Archive for April, 2011
Why isn’t anyone listening to me? How to get elected officials to listen.
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy on April 18, 2011
Feeling like elected officials are not listening to the people that elected them into office or live in their district can feel very frustrating for those constituents. Many people give up and no longer want to participate in government not knowing the many reasons why constituents voices may be seem to go unheard in the political process.
How to host a successful community event.
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation, Resources on April 18, 2011
Community events like a neighborhood crime watch meeting, a block party , or other neighborhood meetings take an important part in creating a feeling of community. Community members look out for one another, come together for fellowship and on occasion to solve a problem the community faces together.
The change within
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation on April 17, 2011
As Civil Citizens there are many times people find themselves looking around in a panicked outrage crying “Who will fix this?”, “Who will stand up for the outrage?”! The answer is many times “No one.” The trick is it only takes one person to get the ball rolling. Are you the someone to stand up and be a change-maker?
Leader of the PAC
Posted by sophiatwrites in Community Participation, Mindful Consumerism on April 12, 2011
A PAC or Political Action Committee is a fund collected by a company or organization specifically for the purpose of having monetary influence on campaigns. Although much has been said about the influence of Labor Union PACs not much is said about the fact that many corporations, including utility companies and others have such PACs.
Freedom isn’t free. Political contributions the life’s blood of campaigns.
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation, Mindful Consumerism on April 8, 2011
Freedom isn’t free. This saying is primarily attached to military service. However there is much more to it. Civil Citizen’s must pay for Democracy with time, attention and yes, sometimes money. In order to take away the power of special interest lobbyists the people as a whole must contribute at least as much as the special interests do.
The Budget Battle.
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy on April 7, 2011
Many Americans feel helpless as they prepare to watch the government shut down over a battle for 1% of the nation’s discretionary funding. “What can I do?” they ask. At this point in the game it is difficult to say whether citizens can stop the government from shutting down but this is what you can do as a citizen to get a message to representatives in D.C.
Tips for writing a letter to the editor
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation, Resources on April 7, 2011
A letter to the editor can be a very powerful tool in effectively engaging your government. With just a few tips you can write a passionate, fact filled, letter that tells a persuasive story. Who knows you just may change the course of history.
Don’t be enraged get engaged
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation, Mindful Consumerism on April 7, 2011
If you ask many people all over the world how they feel about their government at this time, if they don’t fear for their safety many will tell you they are pissed off. Or some form of the term. Very few are pleased, and even fewer feel that they are being heard or fairly represented. Now to some extent this is a disconnect with the government entities and corporate citizenry of their locale however that is not the whole story.
Civic Engagement Tool Bag
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation, Mindful Consumerism on April 7, 2011
Exploring your local political landscape is like any great adventure you need tools for survival and success.
The world is run by those who show up… to the polls.
Posted by sophiatwrites in Advocacy, Community Participation on April 7, 2011
Voting is a powerful tool of civic engagement that is woefully underutilized in the democratic process. What you don’t know about voting might surprise you.