Virtual Community Advocacy Training Sessions

This is your opportunity to learn from experts in the field of advocacy. This is your opportunity to learn about effective strategies for talking with lawmakers, and to spend some time practicing your advocacy 'pitch' while receiving pointers from the lawmakers themselves on how to be the best advocate you can be for local food and farmers.

Both sessions will be held via Zoom.

12:00-1:30
The first half of this session goes through the basics of advocacy. The second half will allow time for attendees to learn about effective strategies for speaking with lawmakers, and to practice what they might say in a real advocacy opportunity, all while receiving feedback from seasoned advocacy experts and some lawmakers themselves. This session will be partly led by Dr. Melinda Lewis, Professor of Practice and Director at the Center for for Community Engagement and Collaboration at the University of Kansas.Session Two- Advocacy in Action

The first half of this session will focus on self care in advocacy work, led by Sarah Owsley, Advocacy Director with Empower Missouri. The second half of the session approaches vision setting for food and farm advocacy days in the future. How do we craft a coherent message that will resonate with lawmakers while also ensuring that we are advocating holistically for the food and farming community in and around Kansas City and the state of Missouri? How does each individual advocate decide which issues are most important to them, and then translate those issue areas into an effective message? Participants will have ample opportunity to practice these important advocacy skills.

This series is hosted in partnership by Cultivate KC, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, The Food Circle, The Giving Grove, Urban Produce Push, and The KC Farm School. It is funded in part by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.