Start your own civic engagement campaign

In our civic engagement track, we provide resources and mentorship to students looking to make a change in their community by lobbying for social justices.

As such, chapters interested in policy engagement may choose to research and campaign against unjust laws that harm older adults, like inadequate economic protections for residents in memory-care facilities. You may also choose to do this without a chapter, but it’s harder as power usually comes in the masses!

Here is our course of action for chapters interested in this initiative, also linked here. If you’d like to fill out the application or get some support from us, please fill out this form.

1. Choose one hyper-specific, unjust rule
   • Don’t try to fix everything. Pick one rule that is:
     1. Clearly harmful to seniors
     2. Easy to explain in one sentence
     3. At a local/state level
   • For example:
     1. A state DMV policy that forces in-person renewals for seniors who cannot drive
     2. Medicare paperwork requirements that require online-only portals
     3. Housing authority rules that limit overnight caregivers
2. Make sure the policy exists
   • Find the exact rule (city code, state statute, agency rule)
   • Save the regulation number or page and the agency enforcing it
   • Find who can change it (city council, state agency, legislature committee)
3. Gather some testimonies
   • 3-5 short testimonies from seniors or caregivers
   • One concrete example of harm
   • (Tip to achieve this: talk to seniors at local community centers! You can even start by just asking about what makes their life difficult. Then, ask if you can interview them and record them, so you can draw quotes later).
4. Write a one-page policy brief
   • Use this structure:
   • Problem (2-3 sentences)
   • Who is harmed (specific population)
   • Why the rule is outdated or unfair
   • Your proposed fix
   • Who can change it
5. Build a small group of supporters
   • Try to recruit 1-2 teachers/advisor, 3-5 students, and 2-3 seniors/caregivers.
   • Have everyone sign your policy brief and agree to send one email.
6. Contact the decision-makers!
   • Find the specific committee, office, or agency responsible and send a short, respectful email attaching your one-page brief. Essentially, ask for a 15-minute meeting or written feedback on feasibility.
7. Document everything
   • Keep records of emails sent, meetings held, and responses received. Note that success might not necessarily be law changes! Some valid outcomes include the rule being reviewed, a pilot exemption, a proposal added to meeting minutes, further data requested. Any of these means your campaign worked – congrats!