Perhaps some of you may enjoy someone else's writing for a change, and speaking of change...did we really get it? I know the ship of state must be turned slowly, Mr President, but to me it seems we turned less than one tenth of a degree. Now, I'm all in favor of just slamming the engines in reverse, stopping and figuring out where the hell we are, before picking a new direction. Too bad the world doesn't work that way. So here are my resolutions and predictions for the new year: To be more positive and focus more on the solutions instead of the problems. And to find out more about neuroplasticity and brain fitness... etc. ad infinitum....
2009 was a year in which the Change.org community emerged as a powerful force for social change.
Our rapidly growing community of more than 1 million activists won dozens of campaigns over the past year, successfully pressuring multi-billion dollar companies to adopt more responsible and non-discriminatory practices, convincing federal departments to change outdated policies, and impacting legislative decisions on the local, state and national level.
As 2009 comes to a close, we wanted to take a brief look back at 10 victories we've had together - both to celebrate our achievements and to use these successes as guideposts for victorious campaigns to come on Change.org in 2010.
Change.org Members Dismantle Food Labeling Ploy: The food industry launched a new nutrition labeling scheme this fall called Smart Choices, hoping to sell more highly processed foods such as Froot Loops by marking them as "healthy" based on their fortified nutrients. This would have been an easily dismissible marketing tactic except that researchers associated with several prominent nonprofits - including the American Diabetes and Dietetic Associations and the Tufts School of Nutrition - were members of the Smart Choices board and giving the program false legitimacy. Thousands of Change.org members responded by calling on these three nonprofits to disassociate themselves from the marketing scheme. Two days later all three organizations responded by publicly denouncing the Smart Choices initiative, dealing a significant blow to the program's claim to legitimacy. Within a few weeks the deceptive multi-million dollar initiative was suspended, giving the public a rare and important victory over the sort of deceptive food marketing that has contributed to America's obesity epidemic.
Rockstar Energy Drink Gives $100,000 to LGBT Organizations: Want your energy drinks homophobic free? Change.org members made that easier after it was revealed that Rockstar Energy Drink had an intimate connection to the homophobic radio show host Michael Savage, whose son and wife run the energy drink business. Following intense pressure from Change.org members and a few weeks of negotiation, Rockstar not only publicly disavowed Michael Savage's anti-gay statements (of which there are many), but also committed to expand their LGBT-friendly corporate policies and pledged to support the broader gay community by donating $100,000 to LGBT organizations.
Department of Labor Releases Confidential Slave Labor Report: In 2005, The Department of Labor (DOL) was mandated by Congress to issue a report on the countries and companies using slave and child labor across the world. Yet since that time DOL had made the document confidential and resisted its release, fearing negative reaction from trading partners. After we exposed this resistance on Change.org, in partnership with the anti-slavery organization Project, more than 6,000 Change.org members called on DOL to end their resistance and comply with Congress's intentions. Within a few weeks of launching this campaign the full confidential list was publicly released, providing a wealth of information that is now being used by NGOs worldwide in the fight against slave labor.
Diners Club International Ends Partnership with Mail-Order Bride Company: In a story that we initially couldn't believe was true, we wrote earlier this year about a partnership between the credit card company Diners Club International (owned by Discover) and Vietnam Brides International, which enabled card holders in Asia to buy women on credit. Mail-order brides are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation, and Change.org's human trafficking community rapidly responded to the story by demanding that Diners Club end their policy of treating women as commodities to be bought and solid. After thousands of letters, hundreds of tweets and only 48 hours, Diners Club responded to the campaign, apologized, and canceled their partnership with Vietnam Brides International.
Colorado Mayor Agrees to Improve Services for the Homeless: Earlier this month, Change.org blogger Diane Nilan reported on how the main homeless shelter in Grand Junction, Colorado would not house families during the day, despite the freezing cold weather. As a result, children were wandering the streets seeking a safe, warm place to avoid the snow until the shelter re-opened each night. Change.org members responded by emailing Grand Junction mayor Bruce Hill, calling on the city to find a way to provide services during the day for homeless children. A few days afterward the city responded, acknowledged the oversight, and reported that it had secured a warm location for children and families during the day. As the rate of homelessness skyrockets across the country, this is a heartening example of the power we have to improve the lives of others if we're willing to fight on their behalf.
To view successful campaigns 6-10, which range from convincing Scholastic to end the censorship of gay friendly books to compelling the Department of Homeland Security to release undocumented students, click here to read the rest on The Change.org Blog >
Collectively, these successes demonstrate the internet's incredible potential for translating the voices of millions of caring people into effective collective action. And at Change.org, we've only just begun realizing this potential.
With your help in 2010, we expect many more victories. Whether it's starting your own campaign using our powerful new petition tool or joining breaking campaigns each week, your individual participation makes us all more powerful.
Together, we're leading the movement to use the social web to advance social change. Over this next year, we at Change.org look forward to working with you to achieve even more of the change we all seek.
Happy holidays!
- The Change.org Team