RESULTS Weekly Update August 23, 2022

Quote of the Week

“Bolstering global education is critical given the toll COVID-19 has taken on accessing quality education in low-income settings.”

– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Amy Morros an August 19 letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Table of Contents

• Make the most of the August recess by pushing the CTC
• Seek Senate co-sponsors for the READ Act
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Make the most of the August recess by pushing the CTC

RESULTS’ number one domestic priority this year has been the reinstating the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC). Why let millions of children live in poverty when they don’t have to? Why force families to choose between food and health care when they don’t have to? Why push families to quit working because they can’t afford childcare, when they don’t have to? The 2021 expanded CTC helped tens of millions of families avoid these harsh choices. Congress must bring it back.

Congress is on recess for the next two weeks. When they return in September, negotiations on an end-of-year tax package are likely to ramp up. If we want an extension of the expanded CTC with monthly payments in that package, we must push for it now when lawmakers are early in their negotiations. Plus, advocacy during election season will put additional pressure on them (and their election opponents) to get behind the CTC.

TAKE ACTION: While members of Congress are back home the next two weeks, use these proven advocacy techniques to urge them to expand the CTC in 2022. See our Fall 2022 Campaign Resources page for materials to help you.

• ·Ask a question at August events. Congressional and candidate town halls are an important way to build support for the CTC, while also educating the public about the issue. Find local events by calling local congressional/campaign offices and visiting https://townhallproject.com. The August 2022 U.S. Poverty Action and our new laser talks which are tailored for different audiences will help you with questions.
• Submit a letter to the editor on the CTC. Also, getting local media is another excellent way to build support for the CTC. Use Our letter to the editor action to submit a letter today. Remember to always personalize your letter.
• E-mail your members of Congress. Use our online action alert to tell your representatives and senators to expand the Child Tax Credit in tax legislation this year.
• Invite others to participate. Another way to create success is by inviting others, especially new people, to join in your advocacy actions. The more people learning and taking action, the closer we get to reinstating the CTC. If you are in contact with new (and potential) volunteers, invite them to join you in the above activities.

Seek Senate co-sponsors for the READ Act

The fun of new school supplies. The curiosity of young minds. The school year has begun for many – but not for all. Global education is in crisis, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, school closures continue to disrupt the education of more than 616 million students. But the READ Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 can help improve opportunities for students worldwide. This five-year reauthorization bill is designed to build on the tremendous success of the original READ Act of 2017. The original legislation propelled USAID toward a new strategy focused on expanding equitable access to education. We need to build on this success.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senate offices in particular to urge them to co-sponsor the READ Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. Track the progress of this and other bills and check to see if your members of Congress have signed on. Use the August Global Poverty Action Sheet for guidance on getting READ Act co-sponsors in the Senate. Use our online action alert to contact members of Congress directly. You can find additional resources in our Fall 2022 Campaign Resources page.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Media hooks of the week. To help you in your media advocacy, here are suggested media “hooks” this week to use in letters to the editor:

• U.S. Poverty: President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law last week. Use continued stories about the IRA to remind your members of Congress another important way to help families with higher costs is by expanding the Child Tax Credit.
• Global Poverty: Back-to-school is a perfect hook for a letter to the editor focused on the READ Act and the need to support global education. Use this unique annual hook to write a personalized letter. What does it mean if children don’t get access to the basic education they deserve?

The End TB Now Act needs co-sponsors. The vast majority of TB cases are curable, but in resource-poor areas, treatment often comes too late. We now have powerful bipartisan global TB legislation pending in both the House (H.R. 8654) and the Senate (S. 3386). The End TB Now Act would direct USAID to set bold targets to reach and treat all forms of TB in the most vulnerable populations. We need co-sponsorships to get it to the floor in both chambers. We need to jumpstart the pace. Use our online action alert to ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the End TB Now Act. Also see our background memo and laser talk about the bill on our Fall 2022 Campaign Resources page.

