Many programs and organizations focused on social change are geared toward action. Taking the time to learn about the community, the resources available, and how to facilitate discussions, programs, trainings, and interventions is a crucial step. Use these resources to get a feel for how to become an effective facilitator.
Newspapers can be an excellent source for current information and public opinion of all kinds on the international, national, regional or local level.
Online Newspapers: a huge site that makes hundreds of newspapers available for free online. Coverage varies and they don't always have an archive of back issues.
Newspaper Databases for a link to newspaper databases available through the MU Libraries where you can do more sophisticated searches and where backfiles are often available. The databases Factiva and Lexis/Nexis also contain television, radio and internet media sources in addition to newspapers.
There are thousands of news sites of all political stripes on the internet. Always look for information, (e.g., About Us ), on the sponsoring organization to check for bias. Here are several that are often cited:
The Pew Research Center is just one of many polling sources that provide opinion polls and data on social trends and political issues. Click here to link to a listing of some of the top polling organization sites, including Gallup, Roper and many others.
