By Mark

A few posts ago, I unknowingly issued myself a challenge. I've written here at SfS for a few years, I've been a leader and advocate in my own district, and I've contacted my legislators via email and phone… but I'd yet to move to the next level.

I'll be heading to Olympia on February 20th.

I'm nervous, I won't lie. I'm not always the most confident in my ability to be coherent and articulate when I don't have time to go back to revise (and even then, sometimes…). 

It started when an email from the CSTP-Listserv arrived in my in-box: opportunity knocking, time for me to answer.

That email was an invite for a webinar about effective advocacy. I thought, "why not: a webinar from the comfort of my own home computer?" So I registered. One of the questions in the registration queried whether I intended to attend the February 20th WEA-NBCT event in Olympia. I recalled something about this in the many emails I'd received over the past few days… so perhaps because I knew deep down I needed to take my advocacy skills to the next place or perhaps because I was already procrastinating grading a stack of quizzes, I sent a few emails and ended up RSVP'ing to the event on the 20th: clearing the way for face-to-face meetings with policymakers "on their turf" …something totally new to me and very, very far from my comfort zone here at my keyboard with it's backspace key and editing options.

After a flurry of emails orchestrated by the amazing WEA leader Jim Meadows, I'm now connected with fellow NBCTs from my legislative district and we are beginning to coordinate our meetings and message with our elected leaders for when we visit their offices on the 20th. 

This part has been remarkably easy–due in no small part to the advocacy systems put in place by CSTP and WEA. 

As an armchair advocate, I'm readying myself to take my role to the next level. I am nervous–this is new to me–but from the moment I replied to the CSTP-listserv email and was welcomed into the network of local NBCTs already planning to head north from LD 49, I realized that I am not alone. There's great comfort in this. I'll post a little down the road about my experience in Olympia as a neophyte advocate.