Campaigns

The Illinois Initiative organizes special events and campaigns inspired by our mission of personal empowerment and community service. Take action today by learning about our campaigns and doing what you can to support them. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to check out the Illinois Initiative on Facebook for additional information and updates about how you can take action.

Climate Justice Fridays Campaign

Overview: In honor of the weekly youth climate strikes and the urgency of the climate crisis, Illinois Initiative is now taking action in support of climate justice every Friday!

Some of our climate justice actions are quick and easy one-time actions like sending a letter or attending a climate strike event. Others are part of a bigger project, like organizing climate-themed events or volunteering for climate-related groups.

Either way, every Friday, we take action in support of climate justice. And we invite you to join us!

Take Action: If you live in Southern Illinois and want to participate, please send us a message (Facebook or email) or join our Illinois Initiative Facebook group, which is where we talk about the details. You can send us suggestions for climate actions even if you don’t plan to attend. We want local community members and groups to tell us what actions will help the most locally.

If you don’t live in Southern Illinois, we have many ideas for what you can do where you live. Ask us a question and we’ll see how we can help. You know your area better than we do, but we can offer practical suggestions to get you started.

The climate crisis is big, but if we work together, we can make a difference. Together, we can take action in support of climate justice in our communities, our region, and our world. We look forward to working with you in support of climate justice.

Safe Carbondale Campaign

Overview: Safe Carbondale is our campaign to make Carbondale safer through bystander intervention trainings, a Safe Zone program, and a Safe Walk program. The campaign originally focused on the idea of creating a specific Safe Zone during “nightlife” hours on weekends. Eventually, we realized that the trainings themselves are in fact the central goal of this campaign, with the Safe Zone and Safe Walk serving as practical applications of the training.

We want to get as many people as possible trained in bystander intervention! The long-term goal is that Carbondale will be full of a large pool of people who will intervene in helpful and effective ways any time they see domestic violence, sexual assault, street harassment of women, racist harassment and violence, anti-LGBT harassment and violence, or any other forms of harassment and violence happening. We want these trainings to be co-facilitated by several people and tailored specifically to the needs of our local community and sponsoring/partnering groups.

Take Action: Safe Carbondale is currently looking for both volunteer trainers and volunteers seeking training. The main training will be a one-hour bystander intervention training. If and when we organize the Safe Zone and Safe Walk aspects of the program, we’ll need at least one volunteer per shift who has completed a self-defense training and first aid training. For more information, contact Treesong at info@illinoisinitiative.org.

Climate Justice Campaign

Overview: Climate change is real, human activity is the cause, and the net consequences will be profoundly disruptive to our health, our economy, our security, and our world in general. We take action to inform people about the issue, prepare for a changing climate, resist practices that worsen the crisis, and support ecological living and ecological design. Our action on climate change is informed by our understanding of climate justice and our desire to facilitate a just transition to fossil-free energy infrastructure.

Take Action: Educate yourself about climate change. Contact us for more information about how you can help with local climate activism. “Like” our Facebook page and the People’s Climate Movement of Southern Illinois page to receive more updates about how you can take action. We will be supporting existing climate-related programs as well as launching new programs when we have a sufficient number of volunteers.

Online Resources: Skeptical Science, 350.org

Fracking Campaign

Overview: Fracking is hazardous to human health, local communities, agriculture, regional water supplies, and entire ecosystems. We take action to inform people about the issue, resist the coming of fracking to Southern Illinois, and support more ecologically sustainable and socially just ways of supplying energy and jobs to our region.

Take Action: Educate yourself about fracking and contact us for more information about how you can help with the struggle against fracking. “Like” our Facebook page to receive more updates about how you can take action.

Online Resources: Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing Our Environment (SAFE)

Preparedness Campaign

Overview: Are you prepared in the event of an emergency or natural disaster? Your own preparedness is the first step toward helping others to prepare and respond to life’s unexpected challenges. Our support for preparedness is a year-round effort, but preparedness receives extra attention in September for National Preparedness Month.

Take Action: Put together your own preparedness kit and contact us for more information about local preparedness events and resources. “Like” our Facebook page to receive more updates about how you can take action.

Online Resources: Ready.gov