Grass Roots Advocacy
PTA Advocacy Week
A time to speak up for children and education
PTA is the nation’s largest volunteer child advocacy organization. To continue its 110 years of service to children, PTA is holding its first annual PTA Advocacy Week February 19–23, 2007, to help local units and members learn to become strong and effective voices for children. During this week local, district and state PTA leaders and members will contact their members of Congress, who will be in their home districts that week; other elected officials; and other important decision-makers to talk about PTA and PTA issues. PTA Advocacy Week can be a great time to kick off a year-round advocacy campaign to support a specific goal, such as increasing arts in education. Or PTAs may simply want to invite school board members to a PTA meeting to hear parents’ concerns.
Anyone can plan or get involved in an Advocacy Week event. Useful tips and tools on how to be an effective advocate can be found on the PTA website. Use these tips to plan your local activities. To find out about events going on in your area, contact you state PTA office. Let PTA know what advocacy events your PTA is holding by filling out this easy survey.
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."—Helen Keller, American author and lecturer (1880–1968)
How To Lobby Locally
Working effectively ensures that your time and actions result in the maximum possible benefit. PTA members are volunteers with families, jobs, and many other time and energy demands. Therefore, it is critical that each action taken is conceived and executed for maximum affect. National PTA has developed and assembled a variety of useful tools that enables you to quickly access the information needed to help in your advocacy activities on behalf of PTA.
Brand new for 2007, the PTA Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit is now available online to give you simple answers on your advocacy and lobbying questions.
One of the tools National PTA provides to help you advocate for your children and schools is an easy online e-Learning course, Effective Advocacy for Your Child.
