HOME Line volunteer, Jason Bieza, says “When I started volunteering at HOME Line, I didn’t know a thing about politics. However, I was given some great advice that I want to pass on to you: Representatives are everyday people! They’re not going to judge you or think you’re unqualified. Why you care about an issue is the most important thing you can tell them.”
When I started volunteering at HOME Line, I didn’t know a thing about politics. A professor of mine mandated volunteer hours for her class and gave us a number of organizations to choose from. I chose HOME Line because a friend of mine who works as a property manager had told me about them previously. It seemed like a good fit, housing issues are things that I’ve cared about for a while. Every time I see a person experiencing homelessness I feel deeply saddened. I believe that everyone deserves a home, and every person without a home is a failure of our society.
I fully expected to be answering calls of people who were in need of some legal advice and directing them to the appropriate lawyer. Instead, I was directed to read through a summary of some proposed legislation. I had read through some legal documents and state statutes before. If you’ve been intimidated by either, trust me, if I can understand it you can too. HOME Line’s summary got rid of all the confusing legal jargon and made it very easy to understand. I found that I agreed with all of the proposed legislation and really couldn’t believe that most of it was not already in the state statutes!
Next, I was tasked with contacting my local representative and scheduling a meeting to talk about the legislation… Yeah I really wasn’t sure why they would want to talk to me about this stuff. I was probably one of the least qualified people in the state to be talking about anything really. I was certain they would have no idea who I was and decline to meet with me. Turns out your representatives really care about what their constituents think, no matter the qualifications. If you live in their district they will probably find some time to meet with you. With the meeting accepted, I still felt like I didn’t know what I was going to say to them.
I was given some great advice by HOME Line’s Public Policy Director, Michael Dahl, that I want to pass on to you. Representatives are just regular people. To break the ice you could make a little small talk or a joke, just like you would with anyone else. They’re not going to judge you or think you’re unqualified. Why you care about your issue is the most important thing you can tell them. Also, give it a personal touch, no one wants to hear someone reading off of a script. With that advice and a little more preparation, I was ready for my meeting.
My representative was a wonderfully nice person. It was so easy to speak with her. She listened to my “pitch” intently. She asked me some questions, some I had the answer to and a couple I didn’t. That was ok, she understood that I was not a professional, just a concerned citizen. I told her why I cared. What these issues meant to me, and why it was important that they get solved.
It felt good to be advocating for something that I truly believed would make our world a better place to live in. We elect representatives to represent our need/beliefs but they’re not mind readers. They’re waiting to hear what YOU care about, so go tell them!
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