Grassroots volunteers engaging people in civic duty through education and action around difficult issues regarding resources and basic human rights.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Oxfam Action Corps celebrates its 7th annual training and lobby day
Oxfam Action Corps celebrated its 7th annual training in April in Washington DC, convening 29 participants from 15 US cities, including educators, nurses, veterans, lawyers, political consultants, construction workers, and people from many other backgrounds. Action Corps members held three days of training and one day of lobbying, and are now committed to coordinate Oxfam America outreach and campaign activities in their city in the coming year.
Many thanks to all the people who made this possible, including our presenters, training support, lobby day participants, and lobby day logistics support. And most of all our volunteer, trained grassroots advocates! Oxfam Action Corps is a program that is based on the power of people to work together to bring about change, specifically with Oxfam’s campaigns. Without the amazing collaboration between Oxfam staff and Oxfam Action Corps members it would not have been possible.
Caption: Nancy Delaney of Community Engagement orients trainees. (Photo: Brian Rawson)
For our lobby day this year we were fortunate to team up with Oxfam 'Sisters on the Planet' Ambassadors, the Truman Fellows Program, and other allies on our lobby day, for a combined total of 80 visits. At our joint reception, Oxfam VP Paul O’Brien highlighted the power of this collaboration and the serendipitous timing of the lobby day, with our constituents being among the first to respond to President Obama's Budget Request the prior week. Our supporters capitalized on the President’s request for food aid reform, and called upon Congressional offices to support poverty-focused foreign aid and food aid reform. In one out of many highlights from the day, the Congressional staffer for Agriculture Committee member Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) flipped through a list of Oxfam petition signers to find the name of the Congresswoman's daughter!
Pictured: Sen. Feinstein staffperson Mr. Harper (center) accepts petitions from (left to right) Sameerah Siddiqui of Oxfam, Yoshiko Hill and Brook Sinclair of Oxfam Action Corps San Francisco, and Oxfam ally Rich Weiss. (photo: Gawain Kripke)
This year's Action Corps training launched a renewed annual cycle for taking action. Said New York member Jill Mizell,“there are many programs, like leadership fellows, where you spend a year reading about leadership. But with Oxfam Action Corps you actually do it.” Together, the Action Corps nationwide hold hundreds of outreach events each year, and communicate in their 15 cities to a growing audience of more than fifteen thousand people.
Pictured: Storming the Capitol with panache - Oxfam Action Corps New Mexico's Kalen Olson, Jasmine McBeath, and Kathy Chavez on Capitol Hill with Brian Rawson (photo: Mary Louise Resch)
- Written by Brian Rawson, Senior Advisor, Community Organizer, and Oxfam Action Corps 'head coach'
Many thanks to all the people who made this possible, including our presenters, training support, lobby day participants, and lobby day logistics support. And most of all our volunteer, trained grassroots advocates! Oxfam Action Corps is a program that is based on the power of people to work together to bring about change, specifically with Oxfam’s campaigns. Without the amazing collaboration between Oxfam staff and Oxfam Action Corps members it would not have been possible.
Caption: Nancy Delaney of Community Engagement orients trainees. (Photo: Brian Rawson)
For our lobby day this year we were fortunate to team up with Oxfam 'Sisters on the Planet' Ambassadors, the Truman Fellows Program, and other allies on our lobby day, for a combined total of 80 visits. At our joint reception, Oxfam VP Paul O’Brien highlighted the power of this collaboration and the serendipitous timing of the lobby day, with our constituents being among the first to respond to President Obama's Budget Request the prior week. Our supporters capitalized on the President’s request for food aid reform, and called upon Congressional offices to support poverty-focused foreign aid and food aid reform. In one out of many highlights from the day, the Congressional staffer for Agriculture Committee member Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) flipped through a list of Oxfam petition signers to find the name of the Congresswoman's daughter!
Pictured: Sen. Feinstein staffperson Mr. Harper (center) accepts petitions from (left to right) Sameerah Siddiqui of Oxfam, Yoshiko Hill and Brook Sinclair of Oxfam Action Corps San Francisco, and Oxfam ally Rich Weiss. (photo: Gawain Kripke)
This year's Action Corps training launched a renewed annual cycle for taking action. Said New York member Jill Mizell,“there are many programs, like leadership fellows, where you spend a year reading about leadership. But with Oxfam Action Corps you actually do it.” Together, the Action Corps nationwide hold hundreds of outreach events each year, and communicate in their 15 cities to a growing audience of more than fifteen thousand people.
Pictured: Storming the Capitol with panache - Oxfam Action Corps New Mexico's Kalen Olson, Jasmine McBeath, and Kathy Chavez on Capitol Hill with Brian Rawson (photo: Mary Louise Resch)
- Written by Brian Rawson, Senior Advisor, Community Organizer, and Oxfam Action Corps 'head coach'
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