Listen to the August Policy Forum recordings. If you missed our August U.S. Poverty and Global Poverty Policy Forums last week, have no fear. You can listen to recordings of RESULTS’ Michael Santos overviewing our new housing campaign for a renter’ tax credit and RESULTS’ Crickett Nicovich providing a detailed roadmap of our global education, malnutrition, and TB campaigns this fall.

Announcements

Two more weeks to look for events in your area. Use August town halls and other events to ask lawmakers and candidates about our campaign priorities. Find events by checking your newspaper, calling lawmaker and candidate offices, and visiting https://townhallproject.com. See our Fall 2022 Campaign Resources page for sample questions, the recording from our recent “birddogging” training, and other resources.

Join Saturday’s “Building Resilience in Challenging Times” training. Join Dr. Josiane Bonté Apollon PhD, LMHC for a self-care session on collective grief and building resilience. Learn to move away from hopelessness and harness the energy to be strong advocates for the world we want to create. This 90-min workshop is this Saturday, August 27 at 11:00 am ET. Click here to join.

New to RESULTS? Join our orientation webinar tomorrow. If you or someone you know would benefit from a RESULTS 101 overview (e.g., a new volunteer you personally recruited), sign up for a RESULTS New Advocate Orientation. This 60-minute presentation is a great intro to our work, giving people the foundation to start their advocacy with RESULTS. The next orientation is this Wednesday, August 24 at 8:00 pm ET. Sign up today!

Have you reviewed your 2022 Roadmap? At your group meetings in August, celebrate your 2022 success so far and outline and what you want to accomplish for the rest of the year by reviewing your 2022 Group Roadmaps. Use our Mid-year Roadmap Review Guide and Mid-Year Group Health Check to help with your review.

Note different webinar and policy forum dates in September. Because of the Labor Day holiday, we are pushing back our webinar and policy forum dates in September. The National Webinar is Saturday, September 10 at 1:00 pm ET. The U.S. Policy Forum (8:00 pm ET) and Global Policy Forum (9:00 pm ET) are Thursday, September 22. See the calendar below for registration links.

Regional Coordinators are vital to RESULTS. Could you be one? We are so fortunate to have a wonderful group of volunteer Regional Coordinators in the RESULTS network, and we are recruiting for more. Regional Coordinators provide insight, information, and inspiration to the advocate network. They are a vital ingredient in the recipe of our effectiveness, and we don’t want this opportunity to be hidden! Watch this brief and helpful video about the role (featuring current Regional Coordinator Yesenia Sanchez) and inquire to Lisa Marchal at [email protected].

Apply for the 2023 RESULTS Fellowship. We are now accepting applications for the 2023 class of the RESULTS Advocacy & Organizing Fellowship. For all the details on eligibility and how to apply, check out our website. Applications close October 31.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are on recess until September 6.

Unless otherwise noted, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Wednesday, August 24, New Advocate Orientation, 8:00 pm ET. Register for the orientation here.

Saturday, August 27: Building Resilience in Challenging Times, 11:00 am ET. Read more and join here.

Monday, September 5: Labor Day holiday. All RESULTS offices closed.

Thursday, September 8: Global Allies Program (with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), 8:30 pm ET. Register today.

Saturday, September 10: Diversity and Inclusion 101, 11:00 am ET. Register here.

Saturday, September 10: Monthly National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register here.

Monday, September 12: At the Intersection of Poverty and Climate Change, 8:30 pm ET. Hosted by the Global Allies Program – Partners Ending Poverty with RESULTS and RPCVs4 Environmental Action in partnership with Drawdown Lift. Register here.

Tuesday, September 13: Relational Organizing 101, 8:30 pm ET. Learn what relational organizing is and why it is critical to the sustainability of your group and RESULTS’ mission. Register today.

Thursday, September 15: Understanding and Interrupting Microaggressions, 11:00 am ET. Facilitated by Peace Learning Center. Seats limited. Register here.

Tuesday, September 20: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, September 20: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Wednesday, September 21: Action Network Managers Webinar, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, September 22: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, September 22: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register here.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our Volunteer Information Form to add or edit volunteer info and to sign up for updates and alerts.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Lindsay Saunders at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.