Letter to Your Representative

Question

Part 1: 

Submit a 1- to 2-page message to your political representative(s). Address the following in your message: 

Use the appropriate structure for the delivery format (letter or email). 

Introduce yourself and your intent or request. 

Describe the social problem and impacts of the policy in question. 

Use facts, stories, or other details to appeal to the representative(s) and connect the policy work to their district or state. 

Provide a call to action—inspire your representative(s) to rise to this occasion. 

Part 2: 

Submit a 1-page reflection of your process for writing a message to your political representative(s). Address the following in your short reflection: 

Describe the experience of sending the message—either via letter or email—to your representative(s). How did it feel to formally advocate on behalf of a policy to alleviate a social problem you have thoroughly reviewed? 

Did you write a letter or an email? Explain your reasoning. 

Describe how you constructed the letter. Use the Council on Social Work Education and American Psychological Association resources from the Learning Resources this week to support your choices. 

Explain how you used your advocacy skills in your communication. 

What are your next steps as an advocate? 

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

Chapter 11, “Developing Political Strategy and Putting It into Action in the Policy-Enacting Task” (pp. 372–421) 

National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Social justice briefs. https://www.socialworkers.org/Advocacy/Social-Justice/Social-Justice-Issue-Briefs 

Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC. (2017). Advocacy handbook: A resource guide for social workers. Council on Social Work Education. https://cswe.org/Advocacy-Policy/CSWEAdvocacyHandbook_Oct2017.aspx

American Psychological Association. (2017). How to write a letter or email: Stand out among the hundreds of letters and emails that flood the mailboxes of congresspeople each day. https://www.apa.org/advocacy/guide/letter-email 

Sample Letters and Emails

The following resources showcase a sampling of both physical advocacy letters and emails to political representatives. Review these resources and use them as guides for your own letter or email, which you will write as part of your Assignment this week.

American Public Health Association. (2021). APHA letter to the House Education and Labor Committee in support of H.R. 1195, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act. https://www.apha.org/-/media/Files/PDF/advocacy/letters/2021/210323_HR1195_workplace_violence.ashx

American Psychological Association. (2017). Effective advocacy: Sample email. https://www.apa.org/advocacy/guide/sample-email.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2017). Effective advocacy: Sample letter. https://www.apa.org/advocacy/guide/sample-letters.pdf