Global Weekly Update August 15, 2011
Top Action: Ask Your Rep. to Cosponsor the Education for All Act
If we can generate 100 cosponsors on the bipartisan Education for All Act of 2011 (EFA Act, HR 2705) by October 1, we know it will have a powerful impact on the administration, and hopefully push the Presiden into action on global education. Support for the EFA Act of 2011 will let President Obama and his staff know that Congress wants them to form an effective U.S. global education policy to put all kids in school. It will also let them know that Congress and the people support investing our global education dollars into the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI). Education changes the world for all of us, making us more secure, prosperous, and healthy. Please take action.
Ask your member of Congress to cosponsor the bipartisan Education for All Act of 2011. The best way to assure your Rep. cosponsors is a three-pronged approach including:
- Making the request directly to the Representative at district or town hall meeting. August is a good time for a meeting as Congress is in recess.
- Making sure at least one person is making the request to the foreign policy aide. Our EFA Call Alert and/or EFA Laser Talk are handy for that.
- Contacting the Representative’s office via email or phone using our action alerts.
Every email, call, letter, face-to-face encounter matters. Please take one or more of the above actions. We provide lots of guidance to those who want to act. Please contact a Group Leader, Regional Coordinator, or staff member to guide you if you need assistance.
What Can You Do to Create Media Buzz on EFA?
From August through October we want to generate the political will to move the president and his administration to make a 3-year pledge totaling $375 million to the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI) at the November 6–8 pledging conference. In addition to generating cosponsors on the Education for All Act of 2011, we want to generate editorials, opeds, letters to the editor, radio and other kinds of media. Here’s what you can do:
- If you want to write an op-ed or pitch an editorial, join us for this skill-sharing call on Wednesday August 17 at 9:00 pm ET. Call 712 432-3100, passcode 761262.
- If you want to write a letter to the letter, use our LTE Action Alert writing tool. It gives you something you can easily edit and turn into a letter to the editor. It even gives you the names and contact information of your local papers. It’s very easy to use. Give it a try.
- To learn more about Education for All and FTI, use our on-line resources.
Ask Your Reps. to Cosponsor the House Microfinance Bill
Have you asked your reps. to cosponsor the Microenterprise Empowerment and Job Creation Act of 2011 (H.R. 2524)? Ninty-seven (97) representatives signed the House microfinance letter to USAID, but only 5 are on the bill so far (Honda, Schakowski, Stark, Lofgren, Rush — go CA and IL!). The bill reauthorizes previous microenterprise legislation (PL 108-484) and provides means and incentives for USAID to direct substantially more microenterprise resources to the very poor.
Take action today! Ask your representatives to cosponsor the bill!
- Make a phone call to your representative’s office using our action alert.
- Read this action sheet on the bill — it has great facts about microfinance & the bill and will guide you in writing a letter.
- Our bill fact sheet summarizes the bill, and you can share it with your rep.’s office.
- Visit our microfinance page of the website, under “Take Action,” for more resources and updates on the bill.
Expanding RESULTS Takes a Team Effort
We want to expand RESULTS to all 50 states and two-thirds of congressional districts by 2015. We need contacts in order to do that. If we all take some time who think about the kind of connections we have around the U.S,, one thing will lead to another, and we&rsqul;ll find people ready to become powerful. Below is where we are concentrating our energy now. Who do you know? Contact Ken Patterson or Lisa Marchal with any ideas.
- Fort Worth and San Antonio, Texas
- St. Louis, Missouri and Nashville, Tennessee
- Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island
Educated societies are healthier and more stable societies. Helping provide the resources and leadership to ensure all children have access to education is among the wisest investments we can make to promote security around the world.
— statement by Rep. Nita Lowey on the introduction of the Education for All Act of 2011
August 8–September 5: Congressional recess (a great time for a face-to-face meeting with your legislator back in your district)
August 17: Education for All Media Grassroots Skillshare. 9:00 pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Interested in writing an op-ed or getting an editorial published on our Education for All campaign for your local paper? Call in to swap best practices, get new ideas, and get a coach.
August 30: RESULTS Introductory Call. 9:00 pm ET. Register today!
August 31: Training Call on Developing Advocacy Partnerships. 9:00 pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Join in this call to examine ways you can partner with others in your community who have a commitment to our issues and might be interested in working collaboratively with you and your group.
September 10: Global Conference Call: Focus on Education for All. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709
October 8: Global Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709