10 Commandments of Effective Advocacy

Have you ever wanted to voice your opinion or advocate for your beliefs?  This episode is a back to the basics of advocacy that will help to empower you as a citizen. 

Transcript

Karen England (00:06):

Hi, welcome to the kitchen table activist. I'm Karen England, and I'm glad you're joining me for a second episode. This is our second podcast. The point of this podcast is to empower and equip the public to engage in the public square. And that can be your local school board city council. Uh, it can be as, as simple as you know, whatever's going on in, in your community that you really want to engage in. You know, Americans are re realizing all over this country that their, their, their country isn't the same, their state, their city isn't the same, even red states are realizing that there are a lot of progressive California policies that are creeping in at the local level. And that it's time we wake up to this, you know, I watch the news and I, I listen to talk radio, whether it's mark Levi or ity, um, any of those, those talk show hosts, they talk about getting involved, but no one CRI Sean, how to get involved.

Karen England (01:05):

And I was one of those people. I was a mom who had never voted and 35 years ago, I didn't know what was going on. Um, and I went from being a, a kitchen table activist to, to running a pro family public policy organization, which is where I am now. We are based out of California capital resource Institute, and we work in parental rights, religious freedom. And my heart's desire is to use this platform to help equip you on the ground, to learn from the things that, that I did wrong, that I still do wrong. Um, to teach you things, you know, I can't, I'm asked to speak to a lot of different groups and I just can't get everywhere. And so this is one way where I can share the information that I have learned information, uh, like how to do a FOYA on what are the best practices.

Karen England (01:55):

If you're gonna start a parent group, what, um, what is critical race theory and social, emotional learning, and how do we identify it? Uh, next week's pod or our next podcast on Friday is gonna be the back to school checklist. Since many parents are sending their kids back to school, whether again, you're in a red or a blue state, we have a checklist to help you, uh, ask your, your, your child questions, um, certain policies to look at, uh, just to identify what might be going on in your school district. That's a little bit progressive. So I wanna thank everyone that downloaded the podcast. We were over 200 in, in less than 48 hours of of download. So thank you. Keep spreading the word we want to equip the people. Again, we're being motivated by different groups and different people to go get active. I want to give you the tools and so that you'll have a toolbox to get active.

Karen England (02:50):

I don't want the idea that you, you don't know what to do or how to do it to frighten you, because that is what they're counting on. They're counting on keeping us paralyzed and for the process looking intimidating. So we all just shut up and stay home and we're just not gonna do it. And so I'm gonna look real quick. And I just wanna give a little shout out because this is this podcast. People have been sharing it from Clarksville, Tennessee, Reno, Nevada. We have, uh, Chino Hills shout out to Chino Hills Lansing, Michigan Turlock, Oregon. Um, but see Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington. So thank you to everyone that has been, that the you've been sharing this. And, um, I, I hope that you will continue to download and share the information. So today's podcast the 10 commandments of effective advocacy.

Karen England (03:47):

And this is a talk that I would always give it our citizen lobby days. I started this years ago and have been modifying it, but it's one of the most popular ones. And this is something, you know, at capital resource Institute and my entire career, I have worked on social issues. Those are what's passionate to me. And so a lot of my stories will be built around, um, social issues or parental rights or school. That's kind of been my expertise, but this applies to anything. If, if your passion is guns in the second amendment, you know, this entire, um, 10 commandments, you just need to tweak it and apply it. It can be applied to the school board to city council. And so, um, let me start with that, but keep it in mind if your issues aren't the same as my issues, it doesn't matter.

Karen England (04:33):

You can still apply these 10 principles. So the first one is know the legislator. So right now it is a perfect time to get to know your legislators. You can get to know them when they're running as candidates, which right now a lot of people are running for school board. You can, um, sorry. I'm, I'm getting all sorts of, of tweets, um, or text. Let me turn that off. Okay. So you can, um, find out who's running, go to one of their town halls and just sit there and listen. Or if it's a candidate, get on, get on their email list, find out what, what they're interested in city council. Um, if they're, somebody's running for assembly, you know, the other thing to check out are voter guides. So a lot of organizations will do a voter guide. And I love using voter guides because politicians can tell us all they want, how they're gonna be conservative and vote for us, but on a voter guide, it tells the story that is where they actually voted.

