Activism Defined

Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing businesses, rallies, street marches, strikes, sit-ins, and hunger strikes.[citation needed]
Activists can function in roles as public officials, as in judicial activism. Arthur Schlesinger Jr. introduced the term "judicial activism" in a January 1947 Fortune magazine article titled "The Supreme Court: 1947."[1]

Some activists try to persuade people to change their behavior directly, rather than to persuade governments to change or not to change laws. The cooperative movement seeks to build new institutions which conform to cooperative principles, and generally does not lobby or protest politically, and clergymen often exhort their parishioners to follow a particular moral code or system.

As with those who engage other activities such as singing or running, the term may apply broadly to anyone who engages in it even briefly, or be more narrowly limited to those for whom it is a vocation, habit or characteristic practice. In the narrower sense environmental activists that align themselves with Earth First or Road Protestors would commonly be labelled activists, whilst a local community fighting to stop their park or green being sold off or built on would fit the broader application, due to their using similar means to similarly conservative ends. In short activism is not always an action by Activists.

METHODS
Civil disobedience
Community building
Activism industry
Conflict transformation
Cooperative movement
Craftivism
Voluntary simplicity
Economic activism
Boycott
Veganism (boycott of animal usage)
Vegetarianism (boycott of animal meat usage)
Divestment (a.k.a. Disinvestment)
Simple living
Tax resistance
Franchise activism
Lobbying
Media activism
Culture jamming
Hacktivism
Internet activism
Nonviolence
Peace activist and Peace movement
Political campaigning
Propaganda
Guerrilla communication
Protest
Demonstration
Direct action
Protest songs
Theater for Social Change
Strike action
Youth activism
Student activism
Youth-led media