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December 18, 2019 | Deeds Digest No. 154
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The Deeds Digest is your bi-weekly look into the latest news from Deeds Not Words and what's making us inspired, angry, and ready to change the world. 🌍
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Hey #Changemakers,
We can’t believe this is our last Digest of 2019 — what a year it has been here at Deeds!
If we could pick a theme of this year, it would be growth. We’re ending 2020 with 3 new full-time staff members to help manage our fundraising, digital presence, and our network of Changemakers across Texas, including our ever-growing Campus Organizer program.
Through our Campus Organizer program, Deeds Not Words was present on high school and university campuses across Texas, where Changemakers worked on projects ranging from supplying bathrooms on campus with free menstrual products to talking to city residents at a local food bank about the importance of civic engagement.
Deeds has also given Changemakers the chance to turn their ideas for gender equity into action through our internship program, where we’ve hosted over 10 interns from local universities and high school of interns over the spring, summer, and fall semester in our Austin office, working on projects like researching the census and developing an LGBTQ+ sensitivity training to creating art for the National Period Day Rally.
There’s so much more we could list, but for the sake of time, we’ll keep it short and sweet. We want to thank you for your support of Deeds and the work our Changemakers do. We’re excited to see where 2020 takes us, and we can’t wait to take you along with us.
—Amber and Claudia
Co-Executive Directors
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It's the last week for our interns here at Deeds! Ana and Elisa have done amazing work this past semester — from Elisa's stellar designs for National Period Day and Ana developing a presentation and policy memo on all things Census to BOTH of them working hard on our next zine (!!), these two Changemakers have done great things for Texas. We can't wait to see where you both go ✨
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Youth Activist Movements of the 2010s: A Timeline and Brief History of a Decade of Change
A lot has happened in the last 10 years on the political and social front, but one thing's for sure: Young people have led some of the biggest movements this last decade has seen. In 2012, we saw a movement led by undocumented youth fighting for their rights in a country they’ve called home for so long. We saw the start of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that provides deportation protections, work permits, and Social Security numbers to about 800,000 undocumented youth. Despite that massive win, the fight isn't over. In 2017, Trump rescinded the program, which was met with massive demonstrations and walkouts. As we head into a new decade, nearly 800,000 Dreamers and immigrant families won’t know their fate until the Supreme Court announces its decision on whether or not to keep the program in early 2020.
We also saw another movement this decade that was led by youth, where young people around the world organized walkouts, sit-ins, and protests to bring awareness to an issue that will determine their fate and future generations' fate: Climate Change. From the Native youth water protectors who put their bodies at risk at Standing Rock to students speaking about environmental racism in Flint, Michigan, young people have been leading conversations about climate change and environmental racism for awhile. We also saw young people like Sweedish activist Greta Thunberg, gather 20,000 students in her country to protest climate change.
Something tells us that the power of young people is only going to get stronger as we head into this new decade — and we’re ready for it.
Here’s what’s also inspiring us:
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According to a new report by the League of Women Voters, almost 80 percent of county election websites in Texas are not secure ahead of the 2020 presidential primary. The report concluded that 201 of the 254 sites don’t have https in their URLs, signaling the website is secure — and the overwhelming majority of sites also didn't have a .gov address, indicating they are government-verified domains.
So why is this an issue? Well first and foremost, voters need to have safe, reliable, and secure access to voting information. Disinformation is a huge concern among voting rights groups ahead of 2020, and by having sites that are not protected, it makes it easier for hackers to get ahold of these websites that contain important information such as polling locations, voter ID requirements, election dates, and more.
Our leaders in Texas need to work to ensure that our elections are protected and that voters can rely on our government to provide them with the correct tools they need to participate in the political process.
Here’s what’s also has us fired up:
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Ready to turn your ideas for gender equity into action? Deeds Not Words is looking for interns! Our internship program offers great opportunities for dedicated individuals interested in learning more about nonprofit work and enhancing their skills in community organizing, policy and advocacy, digital communications, and graphic design. Interns must be based in Austin.
Spring 2020 Internships Available:
- Graphic Design Intern
- Policy Intern
Click here to apply! Applications are due January 3, 2020.
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#Changemaker of the Week:
Our Fall 2019 Campus Organizers
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Our Changemaker of the Week goes out to our Fall 2019 Campus Organizers! 2019 was the first year of our Campus Organizer program, and these youth advocates rocked it on their respective campuses and created change in their communities. Thanks for a wonderful semester!
"Being a member of Deeds Not Words has made me so much more aware of
the news, politics, and the environment in which I live. Deeds has made me a
conscious citizen and voter who fights for her rights through deeds not
words." — Ann Tran, Texas Christian University Campus Organizer
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