My husband. Doug, and I are heading off soon to help chaperone Students Inside Albany – our second time! – and I encourage all of you who are sending students to make sure you use the stories and pictures they bring back to promote the good work the League does. It is truly a rare and rich opportunity. Many of the students last year became interns for legislators or had other good follow-up experiences. Share that good news too.
We’ll help at our end by encouraging the students to get pictures with key people they meet and to send them off to you. Laura and I will be taking pictures too and we’ll be happy to share. The legislators often have a formal shot taken but may prefer a more informal one from us or a student for their newsletter. So don’t hesitate to show them pictures of them with “their” students and to thank them for their participation.
By the way, Doug recently ran into a Congressional candidate and happened to mention the League, and he exclaimed, “Oh, I love the League” and then went on to explain that it was this program that first got him interested in politics quite a few years ago! This program really makes a difference.
Soon we’ll be heading off to the LWVUS Convention and I look forward to seeing you there in the NY hospitality suite and elsewhere. Don’t forget picture-taking and story-sharing there too. Try to capture moments that are startling, humorous, colorful or otherwise media-grabbing and share it in print, social media, wherever you can. Perhaps tweet and post news as it breaks. Let’s not keep all the excitement and energy to ourselves.
Meanwhile I know your league is probably making fall plans. We hope you’ll all save time in your fall schedule for a membership meeting on our Legislative Procedures update and in early 2017 for some serious discussion – with feedback to the state board – about the Constitutional Convention. These are not simple issues!
Of course, as we stressed at the regional meetings, include FUN in you summer and fall plans too. Has your League laughed lately? Of course it has, but do it more. It’s free!
Dare Thompson, President
League of Women Voters of NYS
darethompson@gmail.com
Facebook: League of Women Voters of NYS
Twitter: @LWVNYS
