How to be an Advocate Mary Dunne Stewart

How to be an Advocate… Mary Dunne Stewart Voices for Virginia’s Children mds@vakids. org Cate Newbanks FACES of Virginia Families cnewbanks@facesofvirginia. org

What you will hear today: – What families can do to influence the laws and policies that shape the services and supports they need. – Who are the “players”? How can families reach them? – What resources are available to help negotiate and navigate the system?

Laws Do not Just Happen They start with an “idea” that spreads. And getting a law passed requires a lot of ADVOCACY. Good laws also require constant vigilance to preserve their intent.

Who Can We Influence Through Advocacy? Use Advocacy to educate and influence others including Elected Representatives, Media, and the General Public. There are different types of Advocacy: 1) Self-Advocacy 3) Legal Advocacy 2) Individual Advocacy 4) Legislative Advocacy Today, we are talking about Legislative Advocacy.

Legislative Advocacy Recognize the Power You Have ! If you are a foster, kinship, or adoptive parent, YOU ARE AN EXPERT. Legislators need to learn from YOU how issues affect foster families so that they can respond by crafting policy and legislation that is helpful.

Preparing for your visit Plan – like a lawyer preparing arguments Assume you will have only 10 -15 minutes Assemble supporting materials (e. g. fact sheets, coalition documents, local newspaper articles) Research your legislator – http: //legis. state. va. us – – Areas of interest Past votes on early childhood bills Committee assignments Latest gossip (just kidding!)

Advocacy Do’s – Meeting with Policymakers Meet with legislators in their district when the General Assembly is NOT in session If during session, try to limit your meeting to 1 (or 2 at most) issue Leave succinct talking points with the legislator Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and get back with you”

Winding up Summarize your main points Ask “Are there other early childhood issues you would like to know more about? ” “How can we help you? Are you sponsoring any bills that we can help you with? ” “Can you help our coalition by…. ? ” Follow up! Especially with a thank you note if the legislator voted with you

Advocacy Rules to Remember Know your barriers. Be non-partisan. Know the legislative process. Get to know the legislative aide. Stay on message. Don’t get discouraged. RELAX!

Advocacy Don’ts Get angry if a policymaker disagrees with you Threaten – “I won’t vote for you if…” Be too “emotional” or “passionate” Exaggerate Waste the legislators‘ time

Things To Remember Part-time legislature Time crunch during session Loyalty to their party, region, profession, industry, religion Legislators want to do the right thing (and get reelected!) Vocation Attorneys Business owners Retired Business execs Educators others

Ways to Communicate with Your Legislators A face to face meeting is the most effective. Personal letters or personal emails Use telephone calls when a critical vote is imminent and you don’t have time to write. Petitions and form emails are considerably less than personal letters Using an online system is very easy and takes the user less than one minute.

Using Personal Stories WHY? • Makes affected constituents visible- the issue is not abstract or just about a line item in the budget, but real children and families • Legislators listen to their constituents more than professional advocates • Making it personal is a top communications tip from national strategic communications and market research firm

Using Personal Stories (cont’d) HOW? Identify parents and families willing to speak up and identify opportunities; identify your own personal connection Legislative Strategies: – Team up parent and professional staff for a legislative visit – Have parents/family members testify at public hearings and be available for media – Invite legislators and committee staff for a visit that involves meeting families

Using Personal Stories (cont’d) Other Strategies: – Take youth to rallies (with permission, of course) – Get creative! e. g. send artwork or photos with advocacy letters

Don’t forget to use the Media Letters to the Editor – Keep them short and simple – Write to the major newspapers AND community newspapers Be a source – Let advocacy organizations know if you are willing to speak to the press

Resources FACES of Virginia’s Families www. facesofvirginia. org The Virginia Poverty Law Center www. vplc. org Voices for Virginia’s Children www. vakids. org

Time to Brainstorm Questions and Discussion Thanks for coming!