Getting involved

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Getting involved

Movements are formed to achieve a common goal or objective. These movements can be local, regional, national or global.  There are different kinds of movements. They perpetuate different agendas and aspire to achieve different goals. Different people join movements in different capacity and with different agenda.  Some people join these movements as contributors, elders, financiers or sympathizers. There is a multiplicity of reasons as to why people join movements.

People join movements to steer forward a common agenda.  The aim of a movement can be to trigger reforms in the social system of a country (Chapple & Davis, 1988, p.  53). Therefore, people will have to join such a movement to force the government or the authority to institute changes that they want. Others join movements to provide the movement with good leadership and advice.  Such individual believe that the goals and the objectives of the group is affable, and their contribution can help the movement realize its goals (Daly, 1988, p. 40). People such as elders may join movements to offer advice on the best strategies or approaches that the movement should adopt to succeed in its endeavors.

Some people get involved in these groups for their own self-interests, especially when the activities of the movement helps members to benefit from its activities in term of monetary benefits and other privileges. Sympathizers may join a movement just because they feel that their support is needed to make the movement strong to achieve its objectives (Snow, Burke & Benford, 1986, p. 464).  Such people may be compelled to assist the movement with financial assistance or technical advice to help the movement achieve its goals. Sympathizers may also feel that the group’s objective is worthy and therefore, get involved in its activities to assist it achieve its goals.

Other people still get involved in movements because they are forced or victimized to join the movement. Such kind of movements include revolutionary and those against a certain ideology. Therefore, people are compelled to join the group without their free consent. In such movements, those who fail to adhere to the ideologies of the movements are often seen as traitors are often mistreated (Snow, & Benford, 1998, p. 197).

Various movement organizations in our localities have approached me severally to support them financially, to enable them meet their objectives and goals. The movement’s goal was aimed at liberating the poor and improving their lives. I was appealed by the goals of the group and therefore, supported them financially to enable the movement reach out to many people in the society and help liberate them from chains of poverty.  I did not find any barriers with my participation with this group. The reason why there were no barriers is because the group had good leadership and its activities were not done in a manner that compromised the security of the other people. Therefore, I did not encounter any resistance or any form of harassment as my decision to support the group was my own.

In the current times, different types of movements have cropped up that seek to achieve their goals in a bad way. Such movements often find a lot of obstacles and resistance from the government. Many people may not join such movements because of their agendas and objectives. Therefore, people find them repulsive. Such movements recruit members by force and have ill or bad goals. Such movements include those aimed at causing harm to people, killing and destroying property. They are repulsive because they do not seem to enhance unity in the society but rather destructions.

References

Chapple, E., & Davis, M. (1988). Expressive Movement and Performance,TDR: The Drama         Review, 32(4):53-79.

Daly, A. (1988). Movement Analysis, TDR: The Drama Review, 32(4): 40-52.

Snow, D., Burke R., & Benford, R. (1986). “Frame Alignment Processes, Micromobilization,       and Movement Participation.” American Sociological Review 51:464–481.

Snow, D., & Benford, R. (1998). “Ideology, Frame Resonance, and Participant Mobilization.”     International Social Movement Research 1:197–217.