Planning for Families and the Future
By Liora, Member of Advocates International Youth Leadership Council
As a senior student at Georgetown University studying social justice, I find it slightly embarrassing that I had never lobbied my legislators, until this year when I joined Advocates for Youth’s International Youth Leadership Council (IYLC). I had assumed that the process required a major time commitment or skill, when in fact, it is a fairly simple and meaningful activity of which all students should take advantage. On April 21st, the IYLC gave students from campuses around the nation’s capitol an opportunity to visit the U.S. Congress and speak directly to Congressional offices about the serious need for an increase in international family planning funding.
The students’ requested that the government fund $1 billion dollars for international family planning for Fiscal Year 2009 to go toward both the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). IYLC members advertised the two-day lobby event at four major universities in the Washington, D.C. area. Students registered to attend a short lobbying training and take part in lobbying with fellow young people on Capitol Hill the next day.
IYLC members invited participants to attend a training to learn about international family planning, its political history, the basics of lobbying, and how to explain the need for an increase in funding for international family planning. Students learned that international family planning is much more than a battle over contraceptives. Rather, it is a basic healthcare necessity that is needed for other aid programs to be effective. Students in various fields such as political science, international affairs, and global public health attended the event.
Students visited their U.S. Congress persons the following day to strategically persuade legislators to push a $1 billion growth in funding. In addition to presenting political and scientific arguments for international family planning, the lobbyists were also able to emphasize their unique, youthful voices through personal stories and feelings. Politicians often listen to factual arguments surrounding legislation without changing their position or taking action. In these situations, it takes fresh voices and faces of our nation’s youth to make them really hear the message.
The overall trend in responses from the Congressional offices was that they were supportive of an increase in funding for international family planning; however they felt that the particular sum of $1 billion dollars was too high of a commitment. While setbacks such as these can be frustrating, it shows us how important it is to constantly put pressure on the political system to be responsible and respect issues such as international family planning that represent fundamental human rights.
I feel that our lobby day was a great success in that it truly opened eyes to the opportunities for young people to voice their opinions and influence change on issues about which they are passionate. Our generation should always be encouraged to get involved and participate in the politics that shape the world we live in.
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