Ways you can help our zero-budget mission to Speed Up Carbon Drawdown by Helping the Inactive Become Active
We’re all volunteers – want to join us?
As a zero-budget non-profit, currently with zero revenue beyond the odd donation, See Through News depends 100% on volunteers.
If you share our goal of measurably reducing carbon, and are interested in our storytelling methodology, maybe you can spare some of your free time, expertise and energy to join our efforts.
We’re often asked how many volunteers we have. So far we’ve been too busy doing stuff to stop and count the number of people doing the stuff. We need a volunteer to help us keep track.
We can say that in its first 18 months, hundreds of volunteers from around he world have contributed to various See Through News projects.
What will I gain from volunteering?
Carbon Reduction
This is the most important benefit, and what motivates the rest of us.
Whichever project most appeals to you, we only expect you to volunteer if you’re convinced of its potential to reduce carbon. If you don’t think it’s feasible, please let us know why.
All STN projects are seat-of-the-pants experiments in finding original effective ways of measurably reducing carbon, by using creative storytelling-based projects to engage ordinary people. We target what we call Unwilling Inactivists, i.e. people who accept that climate change is due to our fossil fuel addiction, but who feel powerless to do anything to stop it.
Our laser-like focus on effective climate action, and the scalability and scope of our projects means a few hours volunteering with See Through News might reduce more carbon than turning off your heating all winter, giving up your car, or not flying for a decade.
Many of our projects are at too early a stage to claim definitively that they measurably reduce carbon, but they are all designed to do so. You can rest assured that should they turn out not be able to reduce carbon, we’ll drop them as brilliant mistakes.
Transferable Skills
Whichever project you might choose, other volunteers involved in it are experts from whose expertise and experience you can benefit.
Particularly for younger volunteers, you’ll be able to participate in, and possibly take the lead in, ambitious, scalable, projects, conceived and managed by industry veterans.
You’ll be fully credited for any role you play in our projects, and as all STN projects are original, we can guarantee no one else will be able to claim they’ve done the same thing.
And you won’t have to wait. Free from the inertia of funding, STN projects tend to happen much faster than in environments that require raising, documenting, monitoring and evidencing money.
Meaning and Fun
People choose to work on our projects because they believe in our goal and/or our methods, and find them enjoyable.
Finding meaning and fun in life has always been important, but maybe never more so than when our species is faced with such an overwhelming and critical existential challenge.
Working on any common goal provides mutual support and pleasure. This is multiplied if you believe, as we all do, that our projects have the potential to measurably reduce carbon.
Working for free
‘This will be great exposure’ and ‘It will look good on your CV’ are usually euphemisms exploitative employers deploy, meaning ‘work for us for free’. Still, they can be true, especially when the organisation for which you’re working makes it clear you’re volunteering, and paying you is hardly an option when we’re making no money ourselves.
If See Through News does ever get any money, as we explained in our Money FAQ, it would:
- be a by-product of the carbon-reduction goal
- fund See Through News projects
Who are we looking for?
Anyone who:
- shares our goal of measurably reducing carbon
- is interested in our storytelling approach to effective climate activism
That’s it, really. The diverse nature of our projects means there’s something for anyone, but the only thing that matters is whether you’re happy to spend some of your free time helping out.
Some of our volunteers have long careers and decades of experience. Some are world experts in their fields, others are just starting out, and are looking to acquire new skills, or deploy newly-acquired skills on meaningful projects.
How much commitment?
Again, entirely up to you.
Some STN volunteers can afford to devote themselves full-time to STN projects. For others, it might be a regular few minutes a day, or hours a week or month. For others, a short but intensive one-off project, or an hour to two helping out at an event.
What volunteer opportunities does See Through News have?
You know best what appeals to you, and what your skills are, so the best way to determine this is to take a look through our various Projects, see which one tickles your fancy, and email volunteers@seethroughnews.org
From our side, here are what would currently be most helpful.