There is a lot of talk in recent years about the rise of “slacktivism.” As social media has grown and become an awareness-raising machine, this idea of “slacktivism” has emerged. In short, it is being willing to post/share/comment/like—but be unengaged otherwise. Slacktivism is talking big game about your feelings about issues—but ultimately doing nothing. It is akin to a boat that is ashore. It has potential, but it needs to be brought back into the water to really make the difference that it was intended to.
People have taken note. And people are making changes—and are calling for others to make the same changes—to not just put their money where their mouth (or social media accounts) is, but to put their time, skills, and voice toward some major issues in our world today. And we are so encouraged by this.
We saw a really good example of this shift with the ALS Foundation’s Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. What started as a “either dump ice water over your head—or donate” became a “dump ice water over your head to raise awareness, and donate to raise funds.” Through the call to do more than just talk (and talking is important), the ALS Foundation received $115 million in donations—and that $115 million has enabled incredible steps in their research in the last three years.
We’re not going to ask you to pour ice water over your head. But we are going to ask you to put slacktivism to death, and commit to bringing freedom, safety, and hope to women and girls exploited by the sex trade. We need your voice, time, talents, and money to continue this mission.
We get asked often how people can get involved—so we thought we’d put together a list of ways you can do just that. Here are five ways to make an impact for the hundreds that will be sold for sex in our community tonight:
Pray.
Stop reading this blog for a minute, and take a moment to pray for those in Seattle who are being exploited in the sex trade. Take a moment to pray for those purchasing sex in our community. Pray for REST. Pray for your reaction to the rest of this blog. Consider committing to being a prayer partner, and showing up at our prayer events.
Donate.
From operating our REST House, the Emergency Receiving Center Shelter, and Drop-In Center, to having people available to help women seeking to exit the sex trade—and having material resources for them—we need your support. Whether you’re able to make a one-time donation, or become a monthly supporter, or provide directly for material needs—we need your help. Make a financial donation here.
Get Trained & Volunteer.
There are many ways you can volunteer at REST—and it all starts with attending a Training Day. We need frontline volunteers as well as people working in the background. Learn more about volunteering here. One upcoming volunteer need we have is for a volunteer photographer and a few volunteer models for a photoshoot. If you’re interested, email communication@iwantrest.com.
Join us at A Night of REST.
Attend our annual fundraising gala on November 11. Connect with other like-minded people in our community, enjoy dinner, and participate in live and silent auctions to raise funds to bring REST to exploited individuals. Info & tickets are available here.
Use your platform.
We know we’re encouraging you to put slacktivism to death—but that doesn’t mean we don’t need your voice. It means we need your voice and. We need your voice and your intentional commitment to bring freedom, safety, and hope to those exploited in the commercial sex trade in King County. One new way you can use your voice to very practically help us is by starting a Facebook Fundraiser. Through Facebook Fundraisers, we can collectively, as a community, put our money where our social media mouth is and make a real—visible—tangible—impact. Facebook fans have already raised over $3,200 for REST. $3,200 can keep our ERC Shelter & Drop-In Center open for two days, or provide life skills training for all of the women in the REST house for a year, or help ten survivors escape to a safe, out-of-state location.
You can make a significant impact for those exploited in the commercial sex trade in our community right now—if you’re willing to put slacktivism to death and take action.