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Taking Action in Your Community: A Guide for Advocacy and Change

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This Blog Was Wrote As A Guest Blog By: Janice Russell

Every individual possesses the power to make a significant impact in their community. Whether it’s a social, environmental, or political cause that you are passionate about, taking action can lead to meaningful change. This Unity Bands article will provide concrete steps on how you can become an active advocate and take action in your community.

Initiate a Petition for Policy Change

One of the most effective ways to bring about change is to influence policies. Start by initiating a petition for policy change. This requires identifying the specific policy you want to alter, understanding the decision-making process, and mobilizing support. Remember, a well-articulated petition with a clear objective can capture the attention of policymakers and compel them to act.

Amplify Your Message By Hosting Community Events

Amplifying your message by hosting community events is an excellent way to garner support for your cause. These gatherings offer a platform to interact directly with community members, fostering understanding and inspiring action. The success of these events often depends on effective promotion, and this is where premade online invitations can prove invaluable. Using an invitation maker that fully represents your skills, you can customize these premade templates to create compelling invitations that encapsulate the essence of your cause and event. Not only do these invitations provide necessary details about the event but they also serve as a reflection of the initiative’s spirit and purpose. By combining well-planned community events with strategically designed online invitations, you can significantly amplify your message and effect meaningful change and take action in your community.

Be Vocal: Participate in Local Government Meetings

Participating in local government meetings is another effective way to advocate for your cause. These meetings are public forums where community issues are discussed, and decisions are made. Speaking at these meetings can raise awareness about your cause among local leaders and potentially influence their decisions.

Inspire Change: Become a Teacher

Inspiring change as a teacher is one of the most profound ways to make a difference in the world. By teaching about important causes, you have the power to shape young minds and instill values that will guide them throughout their lives. Whether it’s environmental conservation, social justice, or health awareness, imparting knowledge about these causes can foster a generation of informed, empathetic, and proactive individuals. However, to begin on this noble journey, you’ll need an education degree. This is a crucial step towards obtaining what is called teacher certification, a necessary credential that validates your ability to educate others professionally. With this license in hand, you’re not just a teacher, but a catalyst for change, capable of inspiring and leading the future leaders of our world.

Raise Awareness Online

In today’s digital age, social media is a potent tool for advocacy. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn can help you reach a wider audience and mobilize support for your cause. Post regular updates, share relevant information, and engage with your followers to keep the momentum going.

Show Your Dedication

Lastly, show your dedication and commitment to your cause by using cause-colored bracelets. For example, Unity Bands can serve as a constant reminder of the cause you’re advocating for. Moreover, they can be sold during community events to raise funds for your cause and help finance its growth. Not only will this unite the community members behind a common goal but also encourage others to join in and become part of the movement.

Advocating for a cause in your community requires strategic planning, persistence, and passion. By initiating petitions, hosting events, participating in local government meetings, utilizing social media, and showing your dedication through symbolic items like bracelets, you can make a significant difference. Remember, every step taken towards advocacy contributes to a larger movement for change.

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Nudging Your Kids to Healthy Choices

nudging your kids to healthy choices while roasting marshmallows on a campfire
Photo via Unsplash

This Blog Was Wrote As A Guest Blog By: Janice Russell

Do you ever find your kids saying or doing the exact opposite of what you ask of them? It can be harmless—and sometimes fun and frustrating. But when it’s not a game, it just seems that doing the opposite of what their parents want comes naturally to kids. That’s why leading them to make healthy choices can seem like walking a tightrope. You don’t want to order them to do something and risk the natural rebellion, paving the way for a long, stubborn holdout. On the other hand, their health is at stake and the habits you instill now could be with them for a long time.

Two great places to start are: choosing activities they enjoy and leading by example. Here’s some advice about how to do it from Unity Bands.

