Hate is having a moment in the spotlight, but hate itself is unfortunately very old and has existed for far too long. Groups that combat hate, especially those youth groups that foster understanding and cooperation, could really use donations to help with supplies, administrative costs, and costs for activities for the youth in question. Choosing a group, or groups, that you want to donate to isn't that difficult, but if you're not sure which group to go with, you can narrow down your choices with some consideration.
Choosing Efforts That Focus on Specific Groups
Some anti-hate youth groups focus on a particular type of hate, such as homophobia, but others have a broader focus on combating hate overall. You'll have to decide how narrow or broad you want the focus to be of the group you donate to. You may have a personal stake in or personal experience with a specific form of hate, like Islamophobia or antisemitism, making groups with that focus a very good destination for your donation. If you have no preference, then you would donate to any anti-hate group.
Local, State, National, or International
Groups that focus on fighting hate and increasing cultural and personal understanding have local, state, national, and international presences. Some of these groups have a structure where there's a main international or national group with local chapters, and others are independent and either local-only or state-only (that doesn't mean they don't care about areas outside their city or state, just that the organization is based only in one city or one state). Groups with larger structures may be more organized and better able to spread resources across the region, but smaller groups may offer more opportunities to get involved. That's not always the case, but it can help steer you toward one group or another.
Non-Financial Contributions
People who don't donate to causes often may think the only choices are donating money or donating time, as in volunteering to make calls for donations or to work in a shelter kitchen. For people with little money and little time (or who just don't like being around people in person due to things like a lowered immune system), there are other options. Some youth programs are linked with shelters for youth kicked out of their homes or who ran away from abusive situations, and these shelters sometimes take donations of clean clothing that's in good repair, books that are in good condition, and so on. Shelter donation capacity varies, so always call first to see if the shelter is still taking these donations.
You may find volunteer groups that fix bicycles and sports equipment for refugee youth, too. If you want to support youth programs that focus on anti-hate and on providing support for people who fled hate-filled situations, the opportunities are there even if you don't have money and don't want to be on the phone or stuffing envelopes.
Regardless of the groups you choose to support and how you choose to support them, know that you're helping. You can't do everything, but you can do something, and that something is appreciated. For more information on an anti-hate youth engagement program, contact a professional near you.
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