Advocacy
GET INVOLVED
ADVOCATE FOR OLDER ADULTS
Are you looking to make a difference in your community?
Advocacy is a powerful way for older adults like you to influence change and improve the lives of many.
Here’s 6 ways you can get started:
1. Write Letters to the Editor
Writing a letter to the editor can help you reach a large audience and express your views about something. Whether you want to support or criticize a certain action or policy, or suggest improvements, keep your letter simple and easy to understand. Remember to include your full name and contact information.
Shorter letters have a better chance of being published.
2. Tell Your Story – Using Personal Testimony
Personal testimony can be a powerful tool in influencing the passage, revision, or defeat of policies and regulations. It gives a more “human” perspective on how effective, ineffective, beneficial or problematic a policy is or could be for a community. To prepare for your testimony, set aside 10-20 minutes to write down your thoughts and feelings. Before you speak, make sure to have substance and evidence to support your claims. Sum up your testimony with clear ideas on how the proposed regulation is good or bad.
The Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging wants to hear the good and the bad about growing older in the Arrowhead. We work with the Minnesota Board on Aging, the Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging, local and state elected officials and other advocacy organizations to improve the aging experience in Minnesota. We can only make improvements with your input. Please tell us about your personal experience navigating services or caring for a loved one. Remember to include details so that we can tell your story accurately.
3. Lobby Elected Officials
A well-written personal letter is a great way to express your opinions on issues that affect you. When addressing an elected official, use their full name and title, and state the topic of your letter upfront. Explain why you are concerned or pleased with a certain decision, describe the expected impact, and be specific about how it will affect you and those you represent. Thank the official for their time, sign your full name, and include your contact information.
4. Participate in Local Commissions, Boards, and Task Forces
Commissions, advisory boards, and task forces provide an effective way for local governments to engage citizens in the democratic process. These boards are usually established by the local legislative body and most cities have both permanent and temporary boards to ensure that a variety of community needs are discussed and represented. The advisory bodies serve as a platform for citizens to voice their opinions and concerns about the community. The tasks of citizens are determined by the type of board on which they serve. Citizens play a key role in helping local government officials understand the community landscape for effective public engagement. Read local newspapers of record and local government websites to learn about vacancies. Experience is not necessary to apply to serve on advisory bodies.
5. Attend Community Meetings
Public meetings are gatherings that bring together various groups of stakeholders for a specific purpose. The aim of these meetings is to engage a wide audience in information sharing and discussion. They can be used to raise awareness of an issue or proposal and serve as a starting point for, or an ongoing means of engaging, further public involvement. When done well, they help foster a sense of community. To participate effectively in community meetings, it is important to be punctual, come prepared, listen actively, ask questions, be respectful, follow the agenda, avoid interrupting others, and refrain from using your phone. Meetings are typically posted on local government websites or newspapers of record. Often local governments have email distribution lists that you are able to subscribe to in order to track official activities.
6. Register to Vote
To vote In Minnesota you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on Election Day (16 & 17 year olds can pre-register), a resident of Minnesota for 20 days, not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, and not under a court order that revokes your right to vote.
You can register online, via paper form at your local elections office, or register when you vote. In Minnesota, voters can register at polling places on Election Day or early voting locations before Election Day. To register online you will need Your Minnesota driver’s license or Minnesota identification card number, or the last four numbers of your Social Security number, an email address, and be eligible to vote in Minnesota. You will need to re-register if your name or address changes. For more information on voter registration, visit https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/register-to-vote/
7. Sample Letters
Find letters that you can send to your friends, neighbors, commissioners and legislators about issues important to you.