Deal with Dietary Dilemmas

“Food fights” at home may not involve throwing food, but, notes Parents magazine, the fighting is certainly real. Kids want what tastes good, and even if you don’t have sugary sweets and beverages in your house, you can’t completely prevent them from scoring a bit of sugar contraband from their friends.

You can limit their intake, however. Healthline.com suggests keeping healthy snacks at home. Trail mixes, yogurt, fruit, and even boiled eggs are all nutritious snacks that appeal to a variety of tastes. Potato chips are loaded with sodium, but alternative chip options like veggie chips are now commonplace on grocery store shelves. Forgo the sugar-laden, caffeinated beverages and energy drinks for fruit juices; almond, oat, or chocolate milk; smoothies; fruit-flavored sparkling water; lemonade; and tea.

Keep ‘em Moving and Learning

Starting martial arts at a young age can lead to a lifelong habit that not only provides physical strength and flexibility but also instills confidence and self-discipline. A primary takeaway from practicing martial arts is learning respect for both oneself and others.

If your kids like and participate in sports, you likely won’t find it difficult to encourage physical activity. For those who seem destined to a sedentary future of playing video games or endless watching of the latest streaming shows, you may need to put on your inspiration cap. And what better place to get inspired than the great outdoors? Take family walks after work and school; arranging a meet-up with neighborhood friends will make it more palatable for the kids to be seen with their parents. This works with family and group bicycle rides, as well.

Speaking of the outdoors, get them started in astronomy. When the weather permits, plan a camping trip to a dark-sky area for ideal viewing. If the view from your home allows, do this more frequently in your backyard or from your deck. You can install smartphone apps that help you identify stars, constellations, and galaxies—simply point your phone to the sky. Pointing out that they are looking at the same stars today that their ancestors looked at hundreds of years ago will open doors in their minds for additional answers to questions they never knew they had.

Keep ‘em Moving and Learning

Children and teenagers are experimenting daily—from fashion trends to new ways of getting in trouble—and this is normal behavior. It’s important to model healthy behavior; for example, choosing healthy meals for yourself can make a difference. Helping them find and enjoy the healthiest of these can be challenging sometimes, but doing things together as a family helps in that effort. It also strengthens your family unit. Remember to have fun by exploring the night sky.

When you buy Unity Bands, you’re actually making the world a better place! For every Unity Band purchased we are donating 20% to a Non Profit Organization we support. If you have any questions, please contact unitybandbracelets@gmail.com.

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4 Tips for Finding Balance When Working Remotely With Kids

This Blog Was Wrote As A Guest Blog By: Janice Russell

Working from home makes it easier to have a healthy work-life balance. You save time and money by not commuting to an office five days a week. While working from the comfort of your house gives you the flexibility to see your kids, having a baby or toddler home all day can challenge your productivity. If you work remotely and have young children, these four tips can help you survive and thrive in both your work and personal life.

  1. Separate and Comfortable Workspace
    As easy as it might be to bring your laptop into your warm cozy bed, you will be more effective with a separate workspace. While there is nothing wrong with checking a few emails in the kitchen while grabbing your coffee, make sure you have a designated office space to retreat to after.

An ideal space is closed off so you can have total privacy for phone calls or focusing on projects. This can be a spare room, a corner of your bedroom, or even a large closet. Set up your office with equipment that keeps you organized, including a desk, shelves, filing cabinet, printer, outlet extender, and a quality chair. While you do not need a top-of-the-line chair, purchase a mid-grade option versus a cheap one; since you sit in this seat for hours every day, it needs to be supportive.

Additionally, have clothes that are both comfy and stylish to wear on workdays. Especially as a new mother, you need to be ready to feed or chase a baby at a moment’s notice but still look presentable for video calls. Search stores and online for clothes that are comfortable but do not sacrifice style, including cozy leggings, nursing bras, pajamas, and nursing tank tops.

