Participate!

Participate

This is a chance for you to magnify your voice with a network of others all across the nation. In concert we make a bigger impact and build on the buzz we started last month at the national conference in Washington.

Be creative, have fun!

Piece of the Pie Photos from the Past

Minnesota group at 2005 Peace of the Pie gathering.

Group visiting Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's office in TX. in 2006

* Mother's Day was in part inspired by Julia Ward Howe, who nursed the wounded during the American Civil War, and also wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic. In 1870 she started a crusade to institute a Mother's Day as a Day for Peace. Click here to read her Mother's Day proclamation.

More on the Youth PROMISE Act

The Youth PROMISE Act, introduced into the U.S. House by Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE) and in the Senate by Robert Casey (D-PA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), implements the best policy recommendations from crime policy makers, researchers, practitioners, analysts, and law enforcement officials from across the political spectrum concerning evidence and research-based strategies to reduce gang violence and crime. The Youth PROMISE Act is a bold plan for addressing youth violence in all sectors of society by delivering funding to programs on the ground effectively doing the work of youth violence prevention.

• The legislation calls for hundreds of millions of dollars to fund prevention programs, which could include many of the organizations we have worked with and promoted over the years, including Tariq Khamisa Foundation, Barrios Unidos, Challenge Day, our friends doing restorative justice work, NVC training and so many others.

• Under the Act, communities facing the greatest youth gang and crime challenges will each form a local council called a Promise Coordinating Council ("PCC") which will:
  
  
  • Include representatives from law enforcement, court services, schools, social service organizations, health and mental health providers and community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations.
    
    
  • Develop a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies that target young people at risk for gang involvement in addition to those who have already become a part of the cycle of violence in an effort to empower them toward productive and law-abiding alternatives.

• This legislation is the first step toward building a metrically driven culture of violence prevention and reduction. It builds local structures for decision making and oversight that must document measurable impact in the communities. Through this legislation we will finally see a set of best practices translated from the field in an institutionalized manner that will allow for effective replication around the country.

• This will save lives AND money.

For more information on the legislation, please check out the material provided by the sponsor's office.

Tips and Guidelines

Tips and Guidelines

To start off, it is a good idea to identify one or two others who willwork with you to help organize around the actions below. Meet to create a timeline for actions and to break out responsibilities. We highly encourage you to review all the information below.

Sign up to organize activities in your area! Check with your Congressional District Team Leader (CDTL) to see if a meeting is already scheduled, or check our list of events. If you don’t have an active CDTL, sign up to organize a meeting in your district.

CONGRESSIONAL VISITS

SCHEDULE THE MEETING

• It is best to set up an actual meeting, but if all else fails, just drop by and leave your materials and pies. Even for a drop-in, it’s a good idea to call ahead and let them know you are coming. For tips on setting up a meeting with an aide or your member of Congress, click here.
  
  
• If May 8 won’t work for your meeting date, schedule a meeting the week before or after. Although it’s most powerful when we show up as a coordinated national campaign, the most important thing is that the meeting happens!
  
  
• If you have multiple districts in your area, team up with people from other districts to create a regional strategy. Consider which Representative is closest to co-sponsoring the bill and focus on getting a lot of people to that office.

• The Peace Alliance has confirmed with the House Standards of Official (Ethics) Conduct Committee that food items of nominal value provided by organizations that do not retain registered lobbyists, such as ours, are within the bounds of acceptable gifts.  A few offices in the past have had concern.  You can download an ethics committee letter here.

OVERARCHING MEETING GOAL

Remember, the unique nature of this action (bringing pies) will help make your visit memorable and personal. (If you can, plan to actually eat pie with the office members and enjoy your visiting time, as well as getting down to business.)

• As always, we strive first to connect, not to convince. Your goal is to engage your Congressional representative or staff in a dialogue around our common goal of a less violent, more peaceful world. This means that regardless of their position on Iraq, youth violence, military spending, Iran, intimate partner violence, etc., our campaign is relevant to them.
• It’s important to read their website in advance to find common goals and values so you can connect with them. The dream of peace is in all of us at every moment.
  
• Clarify with your team that no matter what your MOC or their staff says, stay connected to this truth: Everyone is your ally and partner.  We are all engaging in the same inquiry, “How can we reduce violence?”

PREP BEFORE MEETING

Members of your team should establish goals, speaking parts and a timeline.

• Each speaker should focus on one area of the bill and spend no more than two minutes. This will allow everyone to participate.
  
• Each person should rehearse with another one or two people to get coaching on their presentation. 
  
