On February 25, 1,000+ anti-hunger activists will come to Washington, D.C., ready to share strategies and to take the fight against hunger to Capitol Hill. Before meeting Members of Congress, there will be two days full of “can’t miss” networking opportunities, content-rich sessions, and interactive training. The full agenda is now live.
Here are just a few of the many opportunities attendees will have to share information, build their skills and grow in their advocacy.
Nuts and Bolts of Engaging Experts in Lived Experience of Hunger and Poverty in Your Advocacy
Engaging advocates with lived experience enriches our advocacy efforts on so many levels. Come hear the “how” on ways your organization can more effectively partner with advocates with lived experience in anti-hunger advocacy in your communities. In this session, advocates and staff from Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier will walk you through the steps they took as they began their successful advocacy programs, roadblocks they have overcome, and keys to success in engaging client advocates. You will also hear why advocates got involved in advocacy and what they have learned through the process.
Pressures on People Experiencing Poverty: How to Alleviate the Root Causes of Hunger
Alleviating the root causes of poverty and other inequities is essential to ending hunger in the U.S. During this session, you will learn from experts in the wage equity, housing, and criminal justice fields on how each of these issues intersects with hunger and poverty, and what you can do in your communities to alleviate these pressures on people experiencing poverty.
Spotlight Session: Legislative Threats to Anti-Poverty Programs
This plenary session will focus on legislative threats to SNAP and other nutrition programs. It will emphasize strategies for strengthening the federal safety net, alleviating poverty, addressing issues of economic exclusion, and defeating bad proposals, especially in the current political climate. Featured speakers and panelists will include Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA); Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Denise Forte, Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation; and Eric Rodriguez, Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation, UnidosUS.
Taking it to the Streets: Applying Best Practices for Grassroots/Citizen Advocacy and Mobilization
They jammed the phones. They took over the halls of Congress. They showed up — and made their voices heard — at town halls and events across the country. During the recent fight on the future of the Affordable Care Act, grassroots and citizen advocates played a pivotal role in preserving the law. How did they do it? What lessons can anti-hunger advocates apply to our future fights? Find out from the key organizations — MoveOn.org, Indivisible, and Little Lobbyists — about the best strategies and tools they used to educate, engage, and mobilize their grassroots supporters. The organizations will discuss how they kept their advocates motivated and energized in a challenging legislative landscape. Discussions include coordinating on-the-ground efforts and creating a massive groundswell of support to advance our anti-hunger and anti-poverty agendas.
