Advocacy in Action at BenU
With the support of the Chicago Congressional Action Team and NextGen, the UNICEF club at Benedictine University recently hosted an event featuring Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL), pictured below. The aim was to educate the community on the importance of advocacy on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable children. Event organizers, Sree Bodepudi and Jona Aliaj talk about the experience below.
1. What made this event a successful one?
We’re really proud of the strong turnout. We worked with professors beforehand, asking them to encourage their students to attend. We also invited other student groups and like-minded organizations to participate, and made sure to provide everyone with a way to take action on the spot.
Given their experience meeting with Members of Congress here in Chicago and in Washington, we invited Chicago CAT members Whitney Cross and Cecilia Torres to speak about the Reach Every Mother and Child Act. People left the event with a better understanding of UNICEF’s work, their role in supporting UNICEF’s initiatives and advancing bills like the Reach Act.
2. What would you do differently next time?
Expect last-minute adjustments to the agenda! We were able to shift things around, but will definitely have contingency plans in place. We will also be sure to have a team member specifically take on communications with partners to make sure all groups understand the goals of the event.
3. What’s next for the BenU club and Chicago CAT?
Dozens of people stayed afterwards to write letters urging their Members of Congress to support the Reach Every Mother and Child Act. We saw how inspired our younger students are to continue advocating and working with the CAT to develop stronger relationships with Congressional Offices. Participants now realize that while setting up meetings and talking to Members of Congress may seem intimidating, it really is not very difficult and the impact is significant.
Thanks Sree and Jona for inspiring your community to advocate for children!
