Graduating this summer?

Every year students graduate from university - which is great! - but it means it's easy to find oneself like a fish out of water when it comes to carrying on the pro-life work.

For several years the university has been a place where you get to meet and spend time with like-minded peers. You get to attend talks, have discussions, plan events, go to conferences together, share news, and stay connected using the useful Facebook groups and pages.

Graduating will mean leaving than context behind. It'll mean moving back home, or moving into new rented accommodation, perhaps in a new city. The job-hunt will be well underway, or perhaps you'll be starting a new job.

These things quickly and easily take up lots of time and energy. That, minus the pro-life peer group, and it's easy for pro-life activity to slide to the bottom of the list. It might feel like there is nothing going on where you live, certainly nothing where you work, nor at your local church if you attend one.

So, it's important that you, we, don't let that happen. There's a lot to be said about keeping good friendships going anyway, but how much more when you share a common purpose. Below are some suggestions that can help with the transition from university.

1. Don't drift from pro-life peers. There's a million ways to stay in touch, so no excuses.
2. Stay informed - carry on reading the news sites, blogs, postings on Facebook groups, sign up for updates from pro-life groups, follow pro-life groups on Twitter and Facebook, read articles and books.
3. Order a batch of leaflets and do door-to-door leafleting where you live. Do a few streets and keep a note of the ones you've done. Email danielblackman@spuc.org.uk to make an order.
4. Join a local SPUC branch (email tonymullet@spuc.org.uk for your nearest branch). The branches effectively operate as a pro-life presence in a given area: letter-writing, fundraising, distributing petitions and newspapers, getting church members active, leafleting, pro-life chains, display tables and so on. If there is no SPUC branch where you live, start one. It's not difficult.
5. Go along to your local 40 Days for Life vigil. Again, if there isn't one, start one in your area. However, starting one and keeping it going for 40 days, requires lots of time, so only take such a role on if you're certain you can commit to it properly. Good Counsel Network also run daily vigils in London.
6. Letter-writing to your local MP, local newspapers, and religious leaders. Share information with them, raise a point about something that is happening in parliament. It's easy for an MP or church leader to think no one cares about pro-life issues because no one ever writes or speaks to them about it.
7. Volunteering is another good practical thing to do. There are pro-life pregnancy centres and SPUC offices that have plenty for volunteers to do. Email danielblackman@spuc.org.ukif you'd like to volunteer.