Advocate. Support. Endorse. Act. Voices of Hope Productions encourages each of us to find our own voice, to make informed decisions, and to advocate for our own personal beliefs and convictions. We believe that people are duty-bound not only to themselves, but also to society, to become impassioned in their convictions, to advocate for truth, justice and equality, and to ensure their voice is heard.
Getting involved in social issues as a citizen requires that you know which issues you feel passionate and compelled to talk with others about. Our democracy provides that all citizens have a voice to share opinions and needs as taxpayers. Our legislators work for us, but they also cannot do their jobs alone. It is imperative, and our responsibility as American citizens to educate ourselves and understand, not only issues that affect ourselves, our families and friends, but the issues outside our communities that impact each of us as well. It is easy to blame elected officials for the way they govern, but journalists and citizens should be the watchdogs of what goes on in our communities and state.
Democracy is founded on the bedrock principal that “the people” should be active and “engaged” in the affairs of their community; making decisions about important matters that improve the quality of life for all residents.* Community participation creates an important dialogue between the community and those elected or appointed to represent the community’s agenda. In communities where civic engagement is high, resources tend to be more effective.
To form opinions, people must have real information about what’s going on in their own communities and in their state. “Under our current corporate-dominated media system, people of color, women, youth, immigrants, gays, people with disabilities, the elderly—groups which, taken together, are a majority of our citizenry—have been silenced and kept ignorant of one another’s perspectives.” * These voices are left out of the public dialogue, and worse still, others are unaware or have blinders on to what really is happening in those communities.
As citizens if we don’t get involved at a grassroots and community level, then as taxpayers we all pay for the inequities and inefficiencies in present policies and laws. It is our democratic responsibility to not put the blame on every public servant, but to be part of the solution. If we are not actively participating in the tough discussions and asking pertinent questions, then we cannot make educated, thoughtful decisions about how to efficiently solve the issues.
When these issues go unchallenged, there are few strides made in influencing policies and laws. By using communications strategies such as grassroots media, community access television, the Internet, and screenings, the voices of real people can be brought forward to all citizens. When it comes to social justice, collaboratively citizen advocates can frame the issues and shape debate to make productive social change that is empathetic, data driven, measured and cost effective. The real people, in real neighborhoods can inform themselves, as well as the masses about “what’s really going on” in their community and their state.
ADVOCACY OVERVIEW
Advocacy, simply put, is a strategy to influence policy makers when they make laws and regulations, distribute resources, and make other decisions that affect lives. The principal aim of advocacy is to create policies, reform policies, and ensure policies are implemented. Several advocacy strategies can be used to influence the decisions of policy makers, such as discussing problems directly with them, delivering messages through the media, or strengthening the ability of local organizations to advocate.
Effective advocacy includes the following:
Analysis | Starts with accurate information and requires in-depth understanding of the problem, the people involved, the policies, the implementation or non-implementation of those policies, the organizations, and the channels of access to influential people and decision-makers.
Strategy | The strategy phase builds on the analysis phase to direct, plan, and focus on specific goals and to position the advocacy effort with clear paths to achieve those goals and objectives.
Mobilization | Events, activities, messages, and materials must be designed with objectives, audiences, partnerships and resources clearly in mind.
Action | Keeping all partners together and persisting in making the case are essential to carrying out advocacy.
Evaluation | A team needs to measure regularly and objectively what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. Articulate long-term goals, keep functional coalitions together and keep data and arguments in tune with changing situations.
Coalition Building | We believe specific leadership roles are almost always present in any successful crusade. Voices of Hope thinks that the right combination of leadership qualities can result in an organization that responds faster, more deliberately, and with more flexibility to its challenges—greatly increasing the likelihood of success.
• Visionaries who elevate the view of the possible
• Strategists who chart the course, and achieve the attainable
• People who further the cause in the minds of both the public and decision-makers
• Educated experts who possess knowledge to back up the movement’s positions & objectives
• ’Outside Advocates’ who fiercely hold those in power accountable
• ’Inside Advocates’ who understand how to decipher power structures, rules and procedures and turn them into an advantage
• ’Calculated Communicators’ who understand how to direct individual and public passion toward the movement’s objectives
• ’Movement Builders’ who infecting others with optimism to stay true to the dedication of the common good
Though some individuals may fill several roles, no one person can fill them all.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Raise Awareness-develop your message-know your audience
• Select only your most persuasive arguments.
• Stay on message.
• Write down your main points and emphasize them.
• Tie every answer you give back to your messages.
• If you are talking to an elected official, talk about benefits to the community.
Write letters to the editor
• State your reason for writing.
• When applicable, refer to any news item or letter that you are countering.
• Limit your message to one or two key points.
• Follow the word-count rules.
• Take a firm and clear stand on the issues, but be reasonable.
Write an op-ed piece
• Talk with the editorial page editor to pitch your idea.
• Be concise: have something original to say, with one idea and cite examples.
• Follow the word-count rules set by the paper.
• Take a firm and clear stand on the issues, but be reasonable.
• Guide to placing op-eds and letters to the editor.
Senator Bill Baroni (R) with Teachers
Contact Legislators
• A successful citizen-lobby campaign incorporates multiple approaches to educating and communicating with policymakers.
• Build your Coalition and have each member contact the legislators in their home district.
• Legislators pay attention to well presented positions by constituents.
• Do research and become knowledgeable about legislation and your policymakers.
• Identify legislation clearly and include the bill number if you know it.
• Gain the attention of policymakers by contacting them through a personal visit, by letter or phone.
• Keep communication personal and send it on plain stationary.
• Don’t be afraid to clip articles and attach them to the personal letters.
• Staff people’s views are important and they may have great influence on the legislators for whom they work.
• Follow-up with e-advocacy efforts—email is a powerful tool to communicate with your coalition and legislators.
Get Press Support
• Call your local editorial page editor to set up an appointment.
• Prepare an information packet to pass out at the meeting.
• Bring a small group of your most influential coalition members.
• Pick your three most persuasive points and strongly advocate for them.
• Afterward, follow up with a thank you note, and provide any follow-up material.
Host an event
• Consider holding rallies, parades, candlelight vigils, or anything else that involves your coalition and draws media attention.
• Send out a press release to the media several days before the event, invite them to attend and provide event information.
• Follow up with the media the day before the event and then again the day of the event.
• Provide information packets to the media at the event.
• Have visually exciting backgrounds, think about coalition tee-shirts, banners, posters, graphs, etc.
Hold a news conference
• Schedule a news conference only when you have important information that should be released
to the general public.
• Send out a press release to the media several days before the conference.
• Follow up with the media the day before the event and then again the day of the event.
• Provide information packets to the media at the conference.
• Have visually exciting backgrounds, think about coalition tee-shirts, banners, posters, graphs, etc.
Passion and Perseverance
Talk to any lobbyist and you will find that legislative changes take years to achieve. As in any business or sales endeavor, successful policy-making efforts require persistence. Time, energy, focus and patience are needed to make policy changes. Your coalition should be sent legislative alerts as often as needed. That might mean 3 times in one month and then not another alert for several months. There are always new bills introduced and others that may go nowhere. There’s no magic to successful lobbying—just a passion for making changes and the perseverance to see the effort to the end of the policy cycle.
* Source: Imagining the Unthinkable, 2007, Community Media Over the Next 5 Years.