  1. Deliberate Schedule
    One of the best ways to ensure a positive work-life balance is to sit down with your partner and create a schedule. Whether it is tackling a work proposal for a new product, playing with your toddler, or pursuing your hobby of supporting breast cancer research, a schedule designates time for all aspects of your life. It also makes sure nothing falls through the cracks, errands get completed and you and your spouse have time for yourselves.
  2. Flexible Time
    Many companies now offer employees flexible schedules. According to one report, 80% of businesses offer flexible schedules to their staff, with flex time being one of the favored programs. Flextime gives employees more control over their schedules; while the details vary by company, benefits include starting and stopping your day when you choose, not requiring PTO for personal appointments, and working longer days with a shorter workweek.

Talk to your manager about allowing flex time for your schedule. Having the freedom to start your day before the kids wake up or step away for a doctor’s appointment without needing prior PTO approval gives you more independence to create a work-life balance.

  1. Play Area
    There are times you need to pull double duty and watch the kids while working. Keep the kids entertained with a play area. Depending on where your office is set up, this may be in the same room or an adjoining room. Block the area off to keep the children safe and fill it with age-appropriate toys, books, and crafts.

Being a working parent is challenging, but being at home helps. While it may take some trial and error to get into a groove, incorporating these four tips can help you find success working from home and still loving on your little ones.

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How to Budget for Charity Donations This Year

animated picture of hands and a calculator going through a budget

This Blog Is A Guest Blog By: Paige A. Mitchell

Charitable donations in the United States are at an all-time high. People all over the country are proud to support causes such as disaster relief, colleges and universities, and medical research and innovation. Still, many people are under the impression that only those who are financially well-off are in a position to donate. But that isn’t actually the case.

With the right budget adjustments, almost anyone can set aside some money to donate to a worthy cause. So, just how can you do it? Keep reading to learn how to budget for charity donations this year.

Think about areas where you can cut back

Even if you’re a financially responsible person, there are probably a few areas where you can cut back your spending a bit.

Still paying for a monthly subscription, or even worse, a gym membership that you haven’t used in three months? Now might be the perfect time to cancel. Although small monthly amounts may not seem like a big deal, when you add then up over the course of a year, the number is likely more substantial than you think.

Plan ahead as much as possible

Life is unpredictable and you never know when you’ll have to spend money on a big purchase or repair. Although you may not be able to plan for everything, there are certain things you can do to help yourself stay ahead. For example, you may want to consider investing in home repair insurance so you won’t be stuck paying out of pocket if something major, like your AC, breaks. Enrolling in round-up savings programs is an easy way to add to your savings account without having to put aside too much of your paycheck.

Understand where your money is going

One of the key elements of knowing how to better spend each dollar you have is to understand how you’re currently spending your money.

To do so, take a look at your bank statements from the past three months and categorize each payment: essential expenses (rent, mortgage, transportation, groceries, utilities, etc.), personal choices (gifts, clothes, dinner at a restaurant, etc.), debt (credit cards, student loans), and savings.

This exercise will likely be eye-opening. You may be spending more on personal choices than you should be. You can create your budget based on your current spending habits. Writing this plan down creates a tangible and visual representation of your financial situation, giving you a clearer picture of where you can cut back and how much you’ll be able to donate.

Create a separate savings account strictly for donations

If the money you plan on donating is sitting in your checking account, it can be easy to accidentally spend it. Setting up a savings account just for the money you’d like to donate is the perfect solution.

There are lots of free savings account options out there and many of them have very low balance minimums.

Find a cause you care about

When you find a cause you’re truly passionate about, setting aside some money to donate will feel like a privilege instead of a chore.

When thinking of donating to charity, it’s important to take some time to think about what type of organization you’d like to give to. Whether you’d like to support an anti-bullying campaign or donate to a local shelter, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find a cause you can stand behind.

Giving back to others helps make the world a happier and more positive place. As Anne Frank put it, well, frankly, “No one has ever become poor by giving.”

By following these tips, you can make your saving expression less stressful. Once you’ve successfully saved for one year, you’ll be even more excited to give in the future.