Karen England (05:36):

And so whether you go to gun owners of California or gun owners of America, or the NRA, or, uh, one of the life groups national right to life, look at the scorecards, find out, oh, family research council has a really good scorecard on the social issues. Find out how these people voted. I want to know how they voted. I don't wanna hear how they're gonna represent me. I wanna see how they have represented me. You know, I, um, recently have done a lot of work in Nevada and was a bit heartbroken at the number of conservative Republicans that not only scored under 50% on our scorecard, which is kind of hard to do, but they were scoring well, they scored terrible on the American conservative union, you know, several other scorecards taxes. And, and yet they had a score with planned parenthood and some of the other groups.

Karen England (06:29):

I mean, I really don't wanna vote for someone that's at a, a 50% with planned parenthood. I just don't. So, um, that's an important thing to get to know your candidate and find out what's of interest to them. When I first got started, we had to do this through clippings in a newspaper, and I used to keep clippings of different candidates in case it came up later. And it would tell me about their family, um, which helps. And so get to know your legislator, even if you're in an area and you don't agree with your legislator, get to know your legislator, um, or your school board member, your elected official. That's how I should say it. So the number two thing, and I I've moved my 10 commandments around in order, but I think this is important if you're a beginner or not even a beginner, that sounds so silly, cuz we're all citizens, but you've never really engaged.

Karen England (07:19):

I think the first thing, it makes it easier if you really believe in what you're advocating for. So if you know, if you want to talk with your legislator or you're gonna develop a relationship, pick an issue you are passionate about and you know about. So even if you wanna get, get involved in another area, but you are, um, you're an insurance salesman. Maybe you can have a conversation with your legislator about insurance and that can build the relationship. It doesn't have to be right out of the bat. What, you know what you're going in there over the, you know, over the school issue or the second amendment, but pick an issue that you're passionate about. You need to believe in what you're advocating for. There's no point in going in, if it's something you don't believe, you know, um, we'll talk about this later in the 10 commandments, but often, you know, I'll get calls to go jump on other, other issues.

Karen England (08:13):

And there are other issues I care about, but they're not core to who I am. And, and, and I'm not as passionate and I'm not as knowledgeable. You know, I'm not soaking up the information every day on the second amendment. I just, I'm not. So I'm not the person to go advocate for that. Now, if I wanted to take two days, you know, and, and prep, I certainly could, if I wanted to go testify on a bill or before a school board on an issue, but that, that helps. If it's something you understand you're passionate about and you have knowledge. So with that goes, establish a relationship. And now is the perfect time for number one and number three, because get to know your legislator right now, we're get

Karen England (08:54):

Going into an election year. So whether it's a federal seat, which is Congress, uh, so that's your house of representatives or at the state level, whether it's, let's see, they call them house of representatives in California, Nevada, they call them assembly members and senators. You know, they're, they're called different things at the different state levels, the assembly that they're all up for election. And so they're out doing town halls, they're going to coffee shops, they're doing meet and greets. They're wanting to hear from the people. So go establish a relationship again, even if you're in a blue area and they, they don't represent you at least establish your relationship. You never know when you will be able to, um, you can agree to disagree, but there might be a, a place where, you know, you can get something amended a little bit that makes it a little less evil.

Karen England (09:45):

Um, but have that relationship, you know, too often, I, I share in my story and if you didn't see the first podcast, please go back and listen to it. Cause I talked about how the very first school board meeting I went to, it was because I'd heard about this religious right extremist person. And I wanted to find out who was ruining our school district. Cause that's what the newspaper was saying. And I went there and it was like, oh my gosh, I'm her. I I'm that person. Cuz I think like that. So, so often they have a perception of us. Um, and it's so disarming when, when they actually meet us and find out we have a lot more in, in, in common. So the, the next one on number four is to be prepared. It's important that you're prepared on whatever issue you're going to go in, go in on if you're, if you're gonna go for a formal meeting with a legislator or on other other issues.

