TSW Advocacy Training: "Mock Meeting" with a Legislator

“Kathy Tullos, ITSAN President and I got out our acting skills today and made a video for you of a "mock meeting" with a legislator. We hope you'll take a few minutes to see how easy it is to meet with your elected officials to ask for their help to recognize TSW in your state or province. When connecting with your legislators, remember, you are looking to speak with State Representatives and State Senators who work with your state capital, NOT the Senators and Congressional Representatives who work in Washington, D.C. at the Federal level representing your state.” -Kelly Barta, ITSAN Executive Board Member

In the United States: to find your state senator and state representative input your street address here: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your...

Click on the box labeled STATE. Your state senator and state representative will be in the list of your state elected officials.

A couple extra tips to keep in mind:
Call or email to set up a meeting. This can be in person or Zoom. In person usually has the most impact.
Show up in professional attire.
Bring printouts to leave behind: TSW Resolution, TSW Fact sheet, etc. All found here: https://www.itsan.org/advocate/
Tell your story.
Introduce the Resolution and why it is important.
Speak about how the Resolution asks for an official TSW Awareness Day for your state.
Follow up with an email directly after the meeting thanking them for their time and linking them to information.
Follow up again in a week. Many state legislative sessions (the timeframe your legislators meet in the capitol to conduct business) are coming to a close soon, so follow up keeps this top of mind before the session closes!

We hope you'll join us in the effort, and look forward to hearing some awesome reports about TSW awareness in your state! 

Email [email protected] with any questions.