most of the following ideas from
http://www.theamazingchange.com/:
1. Sign the Petition (on the amazing change website). Become an abolitionist by signing the Petition to End Modern Day Slavery. Take the petition to your school, church, family, friends, et al., and then send it to us (mailing address provided on petition).
2. See "Amazing Grace." This film is a great introduction to the work of William Wilberforce, an original abolitionist. Learn how you can carry on his legacy. Get educated about the horrors of historical and modern day slavery and share what you've learned with others.
3. Raise funds to free slaves. Use the tools on the amazing change website, such as Loose Change to Loosen Chains, to start your own fundraising campaign. Make a long-term commitment to give sacrificially to help bring relief from slavery. Dedicated financial giving sustained over a long period of time will help organizations doing the work of abolition.
4. Educate yourself and buy responsibly. Use the resources on the site to learn about the horrors of historical and modern day slavery. Become a smart consumer, learn more about Fair Trade and communicate with retailers and manufacturers that you demand goods made free of slavery in the supply chain. Check out
http://www.antislavery.org/ and
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ for more information.
5. Show solidarity. Buy The Amazing Change T-Shirt and tell friends and family about your mission to abolish slavery.
6. Pray. Commit yourself to pray for abolition until slavery is wiped out. For a list of prayer suggestions go to
http://www.amazinggracesunday.com/.
7. Encourage your church and school to become abolition organizations at
http://www.notforsale.com/.
8. Write to your government representatives. Persevere. The work of justice will require perseverance and courage. It will also require the voices of many. Commit yourself to use your influence, time and money to end slavery in all its forms. To learn more about human trafficking, go to
http://www.ijm.org/ (International Justice Mission) or
http://www.humantrafficking.org/.
Buy Fair Trade:Products that are certified as Fair Trade (the TransFair USA logo has a person holding two pots) haven't been processed by slave labor and farmers who don't earn a livable wage: "FLO International, together with the Fair Trade movement, aims for the highest impact possible on disadvantaged producers and workers in developing countries. World market prices for coffee, rice and other commodities are highly volatile and often below the costs of production. A stable price, that covers at least production and living costs, is an essential requirement for farmers to escape from poverty and provide themselves and their families with a decent standard of living." If we donate to org.s like World Vision that helps families financially sustain themselves (and avoid the temptation to sell their children as slaves--mostly for prostitution), let's also try to support these products when possible! Fair Trade Certified products are available at some national retailers: see
http://www.transfairusa.org/content/WhereToBuy/.
Did you know there are thousands of slaves--actual slaves--in the U.S.?
View this video: www.
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-8695323813766232874&hl=en
