FIGHTING FOR CHANGE: Make Your Voice Heard With Your Elected Officials

1. FIGHTING FOR CHANGE:Make Your Voice Heard With Your Elected Officials April Sexual Assault Awareness Month Webinar March 30, 2017

2. Today’s Presenters • Kiersten Stewart • Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Futures Without Violence • Rebecca Levenson • Adult Ally & Consultant, Futures Without Violence

3. Agenda for Webinar • 1. Policy Advocacy 101 – Kiersten Stewart • Basics of Advocacy • How to Prep for a Meeting • How to organize your information • Specifics for advocacy with Federal Elected officials • 2. Advocacy at the Local Level – Rebecca Levenson • Supporting Youth Advocates • Being effective at the grassroots level

4. Agenda for this Presentation • Understanding core components of policy advocacy • Understanding value of doing policy advocacy • How to be most effective when meeting with policymakers • What’s at Stake… policy and programs at risk

5. Policy Advocacy 101 • What is Policy Advocacy: Attempt to influence, policies, regulations, laws, funding sources, actions of key government/ policymakers • What Are the Key Elements: • Direct lobbying/education of officials • Media/communications • Grassroots Organizing • Lawsuits • Research (not traditional element but can help set agenda for policymakers) • Why Do it: It works and the other side is doing it

6. Perceived Challenges in Doing Advocacy • It takes time • It may take resources (not as much as you think though) • Fear that you don’t know enough • Worries about what is “lobbying” and is it OK • Questions as to whether it makes a difference • I’m shy or confronting politicians isn’t my thing

7. What makes for good advocacy • Need a specific ask • Needs to be targeted to person/entity that has the power to fix it • Need to bring in allies, key influencers or large groups – know your audience • Need to have evidence/example about the problem but also the solution • Need a good story to make it real

8. Meeting with Policymakers • Members of Congress (Recess is April 10-21) • Representatives • Senators • Role of Staff • Federal Agency officials • White House • State & Local officials, elected and appointed • *** Helps to understand different roles

9. Preparing for Your Meeting • Make an Appointment, call your closest local office, and follow up, usually via email. Info is in the phone book or online, http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/. • Prepare Your Information • Create a 1-pager that you can leave behind or even just jot down a few notes • Bring Friends & Allies

10. Information you Need…1-pager • Background on the issue, 2-4 sentences • One or two examples and/or • Statistics, one or two that are relevant • Clear Statement of the Problem • Clear Ask that Solves the Problem (Remember it’s their job to make you happy, so they usually want to do the thing you want them to do) • Information to contact you to follow up

11. Meeting with Lawmakers- Day Of • Be on time • Don’t be surprised to meet with staff – they matter • Know your 1-pager, a few key facts and a good real-life story • Don’t worry if you don’t know everything

12. Step by Step for Your Meetings • Introduce yourself, including where you are from and who you represent in the state/district • State clearly why you are there and what you want to discuss • Describe how this issue affects students in state/district • Describe your concern and your solution. • Ask them their opinion, position • Say Thank You and Follow-up

13. The Issues… • Title IX Enforcement - schools are required to prevent and respond to harassment and abuse, many don’t know that or don’t do • Funding for K-12 Prevention and Services • Violence Against Women Act (DOJ) • Rape Prevention and Education Program (CDC) • Every Student Succeeds Act, Title IV, Part A (Department of Education)

14. Talking Points… • Sexual assault has received attention lately but mostly around college campuses. That is important, but many younger teens also experience it. K-12 schools need to be better prepared to respond to sexual violence and harassment, even if it happens outside of school or online. • We also shouldn’t wait until violence has happened. Middle and High School are important times for preventing violence and harassment, and teaching young people about healthy relationships. It’s when they are forming their ideas of what’s right and wrong.

15. Talking Points Cont. • The federal government has an important role in (helping parents) protect young people from sexual assault and ensuring that if they are hurt that they get the necessary help. • First, the Department of Education must continue to enforce Title IX, which requires schools to have policies and personnel in place to help create a safe education environment for students, including one that is free from sexual violence and harassment.

