This term, you will spend 6-10 hours participating in a community-based or democracy-focused activity. You may choose to:

This term, you will spend 6-10 hours participating in a community-based or democracy-focused activity. You may choose to:

Join an organization or campaign that advocates for a community or issue that you care about

Volunteer for an event or activity on campus or in the community

Design your own action or activity

Here are a few resources you can use to find local organizations and events:

Hands on Greater PortlandLinks to an external site. has a searchable clearinghouse of local events and volunteer opportunities for organizations in the Portland metro area. You can search for opportunities by issue, time commitment, and location. They list both ongoing and one-time volunteer opportunities. Some activities allow group registration.

Portland State ConnectLinks to an external site. is a database of students groups and on-campus events. You can search for organizations or activities.

The Basic Needs Hub at PSU also has a list of on and off-campus volunteer activities.

PSU’s Student Community Engagement Center is another campus resources that provides opportunities to get involved.

You can also search for local organizations that are working on issues that you care about. Organizational websites often list volunteer opportunities or provide contact information for volunteer coordinators.

You may volunteer individually, or you can pair up with one or more students from our class(es) and get involved as a group. Some of you may find it difficult to carve out time to participate with an organization or volunteer for an event. If you are in that situation, you can also create your own volunteer activity that you can complete on your own schedule. Here are a few examples of possible activities:

Write a letter (like your Eloquent Letter from last term) to one or more of your representatives about an issue you care about. Send that letter.

Email or call your representatives about an issue. Develop a script you will use to convey your points.

Attend (in-person or remotely) public meetings. You can attend ASPSU (student government) or Board of Trustee meetings on campus. You could go to city or county government meetings.

Attend a candidate’s forum or an educational speaker.

Testify at a public meeting.

Create a poster or ‘zine (self-published magazine) that advocates for a particular cause or shares information or new perspectives. Distribute your work.

Create a short podcast about an issue and post it online.

Organize an event.

Start a petition, collect signatures, and send it.

Organize a group in your workplace, neighborhood, etc.

You will complete three Democracy in Action assignments this term. In your Proposal, you will outline your plans for this project. Your Issue Brief will examine the problem or issue that your group or action is addressing. Your Democracy in Action Reflection will describe what you did and consider how your actions contributed to the democratic process. In addition to these three assignments, you will also be asked to share your experiences during class or mentor session

Write a short paragraph identifying the issue or organization that you chose to work on. Why is this issue important to you? What experience do you have with this issue? Why did you choose this particular event, organization or activity?

Write a second paragraph that outlines your plans for the term. What group, activity, or event will you participate in? What is your timeline for this action? What do you need to do to prepare for this event or activity? What will you need to accomplish by each date in your timeline?