August is a Month of Mentoring Advocacy
Every year, members of Congress return to their communities for the entire month of August. Congress uses this month as a “recess” for legislative business, but it’s no break for members of Congress. They spend their time addressing critical district and state work by meeting with constituents, visiting non-profits, schools, and small businesses, hosting town halls, and attending events. This is a monumental time for them to hear and understand what is going on back home and to be “seen” in their communities. In many cases, members of Congress have more time to actively engage with their constituents since they are not bound by votes and the constant hustle and bustle of the Capitol and Washington, D.C.. August is the perfect opportunity for mentoring and youth development advocates to make an impact on the elected officials that make decisions about the issues we care about!
Like every Advocacy August, we call on mentoring advocates to engage with their elected officials in big and small ways — whatever works for you to either build or continue relationships with elected officials and other stakeholders. Below we have an assortment of resources that can help guide your actions this month.
- Set-Up a Meeting with your Member of Congress in their District or State Office: August recess is one the best times to meet with your member of Congress in their local district or state office. This guide highlights how you can invite, attend, and follow-up with your member of Congress.
- Invite your Member of Congress to Visit your Mentoring Program: Members of Congress love spending time with young people and seeing what important programs are supporting families in their communities. This resource provides best practices and tips on how programs can invite members of Congress to their sites this summer.
- Tips and Sample Questions on Attending a Town Hall: We have prepared sample questions to help identify the issues and topics you may want to ask your member of Congress about at a Town Hall. If you are interested in learning if a town hall is taking place in your state or district this August, please email Adriane Alicea at AAlicea@mentoring.org
- Send a Message to your Member of Congress: Ask your member of Congress to stand up for mentoring this summer by emailing or tweeting them using MENTOR’s advocacy platform.
- Nominate a Mayor for Mentoring: While mayors are never on a “recess” they are important leaders in their communities who can impact local funding, policy and public elevation of mentoring. The Mayors for Mentoring campaign is an effort to celebrate the efforts of mayors to expand the quality and quantity of mentoring opportunities for young people in their communities. You can nominate a mayor who has engaged in this work in your community! Please contact Abbie Evans at AEvans@mentoring.org if you have questions.
We hope that you will take the time to engage, activate, and recharge your advocacy this summer and look forward to hearing what you’ve done!
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