16. Talking Points Cont… • Second, there are several programs that provide funds to victims as well as schools and non-profits that are working to prevent sexual violence and help victims heal and continue to learn. • The new Administration is threatening to cut those programs. I would like you to support funding for those programs, specifically: • The Violence Against Women Act • The Rape Prevention and Education Program, and • Title IV, Part A of ESSA

17. After Your Meeting… • Send thank you and reiterate your ask • Send any additional information you promised • Invite staffer/member to come see your school/program Invite media to events • Write nice letter to the editor, Facebook post on Member’s site/Tweet photo and thanks

18. Let us know how it goes… • Please let us know how it went • Questions?

19. Sexual Harassment/Violence, Title IX and How To Keep Students Safe Lessons Learned: Berkeley Unified School District 2014-2017

20. So is this really a problem at BHS?

21. 48% The percent of high school and middle school students who experience sexual harassment, according to the American Association of University Women.

22. Through Public Records Act requests, Equal Rights Advocates asked 116 California K-12 school districts for documentsthat evidenced or described the schools’ efforts to comply with Title IX Only 28% of the district policies reviewed contained specific protections for student victims of sexual violence. http://www.equalrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/era-title-ix-report.pdf

23. Sexual harassment happens on a daily basis at school. But until we all learn about sexual harassment, we don’teven know what to call it. It’s just life.” ~Rachel, Berkeley High School“ OTHER RESPONSES FROM PRINCIPALS WERE: • I’m not sure who you would need to talk to. • I have no idea who it is. Try labor relations, they should know. • I have no Idea what Title IX is, sorry. • I need to know who I am talking to before I send that information. • We don’t have a coordinator.

24. Berkeley Unified SchoolsWe were shocked by the lack of response on the part of the School Board and Administration at every level. As a result as a lack of their system wide responses to Title IX cases and grievances, an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) case was opened against BUSD in 2014—findings are pending

25. Running Wall of Truth Capitalize on a moment! During Assemblies Addressing 3,500 students: BUSD’s Dean of Students Equates What Girls Wear to Asking for Sexual Harassment

26. Quick Facts Berkeley High Stop Harassing (BHS STOP) Grassroots Org with Two Parent Advisors Go FUND Me Page/Credit Cards Student Announcements/ Student News Paper Covers Story Swag/Branding Matters

27. 1. When was your sexual harassment policy last updated? Prevention focused? 2. Do you have a title ix coordiator in name only? Do they know how to safety plan? What happens with retailiation 3. Administrative regulations –are students informed about difference between report and complaint? We made the silly assumption that we actually had a Title IX Coordinator because it said so in the student handbook.

28. Perpetration Happens with Staff and Faculty too… 9.6% of students are targets of Educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career.

29. 4. Training for faculty, staff and students—is it effective and robust? Measurement matters!!!!!5. What Are your school stats on sexual harassment/harm/Insist on Surveys: CDC Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS)6. Interventions for perpetration there is the Law, ED Code and Title IX—but is it accomplishing what you want? Restorative Impact Justice: Expertise in Sexual Harm Cases and Restorative Justice http://impactjustice.org

30. 7. Help survivors tell their stories at School Board Meetings 8.Write Op Ed/develop relationship with local papers/ Make a Website8. Join school committees on safety, harassment, bullying 9. School Board/Administration and Teachers matter (Expose the problems)10. Athletes prevention/perpetration problem and prevention East Bay Media Center has donated space for Free for 2.5 years to BHS Stop Harassing. We learned about their advocacy hearts and work through Todd Kerr, Owner Berkeley Times

32. Audrie & Daisy You can help survivors by showing this film in your community: Tori’s story

33. Buttons and Pins Swag matters!!

35. Evidenced Based Intervention Works!Live the Green Dot www.livethegreendot.com CDC Funded study shows a 50% reduction in sexual violence perpetration in high schools implimenting Green Dot

36. Accomplishments:Increased awareness about students rights under Title IXTitle IX Coordinator hiredTraining for staff and studentsSexual harassement/ Harm survey AdministeredGreen Dot Training and Adoption With on going advocacy and exposures of noncompliant, harmful practices through student community advocacy

37. Safety Card for High School Students

39. Website: stopharassing.com Email: bhsstopharassing@gmail.com Instagram: @bhsstopharassing rebecca@rebeccalevenson.com Contact us!