Nonprofits play an integral role in dealing with issues that plague our society. For the issue of shark finning, nonprofits mainly focus on educating the public and encouraging public policy figures to pass legislation protecting shark populations.
Something the nonprofit speakers mentioned that stuck with me was something that they look for in volunteers and employees: consistency. Both representatives said that they seek out people who can commit to a steady time; for example, one hour every week. As somebody who volunteers a lot when I’m home, I’ve heard this response repeatedly and see the value in it.
Volunteer work can range greatly from organization to organization, but I think in terms of the shark finning issue, volunteer work looks very political. This kind of involvement includes calling, writing, and emailing my congressional representatives as well as signing petitions.
This is a time in which I stress another point about the issue of shark finning specifically: as a citizen of the United States, where shark finning is illegal, I am limited. Not only am I limited by location, I am also limited in jurisdiction. I am not Chinese or Vietnamese, I have never had shark fin soup, and I have never been impacted directly by the shark fin industry. That being said, I can attest to scientific fact which states that this practice is unsustainable, unstable, and dangerous. Because of this, I find getting involved through a nonprofit which may have a better, more holistic source of information to be a wiser, more socially-conscious plan of action.
From the class, though, I recognize that the most important thing to do is to do anything. Almost anything is better than nothing.