• Appoint one person as host of the meeting to keep everyone on track. 
  
• Plan on making your case in fifteen minutes max. If you have met with this staffer or Member before, or if your member is already a co-sponsor of the Dept. of Peace, we recommend you spend most of your time on Youth PROMISE Act.

CREATE A BROAD COALITION OF SUPPORT FOR MEETING

Invite friends and family of course, but also be creative about getting people behind this initiative.  Your challenge is getting others to come with you to deliver pies, and speak up on behalfof citizens all over this country.

• Bring community leaders – police and justice department staff, church leaders, heads of organizations, fire department chiefs and staff, domestic violence shelter directors, youth job training programs etc. -- are particularly good allies to bring to these meetings, although any voter in the district is important. Assign members of your team to outreach to local members from some of these groups.
• Particualrly with the Youth PROMISE Act (YPA), reach out to other community groups that are already endorsing the legislation to invite them.  Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is one YPA endorsing organization that has numerous state offices and local contacts you can contact to invite to attend the meeting.  (Make sure you interview your invitee on their DoP stance, if any.  If they are not a supporter or not sure, ask them to only speak up when discussing YPA.)
• And don’t forget to bring young people! College and high school youth have proven to be some of our most powerful spokespeople. Even the littlest child (along with pictures they've made that convey their message of peace!) can have a BIG impact.
• Can’t attend a meeting? There will be plenty of people in your area who support the legislation who won’t make it to the actual meeting. Have them (and you) follow up with lots of phone calls and faxes to their Representative’s office. Collect postcards and letters from them to take with you.

Bringing in abroad coalition of people will help to get the attention of yourmembers of Congress, make your position (and the bill's) more credible,and make it a more appealing story for the media to cover (media tipsbelow).

DURING THE MEETING:

Be prepared with FAQ documents in hand to respond to their concerns. But it’s always best to be brief and passionate andengage them.

• Be sure to begin each meeting by thanking the member or staff for meeting with you and thank them for something the member has done you agreed with. (This is also important to let the office know that you are following them and will set a positive tone.)
• Tell them you have prepared a short presentation.
• Introduce yourselves VERY briefly. (Name, city of residence, occupation is enough. Make yourselves real and open. Saying, “I am a teacher and mother of a ten-month-old baby,” is a good opening, so is “I’m a truck driver and grandpa,” etc.)
  
• At the end of the meeting, ask for his or her support for each bill. Review the “request” list below, and ask them for their own ideas as well.
  
• Ask them what they would be willing to do to help you. Be specific. “Would you review this with your boss, and ask them if they will speak at a public event in [Hometown USA]? When should I check back with you on this?” Feel free to use the “Talking Points ” and “Frequently Asked Questions” documents, along with the bills and the summaries itself. These will provide you with valuable materials to share with your MOC.
  
  
  

SAMPLE MEETING OUTLINE:

1. Thank you/ Introductions - 5-6 minutes.
   1. Thank them for the meeting, and if possible something the Member of Congress has done that you appreciate. 
      
   2. Ask a question that will allow the Member/aide to introduce themselves more fully to you: (Helps establish a real connection).             
      1. e.g., what brought you to Congress? What was your vision for entering politics?
         
         
         
2. Introduction to the Legislation 2-3 minutes
   1. (Basic background/ overview of the purpose of the bill.  See “Key Highlights ”)
      
      
      
3. Domestic - 2-3 minutes
   1. (Use talking points along with some facts from our “Statistics on Violence ” and examples of programs that make a difference.)
      
      
      
4. International – 2-3 minutes
   1. (Use Key Highlights along with some facts from our “Statistics on Violence.” Talk about training our troops to de-escalate violence.)
      
      
      
5. Requests
   1. Become a co-sponsor of the Dept. of Peace legislation and/or Youth Promise Act?
   2. What else do you or your staff think you could do to help us get the legislation enacted?
   3. Ask them to contact the key committee chair of the Committee's to request a hearing, and for passing this on to the floor for a vote.
   4. Committees are: 
      House Oversight and Government Reform--Chm Edolphus Towns (DEM-NY-10th),
      Ranking Member Darrell E. Issa (REP-CA-49th) 
      House Foreign Affairs--Chm Howard L. Berman (DEM-CA-28th); Ranking Member
      Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (REP-FL-18th) 
      House Judiciary--Chm John Conyers (DEM-MI-14th) Ranking Member Lamar S.
      Smith (REP-TX-21st) 
      House Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and
      Secondary Education--Chm Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), Ranking member Michael N.
      Castle (R-DE). Overall committee Chm George Miller (DEM-CA-7th), Ranking
      Member Howard P. McKeon (REP-CA-25th)
   5. Write a letter to your colleagues? To the committee chairs that the bill has been referred to?
   6. Speak at a public event within the district?
   7. Write an op-ed for local newspaper, offer to draft something for them?
   8. Ask them to speak at a public event, or appear on a radio show about the bill with one of the local team.
      
