February 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 21

ADVOCACY

Prepare for Your Visit Now
% Contact your state association
(www.nrpa.org/stateassociations)
and let them know you are attending Legislative Forum. Most associations can help you plan your
visits and secure meetings with
your senators and members of
Congress. You can also schedule
your own meetings directly with
the offices of your representatives
by calling the Capitol switchboard
at 202.224.3121 or entering your
ZIP code online at www.capwiz.
com/nrpa/home.
% Familiarize yourself with the issue(s) you want to discuss. Please
refer to the Advocacy section of the
NRPA website at www.nrpa.org/
advocacy or contact the NRPA Public Policy office at 703.858.2145 for
reference materials and additional
information.
% NRPA will provide fact sheets
and other materials to leave behind with your legislator. However, nothing influences legislators
more than real-life stories about
how constituents in the legislator's district or state have benefited from programs on the NRPA
platform. Come equipped with
examples of how these programs
have made an impact in your state
and local community and discuss
the potential of future projects.
Having kids draw pictures of
their local parks and asking their
members of Congress to support
LWCF Stateside Assistance or urban park funding is a great example of effective advocacy.
% Be familiar with your representative's stance on key issues.
Advocate From Home
If you are unable to make it to
Washington in March, you can still
serve as a home advocate for parks
and recreation.

20

Parks & Recreation

| FEBRUARY 2013 | WWW.NRPA.ORG

% Contact your legislator's local
and Washington offices. Developing a relationship with your senator
or representative's staff can be just
as important as personally meeting
the legislator. Call the office, identify yourself as a constituent, and ask
to speak with the staff person who
handles the particular issue you
want to discuss. Specify the action
you would like the legislator to take
(e.g., sign onto a bill, vote in favor
of a bill, etc.).
% Attend town hall meetings held by
your representative and invite him
or her to events or facilities. Voice
support for parks and recreation at
public meetings, and invite legislators and staff to ribbon cuttings at
park and recreation facilities in their
district. You may also want to contact local news outlets if the member
of Congress agrees to attend.
% Spread the word. Share your success stories. This could be anything from successful programs
that have achieved quantifiable
objectives to strategies that have
worked in your community to engage local, state, or federal policy
makers. Do not pass up opportunities to speak about the value of
parks and recreation.
Ultimately, public opinion plays
a huge rule in how elected officials
make decisions. We must shape the
general perception of park and recreation resources as essential public
services.
To register and get more information on NRPA's Legislative Forum
on Parks and Recreation, please visit our website at www.nrpa.org/leg
forum or contact the public policy
office at 703.858.2145 or jpannell@
nrpa.org.
Joel Pannell is NRPA's Advocacy and
Outreach Specialist (jpannell@nrpa.org).
February 2013 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2013 - Parks & Recreation
