101. Speak Up & Reach Out: Empowering Moms to Make Their Voices Heard on Issues That Are Important to Them

Are there things going on in the world that you wish you had more confidence to speak up about? Not just speaking up and sharing your opinions on social media, but taking your voice to the next level and contacting government departments or offices of elected officials—people and programs with power to make real, lasting, important change in your community. There are ways! And I’d love to help you find your confidence and courage to speak up, reach out, and create positive change in your community! Welcome to “Lobbying with Lori” – Just kidding. Well, kind of. I’ve been receiving a LOT of messages and questions from moms about how to write representatives—“What can we do?” shows up in my DMs a lot! Everything from moms saying they want more playgrounds and safe play spaces for their kids to moms not liking the direction the Department of Education is going or don’t agree with the Department of Health’s ideas at the moment. So what can we do? Empower ourselves. Mindset: · Self Worth—our opinions matter. We can take them off of social media and into bigger action · Elected officials—they are elected to represent us, not simply tell us what to do · Non-elected persons—they need reminded that there is no one size fits all solution and that it’s important to value community input · Kindness—we are people talking with other people · Confidence—spend time building your confidence with practice · Community—compose letters or draft ideas with others. Organization can help. · Patience—lasting change does not happen immediately Understand Who is Involved: · Local, state, or national government · Know what departments are also involved (i.e. Dept of Education, Health, Transportation, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation, etc.) · Who within those offices · The “person who answers the phone”: what you need to know When to Call/Write/Email/Meet: · The moment you feel called to do so, start drafting your thoughts and points · Sit with your thoughts and pray about them Actions: · Call · Email · Letter · Government sites: (i.e. https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov) · Submit Testimony · Attend county council meetings · Attend meet and greets or encourage officials to have meet and greets What to Include: · Your thoughts, opinions, and/or concerns · Resources · Stories · Examples · Questions · **IMPORTANT** Include the question/statement “Please reply with a response as well as the name of the person reading this email, how my message is being delivered to the person I intended to receive it, as well as details about how the opinions of the public/constituents/residents/etc. are being taken into consideration”). How Often Should You Write/Reach Out: · As often as you want. Let your intuition and passion lead you on this one—it’s your life, your community, your concerns. Examples: · A new playground · Vaccine passports You’ll experience successes and setbacks with all of this. Don’t be discouraged. Come back to mindset—your voice counts! PATREON LINK: Coming soon! FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM