Telling your story is a great way to make a difference — and because it’s your story, there’s no one better to tell it! Our stories are powerful political tools, and we can use them to make real change. Hearing a real person talk about a policy problem gives policymakers a name and face to remember. Make sure they remember your story — and make the changes you want — with our toolkit, “Sharing Your Story For a Political Purpose.”
This toolkit helps you brainstorm the most important parts of what you want to say, and make a plan to use your story to create policy change. It explains how to share your story in different places, like:
- Town halls
- Legislative hearings
- Public comments on regulations
- Op-eds and letters to the editor
- Petitions
The toolkit is available in two versions:
- Our Easy Read Edition. The Easy Read version is split into 9 parts. Each part has its own Words to Know section, and there is also a separate Words to Know part with all of the terms from every section. The Easy Read version uses pictures along with larger text, and has more white space.
- A Plain Language Version for either those with vision-related disabilities or those who would prefer a version without accompanying graphics.
The Easy Read Edition is split into parts. Each part has its own Words to Know section, and there is also a separate Words to Know part with all of the terms from every section. Click on the title of any of the parts below to download it:
- 1. Sharing Your Story for Policy Advocacy
- 2. Town Halls
- 3. Giving Testimony
- 4. Public Comment Periods
- 5. Letters to the Editor and Op-Eds
- 6. Petitions
- 7. Advocacy Strategies
- 8. To Learn More
- 9. Words to Know
You can also download the entire Easy Read Edition of the toolkit by clicking here.