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Advocacy and Media Outreach

Learn how to be an effective advocate for immigration reform and use media outreach to amplify your efforts. Find resources, messaging strategies, and tools to engage lawmakers and the public. Join AILA's National Day of Action to make a difference!

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Advocacy and Media Outreach

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  1. Advocacy and Media Outreach Melina Roche, Grassroots Advocacy Associate Belle Woods, Associate Director, Communications Feb 6, 2017

  2. On the Agenda • Congressional Update • Why be an Advocate • How to Advocate/Resources • Messaging • Opinion Pieces • Where to find AILA on Social Media • Getting Camera Ready • Homework

  3. Congressional Update • Confirmation of Trump Cabinet Nominees • BRIDGE Act - • Reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. Graham (R-SC) and Durbin (D-IL), cosponsors include NY Sen. Schumer • Introduced in the House by Reps. Coffman (R-CO) and Gutierrez (D-IL)

  4. What will AILA do? • Urge lawmakers to support reform that upholds the Constitution • Provide comments on bills and draft amendments • Offer commonsense solutions and meet with White House/agency leadership • Speak out publicly against injustices and use media to amplify our efforts • Prepare AILA members with resources to do the same

  5. Resources for New Congress & Administration Featured Issue: Immigration 2017 www.aila.org/immigration2017 • Advocacy and Community Resources • Analysis and Statements • Media Tools • Refresher Resources • Immigration Issues • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals • NSEERS/Special Registration

  6. Why be an Advocate? You have the experience and skills: • Lawmakers need your first hand knowledge and experience • They don’t know immigration law like you! • You have a unique perspective on how it impacts your state and community • It works! Case in point: House R’s pulls to gut independent ethics committee within 24hrs

  7. Perks of Advocating • Demonstrates your dedication and passion for reforming our outdated immigration system • Raises your profile as a thought leader • Establishes you as a resource and go-to expert on immigration to your lawmakers and community

  8. Build your network • Identify who  shares your concerns • AILA National and AILA Chapter Members • Others may include: community organizations, faith-based organizations, social service providers, schools, the community, etc. • Build a strong relationship • Stay in the know and share resources

  9. Organize • Do your homework – What’s your stance and message • AILA has talking points, analysis & voting recommendations • Identify your “target” – Is it a state or federal lawmaker, President, or other an agency head? • Define your “ask” – What do you want your legislator to do? • Build your relationship with legislative or agency offices who has the power to make change • Take Action!

  10. Taking Action • AILA’s Advocacy Action Center makes it easy to Contact your legislator by: - Email, Phone, and Social Media • Attend AILA’s National Day of Action

  11. AILA’s Advcacy Action Center • Easy way to look up your legislator by state or address to find: • Legislator’s office and biographical info • Staff contact info • Social media profiles • Committees • Voting record on bills that AILA is tracking www.aila.org/takeaction

  12. Emailing & Calling Lawmakers • Send a pre-written email or use a call script; OR • Use your own message • Be brief, direct, & courteous when addressing the issue • Make your ask! • Don’t forget to mention you’re a constituent

  13. Using Social Media to Advocate • Identify your platform – • Twitter is good for engaging with lawmakers, agencies and the Administration with the action you want them to take • Tag policy and law makers • Use appropriate hashtags • Facebook is good to engage with the public and community • Great for action items like petitions, grassroots campaigns, events, etc.

  14. National Day of Action Thursday, April 6, 2017 Washington DC Register: agora.aila.org/NDA Join AILA in educating member of Congress and their staff why we need fair and just immigration policies. Registration is free and all are welcome to attend!

  15. When advocating always: • Be polite and professional • Use the right message • Be prepared with the facts • Share clients’ stories when appropriate, it helps lawmaker understand the issue & the impact it has on their constituents • Make a clear and direct ask • Always listen • Offer yourself as a resources

  16. Report – Contributions of New Americans in NY • How many jobs are immigrants creating in NY? In 2014, nearly 500,000 people worked at immigrant-owned companies. • Immigrant-owned businesses generated $6.13 billion in business income in 2014. • New York’s immigrants contribute! In 2014, through taxes on their individual wages, immigrants contributed $3.7 billion to Medicare and $13.7 billion to Social Security.

  17. What the public understands about immigration • The American public does not share advocates’ understanding • Advocates/Experts are inflicted by a “curse of knowledge” • The public possess multiple frames that they use to understand the issue • Bring them into a more productive frame to make your point

  18. Values-Based MessagingPragmatism • Pragmatism: We can’t deport ourselves out of this. • Metaphor Possibility: Removing 11 million people from the families and communities is impractical and expensive. What would digging 11 million trees up do to a forest and its surrounding ecosystem?

  19. Values-Based MessagingProsperity • Shared Prosperity: Immigrants are workers, tax-payers and contributors. Economies grow with more people. • Metaphor Possibility: Economies are like quilts, the more pieces you add, the larger they get and the more people they cover.

  20. Values-Based MessagingMoral Argument • Moral Argument: Every human being deserves basic respect and dignity. • America has always been a nation of immigrants. We welcome the stranger and show them our humanity.

  21. Don’t • Say the System is Broken – Invokes Fatalism • Hold one kind of immigrant up over another, high vs. low skilled, DREAMer vs. their parent, or “felons not families.”

  22. Opinion Pieces One of the best ways to educate and inform members of your community about aspects of immigration law of which they might not be aware. • Letters to the Editor: • Short • About a specific article you've read • Op-Eds: • “Opposite the editorial page” • Longer piece, 600-1000 words, varies by outlet

  23. Where Can You Find Us? • Follow AILA on Twitter. • Like us on Facebook. • Follow the AILA Leadership Blog. • Join the AILA group on LinkedIn. • Subscribe to AILA on YouTube.

  24. On-Air Interview Tips and Tricks • Video • Look the Part • Eye Contact • Sit up Straight! • Gestures, some Do’s, mostly Don’ts • Radio and Video • Silence is not the Enemy • Tone • Video from your Office • Check your background • Framing • Look at the camera, not at yourself

  25. Now What? Your Homework • Pick an issue and advocate! • Plan your trip to DC for NDA • Get familiar with your local reporters • Write a opinion piece • Consider planning an event for press

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