Global Weekly Update June 16, 2014

The RESULTS International Conference: It's Here!

Advocates from all over the world will converge on Washington, DC, this weekend, and many others around the country will be booking August congressional recess meetings, participating in conference Lobby Day by phone, tweeting . . . it'll be an incredible time of action and change June 21-24.

1. Get on the Right Track. Saturday morning of the conference will feature a couple of great intensives or "tracks," specifically a track on leadership and a track on media skills, in addition to the track attended by our REAL Change fellows. Join us for some great in-depth training and inspiration!

2. Do you Tweet? Follow and be part of the conference conversation through our hashtag #RESULTSconf and Twitter handle @RESULTS_Tweets.

3. Learn about the REAL Change Fellows. The REAL Change Organizing and Advocacy Fellowship grew out of our REAL Change Scholarship program. The program brought a lot of excited new faces to the International Conference, but as it grew, it struggled to provide adequate support to participants once they went home. REAL Changers also bonded during the conference and wanted to keep building their community of young activists. We have come up with a yearlong fellowship program that begins with conference, but then supports, trains, and holds Fellows accountable for the year to come. Read more about it on our blog!

3. Preparation Checklist. Want to get ready for the conference? Or can't attend this year but want to be part of the action from home? This checklist is what you need! Be sure to contact us if you have any questions.

4. Lobby Day Meetings on Tuesday, June 24. Only a few days left to book your meetings! It's going to be a powerful day as we descend on the Hill to make our case for the end of extreme poverty. Get in touch with Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, for assistance with your Lobby Day bookings. And check out our best advice on securing a meeting. Can't attend the conference this year? Why not secure a face-to-face during August recess or make plans to dial via conference call into meetings being held by your fellow advocates on Tuesday, June 24?

IMPORTANT: Then, don't forget to report your meeting bookings and confirm them between now and Tuesday. Let us know the details of your meeting(s) in our online form. 

5. Lobby Day Prep. Review, print, and bring to the conference the Legislative Handbook, a great primer on our issues. (It's a super read even if you won't be at the conference.) And check out your legislators' recent voting history by taking a look at the 113th Congressional Scorecard. Have questions? Lots of guidance will be offered at the conference; feel free to ask questions!

6. Lobby Day Reception. Here is a sample invitation template for the June 24 evening reception. Invite your members of Congress as soon as possible!

7. Ask a Speaker! Do you have a question you'd like to submit to one of our main conference speakers? Submit your question online by noon on Saturday, June 21!

8. Agenda. Check out agenda updates online. 

Follow Up with Your Editor: The U.S. Must Support the Global Fund for Education

Thanks to you, at least 15 editorials, 13 op-eds, 60 letters to the editor, seven features, and five radio spots on the Global Partnership for Education have appeared in the run-up to the June 26 pledging conference in Brussels. Just a few days to go! Many of you have laid great groundwork by reaching out to your editors and writers, but nothing has materialized yet. Now is the moment to seize on that relationship-building and make your clear request for media coverage one more time. Here are some options:

• Use the June Action Sheet to Write a Letter to the Editor and Engage Others to Write, Too. Use the June Action sheet to write a letter to the editor. There are almost unlimited writing hooks in papers on education: Malala Yousafzai, the Nigeria crisis, teacher salaries, Common Core, charter schools, education budgets, etc. 
• Create an Op-ed. Channel your passion on this issue into an op-ed that you write alone or with a community leader or educator. Use our editorial packet and June Action sheet as resources.
• Pitch an Editorial. Contact the editor of a newspaper and ask them to write an editorial on the current crisis in education and the opportunity we have to right things on June 26 at the pledging conference for the Global Partnership for Education. Use our media toolkit to prepare for and make your pitch. 

Check out our blog for inspiration, as it features YOUR media. 

Preview of our 2014 Child Vaccines Campaign

Check out the recording of the recent webinar on our upcoming campaign to support the GAVI Alliance (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), led by Crickett Nicovich, Senior Policy Associate, and Alison Root from the staff of ACTION. This great preview will help you be ready for our pivot to this campaign later this summer.

A Speedy Way to Fundraise! 

Everyone is invited to be part of our 2nd Annual Everyday Hero Virtual Dash. This a virtual event to raise money to support you and invite others to be heroes with us. It's a fun run or walk that you literally can do anywhere: your neighborhood, a track, even a treadmill. If you are coming the International Conference, join us THIS WEEK, on June 21, at the DoubleTree Hilton in Crystal City at 7 pm, and we'll head out together (some of us in superhero costume) for a 1 mile or 5K run/walk. 

It's easy to participate!

• Register on our website for just $25.
• Choose a date between now and June 30.
• Walk. run, or even bike a distance meaningful to you: one mile, a 5K, 10 miles . . . 
• We'll mail you our 2nd Annual "Everyday Heroes Medal" This year's is blue, so it’s different from last year's if you’re building a collection! If you are onsite for the run/walk, you will receive your medal at the International conference.

Perhaps gather a group of friends to walk/run together and make it a fundraising event or set up your own personal fundraising page and ask friends and family to donate online in support of your challenge! (Plus, remember that the RESULTS Race to End Poverty​ site is for volunteers who are doing physical challenges like running, swimming, or biking and is always available to you.)

"A good education empowers individuals, contributes to greater economic growth, produces healthier populations, and builds more stable societies."

– John Hosek, Cleveland Plain Dealer; May 27, 2014

1. Next Congressional Recesses: House and Senate: June 30 – July 4, August 4 – September 5. Request face-to-face meetings.

2. June 21-24. 2014 RESULTS International Conference in Washington, D.C.

3. June 27, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.

4. July 9, 9 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.

5. July 12, 2 pm ET. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Campaigns. Join the call at (888) 409-6709. We will be joined by our fellow advocates who work on U.S. poverty campaigns!

6. July 21, 8 pm ET. RESULTS Free Agents Call for Global Poverty Advocates. Dial (218) 486-1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS). Are you a RESULTS activist with our global poverty campaigns, living in a town with no RESULTS group? You are alone no more! Contact Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, for more information on this monthly group call.

7. July 22, 8 pm ET. Monthly Media Support Call. Dial (712) 775-7300, passcode 954747. Get great tips, encouragement, and support from fellow advocates so that you can achieve powerful, effective media work.