can also include a donation jar in which the proceeds might go to an organization with the same mission.

Your school can be a great place to hold a spirit week or fundraiser for your cause. Schools provide great places to get the word out about your mission. For my cause, I held a fundraiser at my school. We raised over $200! Evidently, the most effective methods of change are right in front of you.

Summer can be the perfect time to make a change. Everybody has something they believe should be altered. Let the fire that rages inside of you set the world on fire. You can make a change. It doesn't have to seem big to you. Remember, making a change doesn't depend on how much you raise. Everybody that learns about your cause through your efforts is priceless.

Change doesn't have to follow these steps either. You can volunteer or help the cause in anyway you know how.

Let us know how you will make a change this summer in the comments below!