      
      
6. Close
   1. Set up necessary follow-up with contact info and expected response times.
   2. If they agree to co-sponsor Youth Promise Act, ask them to contact Rep. Bobby Scott’s office (D-VA).  If Dept. of Peace, ask them to contact Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH).
   3. Thank them for their time and attention.

Rep. already a cosponsor?
It's vital that you still go and say THANK YOU! Co-sponsorship is just the first step in supporting the legislation. We need their help not only in building support, but in refining our legislative strategy. If your Rep. is a co-sponsor of either The Youth Promise Act or the Dept. of Peace but not the other, spend the time building the connection between the two bills, how they relate.  Work to highlight why they might support both.  In general, ask them about:

• Other Representatives they would be willing to talk to about coming on as a co-sponsor
• Publicly supporting the bill in an op-ed for the local paper, a public speaking event, a publication to their constituents, or a news story
• Writing a "dear colleague" letter to their colleagues inviting them to also co-sponsor
• Gaining bi-partisan support. Is there a Republican Representative they would be willing to talk to? What Republican in your state is the most likely to cosponsor?
• Other ideas about advancing the legislation

FOLLOW UP

Follow up is KEY to success. You must follow up promptly and cheerfully. Be persistent at each task and thank them for every bit of effort they invest in helping you, even just reading the bill.

Attend local Town Hall meetings that your representative holds throughout the year to raise the subject of the Department of Peace, The Youth PROMISE Act and the extraordinary difference violence prevention programs can make.

Send a handwritten thank you note to the Congress member or staff you met with.

Send a letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, thanking your Rep for co-sponsoring either or both bills. MOC appreciate public praise for what they have done and rarely get it.

MEDIA

Press releases and media materials are coming soon!

AFTER THE ACTION…

1. Special note: Please take digital photos of all activities to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !  We will post selected photos on our website.  If you will load all you photos to a photo sharing site like Picasa send us the link, we will post one photo and link to your gallery. 
   
   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
2. Report Your Meeting: Support your CDTL or Meeting Coordinator in reporting your meeting.
   
   
3. Celebrate! You actively and powerfully engaged in the democratic process on behalf of PEACE!

Materials

Materials

Print out and put your documents in a folder, preferably with a campaign logo on the front (download logo sheet campaign_labels 1.74 Mb -- these can be printed on standard Avery 2x4 labels), and include a typed introductory letter from you with your local contact information. If you have a color brochure, include that as well. And feel free to add any other “local” materials, including local press clippings if you have them.

Remember: you’re the expert as to what will be meaningful with your member of Congress! For example, some of our organizational endorsers might resonate with a Democrat more than a Republican. If you feel any of these materials will not inspire your member, don’t include them—or replace them with something that will.

Dept. of Peace:

• HR 808, the bill to establish a U.S. Department of Peace 138.30 Kb
• List of Congressional Co-sponsors  157.75 Kb
  
• List of organizational endorsers 124.39 Kb
• List of city and local government bodies endorsing 116.19 Kb
• Pie Chart Handout 50.91 Kb
• Economic Costs of Violence 172.72 Kb

Optional Extras:

• Defense Secretary Robert Gates Speech, Kansas, Nov 2007 136.24 Kb
• Editorial by Alex Miller, VailTrail 64.47 Kb
• Op Ed by Marianne Williamson, The Boston Globe 69.85 Kb
• Column by Al Martinez, Los Angeles Times 75.99 Kb
• Ethics Statement letting members know it's OK according to House rules to accept the pies 50.46 Kb

Youth Promise Act:

• YPA Bill Summary 93.25 Kb
• Rep. Scott Press Release Announcement and Overview 41.98 Kb
• YPA Bill Text - House Version 178.03 Kb
• YPA Bill Text - Senate Version 175.52 Kb
• YPA House Co-sponsors 90.75 Kb
• YPA Organizational Endorsements 86.97 Kb
• YPA Seattle Times Op-ed 37.32 Kb
• YPA NYT Editorial on Youth and Gangs 24.07 Kb

Using the Peace of the Pie Pie Chart and/or Handout will help you show your member and their staff the tiny portion of the budget we need to make a world of difference.