Engaging in Advocacy to Improve Conditions for Families

You see firsthand how families experience stress and adversity in your community. What if decisionmakers understood these challenges and the role they could play in addressing them?

Join Iowa ACEs 360 for an interactive presentation on how the community, specifically nonprofits, can engage elected officials and decisionmakers. The training will provide detailed descriptions of the differences between educating, advocating, and lobbying with specific examples of what activities you could participate in at each level. You’ll leave with a better understanding of advocacy opportunities and how to get involved.

Why get involved in advocacy?

Community partners play a key role in educating and informing decisionmakers—connecting them with information, stories, and data about their constituents and the services and supports offered in their districts. These conversations help leaders understand current conditions and how their decisions could remove barriers and create pathways for families to thrive.

This is where you come in! Now, more than ever, we need your leadership and advocacy to help focus policymakers’ attention on family and child well-being. All organizations, whether public or private, can be involved in educating lawmakers, with nonprofits having additional advocacy and lobbying options. When we work together to elevate this conversation, we can ensure families have opportunities to be healthy and well and make choices that foster their children’s learning and development—reducing the likelihood of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).