After reading “How To Think Like An Activist” by Wendy Syfret and watching a film, I can define activism as acting towards initiation of change and inspiring others to do the same. These actions don’t have to be overly obvious or loud: talking about an issue with someone you know is already activism, in my opinion. Very often talking is what later on would inspire more direct action and help gather more people that would work with you on the same cause. Syfret writes: “No one person can change the world. But every one of us can shape it.” This quote very much reflect what activism is.

The film I chose to watch was “Vessel” which concerned abortion rights. It documents a group of people who’s initial goal was to provide safe medical abortions to people from countries where it is prohibited by means of finding loopholes in international laws. They created an organization “Women on Waves” led by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts and sailed a ship, on which they boarded women from different countries and performed abortions on it, while being in the area of international waters, where laws of the prohibiting countries are not in effect anymore. It started like this, but went beyond the ship, as the group realized how big of a problem it is to get an abortion for so many people in the world. As a result, they started other projects that were no less creative than the ship. For instance, they spread a guide on doing safe self-managed abortions for women who had no other option, and created a support hotline for women who were doing it. Although the activism in the film is not directed at the cause of an issue, meaning eliminating abortion laws, it is still very powerful, as they help people affected by law directly.

I believe I have engaged in activism a couple of times when I didn’t even recognize it. In middle school and high school, I participated in performances and concerts that dealt with ecology and environmental issues. Later on, I started bringing up the topic of sustainability in my family and with friends. When there was a chance, I also tried to “educate” them on topics of gender and sexuality, and still doing so. After doing the reading, however, I realized that there are many more ways to make a contribution, especially with our access to technology. Because of social media, it is much easier nowadays to spread a message, and there are more creative ways to do so. It can be as simple as blogging on a platform such as Twitter. If used properly, they can be a powerful tool for an activist.