A Message from President Heather Ippolito
Welcome to a new calendar year! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season full of family, friends, fun and hopefully a little rest. The new year finds us focusing on advocacy, as both California State PTA and National PTA hold our Legislative conferences and the legislative season begins.
When I first joined PTA and the agenda would turn to advocacy, I would get so nervous. In my head were pictures of the entire PTA making signs and marching down to City Hall to yell at people – that was so far out of my comfort zone! When they would ask for volunteers to attend State PTA’s Legislation Conference, I would never raise my hand because I had never had a conversation with an elected official and that sounded terrifying to me.
It wasn’t until Shereen Walter, 2019-2021 Director of Legislation for California State PTA, visited my district as a featured speaker, that my viewpoint changed on advocacy. In her talk, Shereen helped to demystify advocacy for me by telling us that advocacy was simply asking. As parents we ask for things for our students all the time – whether that is new programs at the school to make learning come to life or getting assistance for a new issue that has arisen on campus.
As you think about your advocacy efforts in the new year, remember that students’ voice should be a part of all we do. Ask the students at your school what their needs are, what issues are most impacting them, and listen to their stories. We use the phrase “Nothing about us without us” in our DEI and exceptional learner work, and if the mission of PTA is to positively impact the lives of all CHILDREN and families, we can only do that work well if we listen to our students.
I encourage you to not be intimidated by the term “advocacy”- you are doing it every day! Keep asking for what your students need, and keep sharing your stories with your administrators, school board members and elected officials. All students benefit from caring adults who continue to work alongside them in education advocacy efforts. Our schools and communities benefit when we advocate on behalf of all children and families.
Today Tomorrow Together
Heather Ippolito
California State PTA President
Advocacy is a Connection Sport
A Message from President-Elect Will Sanford
For many of us, the word advocacy describes what others do to make the world a better place. However, everyone, including our youngest baby, is an advocate. Babies advocate well. They do what advocates do: they make their needs known to the individuals charged with meeting those needs, their parents/caregivers. How do they do it? In the only way they know, which is to cry and hope that those watching out for them will figure out if it is a dirty diaper, that they are hungry, or have to burp. As we gain the ability to express ourselves with words, our advocacy can become clearer or more muddled, depending on how well we have learned to advocate, propose solutions, seek appropriate help and clearly outline the case for getting a need/want met.
The California State PTA advocates to positively impact the lives of all children and their families, which is a huge and complex effort. At the end of the day we need to understand how we can extend our advocacy to influence decision makers to truly support children and families. We advocate every day, whether that is letting people know our preferences (decaf or regular coffee), encouraging people to join our PTA, or ensuring that our state and federal governments make sure that no children go hungry. Some are individual acts of advocacy, such as decaf or regular, and others involve partnering with others to amplify our voices. It all starts with the simple question of “What is the issue/need/challenge?” Look for resources, information, people, and groups that address that issue/need/challenge. Figure out how you can add your voice or get others to add their voices.
Advocacy is a connection sport, in that we all can make a difference by building connections, starting within your school community and then expanding to include your whole community, including school boards, city councils, county supervisors, and legislative office holders. When you have a personal connection with someone, they are more likely to listen, reflect on your opinion, and potentially ask you for ideas.
No one was born into the office they hold; they were your neighbor, friend, or community member and then chose to be a public servant. Building connections creates a network that can be used to advocate for a wide variety of issues. It is easier to ask for support from someone who knows you, than if you make a “cold call.”
As our California Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley Weber, has mentioned in many of her presentations to us over the years, voting is how your voice counts. If you choose to not participate in elections, you are choosing to not be the voice for our children. Your voice matters and voting directly expresses that voice.
Will Sanford
California State PTA President-Elect