In April 2010, Genocide Intervention Network organized in-district lobby meetings in 21 states across the country to build political support for key policy decisions on the Lord's Resistance Army and the Sudan elections.  Many STAND student activists participated in these lobby meetings, building on the trainings received at the Pledge2Protect conference to actively engage in the civic process.

One of our STAND members, Grace, offered to share her in-district lobbying experience with the International Youth Foundation:

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When fellow STAND member Rachel G. and I went in to lobby House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office on April 5^th, we were feeling pretty out of place among the oversized leather couches and solid marble interior. As college students we're used to the typical college life surroundings of well-worn dorm furniture and condensed spaces. The normal wardrobe of jeans, t-shirts and Chuck Taylor all-stars wouldn't fly in such a professional setting, so we opted for "business casual," the advice of no sneakers echoing in our heads.

How were we supposed to get across an urgent plea of swift action and effectively stress the dire situation on the ground in Sudan without coming across as too emotional? Thanks to STAND's handy "how-to-lobby" guide, I had prepared a packet to present to the aide who would be meeting with us.

Armed with one-pagers on the Sudan elections and the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), and copies of House Resolution 1019 and House Bill 2478, Rachel and I were ushered into a side conference room with Legislative aide Fallon Shields. Exchanging nervous glances, we looked at each other for resolve. "You can do this," I thought.

How much did the Congressman know about the upcoming Sudan elections? Did he know about the millions of Sudanese refugees who were being excluded from the voting process? Was he aware that the LRA had recently found refuge in Southern Sudan and was beginning to expand their reign of terror from the Congo and Northern Uganda?

As these questions came out of my mouth, I realized that I really did know what I was talking about and therefore had nothing to worry about. Shields mentioned she had met with a group lobbying for the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act a week previous so she was very familiar with the LRA. This was a plus, since the LRA is unfortunately yet another threat to the Sudanese people.

The meeting was brief, lasting only about 15 minutes or so, but we left feeling proud of ourselves for bringing the plight of the Sudanese people to the attention of Majority Leader Hoyer's office.

Lobbying was a challenging experience in two ways. One being that it pushed me to formulate talking points to effectively convey a message of urgency about Sudan while not getting too caught up in an emotional appeal. I can recall countless times of reading a news article about the issue and fighting angry tears because I don't understand why politicians are not helping the people of Sudan when it is so clear that we should be.

The second challenge: leaving without knowing what impact we made left me feeling a little overwhelmed. In such a large legislative system, taking the time to even schedule a meeting with your Congressman or Senator may seem like a major accomplishment, but it is hard to know if your voice was really heard. You can write as many letters and raise your voice to let your concerns known, but you never know for sure if they notice your noise.

So now that I have lobbied, I am presented with a new question: now that I know how to connect to the legislative process, how loud do I have to raise my voice before they answer the call?  I intend to find out.

And thanks to STAND and Genocide Intervention Network, I know I am raising my voice in the company of tens of thousands of students and activists across the country, all working towards the same goal.

 

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Grace Goode is junior majoring in cultural anthropology at the University of Maryland College Park. She is the Outreach Coordinator for their campus chapter, TerpsSTAND.   Grace has been involved with human rights and Darfur activism since attending the 2008 Global Day for Darfur. She attended the Pledge2Protect conference, a Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action Grantee, in November 2009, and she loved every minute of it!

 

For more information about STAND, the student-led division of Genocide Intervention Network, please visit their website, www.standnow.org. 

For more information about Genocide Intervention Network, please visit www.genocideintervention.org.