Karen England (10:35):

So it's, it's interesting. People assume that that legislators read their bills, but they don't a handful nationwide do in California. Over 2020 500 bills are introduced in one session. It's impossible to read that in other states, they, there are thousands and thousands. I mean, Tennessee, it would be impossible to expect a legislator. I, I, I would like to, but to expect him to read every single bill and understand every single bill and every single issue, you know, people go into office, whether it's a school board, um, city council with a different kind of background, it could be insurance. It could be business. It could be if you're an assembly and it could have been, you are on the school board and education's important to you. So there are, you know, regulations, they're just different issues that people are passionate about. And you need to remember that when you are, um, meeting with the legislator.

Karen England (11:33):

So I think it's important, especially on social issues that I like to become the resource. So I, I work in the life area, parental rights. I do a lot with gender ideology. Um, I do a lot with comprehensive sex ed. I don't expect legislators to know everything. I know now I want them to meet with me and I wanna be able to lay out the case and say, here's what the curriculum is doing. Or if the language and the bill says this, this is the unintended consequence. So you need to not be afraid to become the resource for that legislator. You know, you could have a conservative Republican that really doesn't understand the arguments around the second amendment. So be a resource for that person. They have staff, but again, staff may not be, be the person and they're working several bills. And so, you know, uh, elected officials have lobbyists.

Karen England (12:31):

They have everybody, um, vying for their time. I've said this before. There is no lobbyists for the family and for a lot of the family issues it's us. And so we need to be the resource for them. So the next one on number five is tell the truth. So you always want to be honest. And if you misspeak, you want to go back and clarify. And so let's say you're meeting with a legislator and I will be the first to see I can do this. I can get all riled up telling a story or sharing something. And, and, and I might exaggerate. Or if that, if, if you do that on an issue, you really need to go back and clarify it with the person don't be afraid and just leave it because the minute you lose credibility, you, you probably will never gain it back.

Karen England (13:18):

But if, if you are telling 'em a bill does this and it doesn't, or you can't back it up, they're never gonna listen to you again. But if you show them that a bill, this is what this will do. And it did in other places, or you can have a legal brief that backs you up. That's crucial. And so it's important that you tell the truth and that if you get something wrong, you clarify, or you say, you know, I don't know, but I'm gonna go back and, and find out. Um, so that's an important thing. And that goes back to establishing the relationship. Can they trust you? Um, number six, one of my, my favorite and people that know me or, or even don't know me are, are really kind of shocked, but it's know the opposition. And what they're shocked about is that I spend a lot of time on CNN and MSNBC.

Karen England (14:07):

I spend a lot of time on it. Um, I, I almost every day during the day I have one of those on, not that I'm watching it, but listening, it's important to know what the other side believes why they believe it and what objections are going to be. Yes. I admit there are times I am yelling at the TV. I have been known a time or two to take a dry erase marker up on the TV and draw horns. I, I have done that. I'm not always the most mature person. So you need to do that though, in order to know what the objections are. And I'm gonna give you a couple of examples. You know, we, our organization are used for opt in on, um, and transparency on controversial issues in schools. And one of the injections we get in parents when, when they go in and hear this at first, they're really taking off guard and it, and it's this well, if we do an opt in, and those, those parents, you know, those parents that aren't taking care of, their kids, those kids aren't gonna be in that sex ed.

