Advocacy Toolkit
Our Advocacy Toolkit below is designed to help both individuals and organizations in their work as advocates and representatives of family voice in their communities, states and nationwide. If you have suggestions for additional materials that should be included or are looking for technical assistance with advocacy, please email us. Watch the brief video below for a quick introduction to advocacy and to learn how YOU can make a difference. Find additional resources and helpful videos below.
Getting Connected
- U.S. Congress
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Find Your Current Legislator -
Find Your State Medical Director -
Find Your State Mental Health Commissioner -
Remember to find and follow your legislators on social media. Alomost all of them have Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Navigating Committees
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This link takes you to a listing of all the Committees. -
You can find your Congressional representative by entering your zip code in the upper right corner. -
Click on a Committee to take you to their Committee page. -
The Committees will have full Committee and Subcommittee hearings. -
Community activity links will generally take you a list of upcoming hearings. -
Some committees air live through YouTube so you need to click on a recording link to get the live stream. -
Committees have their own web and Facebook pages. Following and liking those is a great way to get a quick overview of the current topics they are addressing.
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The Senate page is a little easier to navigate. -
On the upper right hand corner you can find archived floor proceedings. -
Membership and assignments on the left-hand side will take you to all the committees and the names of their members. -
Committee schedules and topics are listed. -
Clicking on the name of the Committee will take you to its page.
Help Me Learn to Advocate
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Act B4Stage4 Advocacy Toolkit - Mental Health America -
Advocacy Roadmap - National Council for Behavioral Health -
Advocate for Change - Partnership to End Addiction -
Childresn's Alliance Toolkit -
Early Childhood Advocacy Toolkit - Start Early -
Families USA Toolkit -
National Council: A Handbook for Advocates -
NC Child Advocacy Tools & Tips -
Countdown: 10 Types of Policy Advocacy - Arkansas Advocates for Children -
Ohio Children’s Alliance Advocacy Toolkit -
Amplify Your Voice: Advancing your Skills as a Family Leader - Texas Family Voices Network -
Advocacy 101 - Kentucky Youth Advocates -
Shatterproof Advocacy Toolkit -
Take Action on Policy Issues - NAMI