While voting is a great way to get started, engaging in politics shouldn’t just be centred on elections. A common suggestion that came up during our Story Circles was volunteering with grassroots organizations to find like-minded people, which can help fight feelings of helplessness during stressful political times. 

“I think I suffer from…feeling really powerless because what can you do? But then especially, when you're volunteering in certain spaces and you feel like you're not alone,” one participant said.

Being in community with others can be a more accessible way to get involved politically because it gives people the opportunity to share their concerns and seek support. For example, some participants talked about how even creative spaces, like The Green Line’s zine workshops, create an opportunity to engage in democracy in a meaningful way outside of an election cycle.

In an age of information overload, many event attendees discussed being overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge and data available to them. They spoke about how this can be used as a tactic to disengage people from democracy, so distilling information is essential to making the sheer volume less overwhelming.

Be sure to question whether something is verified, fact-checked and well-sourced. A few attendees suggested cross-checking multiple news sources, fact-checking party platforms and promises, confirming ownership of media outlets, and critically dissecting information with informed family, friends and even protesters at rallies.

Attendees also talked about diversifying their media diet to get a range of perspectives on an issue, including international, national and local takes; this helps contextualize current events while also countering potential bias. For example, one participant explained that as an experiment, they read news about the U.S from Europe because they wanted to get a different perspective. 

“I read The Narwhal, The Local, 338Canada, CBC, and I follow a range of political information on the election on social media,” attendee Anna H. said.

Another major topic of conversation that came up among event attendees was that small actions on a local level can contribute to an overall sense of collective strength. 

For example, many attendees emphasized that protesting and attending rallies can reignite hope that people want to see change, and are working towards it. “You didn’t get the right to abortion by voting — you got it by demonstrating and occupying and fighting,” one person said.