Karen England (15:06):

And they're really the ones who know. So we can't do an opt in and on its face, you go, oh, okay. Yeah, cuz you don't want them more harmed or neglected than they already are. But if you kind of know that and you've thought about it and, and maybe hooked up with an organization that, that, you know, again, if it's a second amendment, they probably have FAQs on certain issues. You can be prepared to go in and, and respond to that criticism. And so I would respond on that issue with the idea that, um, it actually helps those kids because when the form doesn't come back, it alerts that teacher, the teacher need maybe needs to make a phone call home and say, Hey mom, I didn't get this form. Is there anything we can do? And it might alert to something that's going on and it might just be as simple.

Karen England (15:53):

They forgot. They forgot to do it, but knowing the opposition and what they're going to raise again, second, Amendment's not my thing, but you, you really need to know your facts. And I know the facts aren't on all of the other people's side on that. Whether it's the AR and you know, all the stuff they view, you want to have facts. So you need to know what they're going to say, communicate effectively. And this is always hard, especially if you believe in what you advocate for. And I'll be the first to say, all these years later, I still struggle. I have a, a taste of snarkiness to me that I have to control. And, um, so I, I wanna share that passion is good. You should be passionate, especially at a school board. If you can tell a story, how did this impact my child?

Karen England (16:41):

Um, go back to know the legislator. So there've been a couple of times, uh, there was a legislator in California and he, there was some film. He did some indie film and what really related to him, he was willing to regulate something in the schools because he didn't want somebody else coming and doing bigger regulations. I don't know if that makes any sense, but the way the film industry worked. And he said, you know, if we don't do this, it's gonna be worse when somebody else comes in and does it. And he was a dad liberal on everything. Didn't agree, but he could agree on parental rights. So I know every time I went to talk to him about any issue, I would try and find a parental rights way to do it. Um, and that meets him on his level, negotiate when necessary. Um, if it advances the ball without compromising the game, then, then you can negotiate.

Karen England (17:31):

If it's just, they, they want you to add some language in a bill or, you know, they wanna take the seven days to eight days tho that's okay, it's okay to negotiate and not get everything you want right up front. But it's also important not to compromise what you believe. And all too often, conservatives negotiate and they negotiate everything away and they're doing nothing but compromising and, and that you don't wanna do number nine. Gosh, I struggle with all of these. So I should probably do a podcast on this to remind myself regularly, choose your battles. This is so hard, especially when we're all waking up and seeing what's going on in the country, choose your battles. This has taken me years to learn. Um, it helps if you have a mission statement, if you're you're a local group or, um, like we are a large organization and we do have a mission statement, but then we have a specific kind of grid that we created that says, okay, if a bill does this, then it's a priority one for us, a piece of legislation.

Karen England (18:32):

If it does this, it's priority two. So that way, when a friend calls me really, uh, you know, upset about another bill and wants our organization to jump on board, I have something to go measure it against because I would, I would be out everywhere, testifying on everything and at every school board meeting about every issue. And so that, that helps you because that brings us to, to number 10 of the 10 commandments of effective advocacy. And that is persevere. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It is not going to be over in, in 20, let's see, 20, 22, 20, 24. We are just starting the left. They have been busy working at this for years. This is going to be a long process of engaging in order to take our country back. We have been apathetic and we have thought everything is okay. Cause we live in a red SNI.

Karen England (19:22):

Everything is state or everything is okay, because, so, and so is in office. It's not the left have been outmaneuvering us and they are in our schools. They are, they are anti-American and no one, no one is going to stop them, except us. You know, Reagan had a, a famous quote, if not now, when, if not you who, and that's my question to, to everybody listening moms and dads, uh, students that are doing turning point groups, who's going to stop this from happening if we don't do it. And this is the government we've been given, and we we're blessed to have this kind of a government, if we don't do it, nobody will. And then somebody else's values are gonna be the only values in the public square. So questions or comments, I was getting some great ideas and in constructive criticism, uh, after my last podcast. So go to the kitchen table activist at Gmail, the diff the kitchen table activist at Gmail. Let me know where you're listening from. Is there a topic that you'd like to hear? Do I need to explain something better on one of the topics I already did? And as I like to say, really, you need to pray about where the Lord would have you get busy because maybe you've been called for such a time as this.