With the majority of states convening legislative sessions in 2018*, now is the time to begin preparations to advance trauma-informed proposals and educate lawmakers on the impact of trauma on the health and wellbeing of their constituents. ACEs Connection Network (ACN) will be sharing tools to help in this process over the next months. Two are now available—“How to Create a Community Profile” and “Tips on How to Build Relationships with Your Legislators.”
One of the most effective tools developed for the July 11 4CA Policymaker Education Day in Sacramento was a series of Community Profiles that detail what is being accomplished by local trauma initiatives (geographic or organizational) and that highlight data on ACEs prevalence. Participants in the day commented on how legislators’ and staff’ “eyes lit up” when the profiles were shared, demonstrating that the adage “all politics is local” endures.
To help you create a “Community Profile” for your local initiative, see the attached document “How to Create a Community Profile.” Also attached are the profiles prepared for the 4CA Policymaker Education Day, along with editable documents—one for geographic communities and one for organizational communities. In addition to using these profiles to educate legislators and their staff, they are an excellent resource for other forms of education and advocacy—to welcome new members to your initiative, respond to inquiries from colleagues, or the media, and to include in orientations, grants, or as a handout at conferences.
Another model for a statewide community profile was developed for a meeting of First Spouses in Milwaukee on Sept. 13-14. The documents were prepared for the eleven states that participated in the meeting and are attached to a follow-up story on the meeting that focuses on these profiles. Profiles for the other 39 states and the District of Columbia are being developed by ACN in partnership with statewide ACEs initiatives.
Another document, “Tips on How to Build Relationships with Your Legislators,” is also attached. It provides a short list of ideas for you to consider—from inviting a legislator to participate in a forum on trauma issues to writing a letter-to-the-editor. Included in the tip sheet are just some of the many ways to build a mutually constructive relationship with your elected leaders by communicating regularly throughout the year.
Let us know about your own efforts and strategies by posting a blog on ACEs Connection or sending me an email (eprewitt@acesconnection.com). While these tools are focused on working with state elected leaders, some of the ideas are also relevant to local officials.
*National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) indicates that for now 46 states will be convening in 2018, with Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas not scheduled to meet in regular session. An update of the NCSL map of legislative session calendar will be available in early November.
Comments (0)