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Here’s How Alicia Keys, Mexico City, and MTV Are Using Movements to Make Change

Alicia Keys wants to reform the prison system in America. Mexico City wants to write a new constitution. MTV wants to engage young voters. And each of them is using movements to do it.

A petition makes change nearly every hour of the day. But some issues require more than one petition to make change, which is why we created movements.

Movements allow organizers to unite a community of people around one big objective. The communities can start petitions to add to the movement or support petitions in the movement by adding their signatures.

Since launching movements, we’ve been energized by the variety of  ways that individuals and organizations use the tool to tackle complex issues. Here are six movements that we think will inspire you to action:

1. Mexico City is crowdsourcing its constitution

Mexico City is crowdsourcing its new constitution with a movement. Anyone can start a petition about something they would like to see added to the constitution.The top petitions rise to the top. All of the hundreds of these petitions about the constitution are hosted on one page.

The group drafting the constitution will respond to petitions with more than 5,000 signatures; a member of the drafting committee will meet with petitioners who gather more than 10,000 signatures; and the full committee will meet with anyone gathering more than 50,000 signatures. You can read more about it on Quartz.
 

2. Rise is supporting state-by-state solutions for rape survivors

Twenty-five million Americans are rape survivors, yet there isn’t standardized procedure or common-sense legal protections for survivors reporting their assaults. Rape survivors in every state face issues.

This movement, which advocates for the passage of a federal Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights — as well as state action. advocating common sense solutions for rape survivors has templates of petitions so that people can start petitions to make change in their states.
 

3. MTV is telling candidates what matters in 2016

MTV’s Elect This movement is disrupting the stale and predictable presidential election coverage by putting the focus on the issues that matter most to young voters instead of the candidates. The issues in this movement are as varied as America’s voter population.

4. Alicia Keys and #Cut50 are working to reform the justice system

Alicia Keys and #cut50 want to reform the criminal justice system. Their movement focuses on reforming mandatory minimum sentencing, “ban the box,” establishing alternatives to incarceration, and providing comprehensive re-entry assistance to men and women returning home from prison.

Along with legislative change, the movement includes a number of petitions asking for clemency for individuals.

5. Citizens in Rome are telling mayoral campaigns what matters

In the midst of an election, citizens of Rome used this movement to show issues for their next mayor to address and the changes they would like to see made. The movement has informed the dialogue around the election, and was a key way to hold the elected candidates accountable on the most important issues.

6. Laura Coryton started a global movement to end the tampon tax

Laura Coryton is leading a movement to remove taxes on sanitary products — known as a tampon tax. Her movement includes petitions to remove these taxes all over the world. Already her native United Kingdom and Canada have repealed their tampon taxes.

Is there a big issue out there that you think would make a good movement? Tell us about it in the comments. Or you can start your own movement now.

Written by
Change.org
July 29, 2016 4:27 pm