NEW WARRIORS TOOL KIT

How to Contact Your Congressmember/Senator Tool Kit

We urge you as a constituent to call, write or arrange a visit with your elected officials for all Warriors “Take Actions.” 

We cannot do this alone. We need everyone to join us.

Identify Senate Office

You can find information about the local offices of your Senators and Congressmembers on their websites. You can find their individual websites here:

• For U.S. Senators: Click on your Senator’s NAME here to be brought directly to their website.
• For U.S. Congressmembers: Click on your congress member’s NAME here to be brought directly to their website.

Prepare for Call/Meeting

Most legislators’ websites include office phone numbers and “Request for Meeting” forms that you can fill out online or offer an email address for a staff member to schedule an appointment. Before calling your lawmaker’s office, fill out the form or send an email request for a meeting. If you are sending an email, it should contain the following:

• Your name and address (to show that you are a constituent);
• The issues you wish to discuss;
• The local office you wish to visit;
• The dates that you can meet (include several dates or an adequate time frame allowing flexibility in scheduling the meeting); and
• Follow up your request with a phone call. A day or two after you anticipate your communication has arrived, follow up with a phone call to your legislator’s local office. Ask for the person in charge of scheduling your lawmaker’s appointments. *A Sample Email and Phone Script is below.

Prepare for Meeting

Research: Before you meet a policy maker, it can be helpful to research these topics:

• The policy maker’s personal history: Read the bio provided on their website to get a sense of their personal and professional experience and to identify opportunities to make a personal connection. (Do they have young children? Are they a grandparent?)
• Issues that are important to them: Look through their website for issues that are highlighted. Find out if they use social media. What do they post about?

Gather: Determine who will join you for the meeting.

• Gathering a diverse group of constituents to attend the meeting is one powerful way to make the most of your visit. As you prepare for meetings with policy makers, know who will be attending the meeting and what role each person will play. Clarify beforehand who will be the primary spokesperson, the storyteller, and the notetaker, and who will offer the “out of field perspective.” Everyone should have a specific role during the meeting and each role should have talking points the group develops and agrees to before the meeting, which bring us to the next step.

Develop and practice your talking points.

• Write down bullets of the main points you want to get across and personalize your comments and provide local context to help illustrate why it’s important to protect kids online.

Decide what questions you want to ask the policy maker or staffer.

Brainstorm possible answers to questions you will get asked during your visit.

Discuss ideas for how you will follow up after the meeting.

Follow-up.

• After your meeting, be sure to send a thank you letter to your lawmaker and/or your lawmaker’s staff. Thank them for taking the time to meet with you and re-iterate the asks that you made in your meeting. Your legislator and their staff will appreciate it – and it is a great way to remind them about your requests.

SAMPLE EMAIL SCRIPT

Dear Senator [LAST NAME],

As a constituent in [STATE] I am writing to request a meeting with you and your aides to discuss several issues that affect [ISSUE].

I will be available to meet with you at your [LOCATION] office on [DATES YOU ARE AVAILABLE] and would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about these issues. I can be reached at the phone numbers listed below and will look forward to hearing from you regarding a time we can meet. Thank you for your consideration

Respectfully,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
M: [YOUR MOBILE PHONE]
O: [YOUR OFFICE PHONE]
H: [YOUR HOME PHONE]

SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am a resident of [CITY]. I am calling to request a meeting with you and your aides to discuss [ISSUE]. I will be available to meet with you at your [LOCATION] office on [DATES YOU ARE AVAILABLE] and would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about these issues. Is Senator [NAME] available to meet with me on [DATE]?

If they are not available on those dates ask: 

“Could you let me know some dates that he/she or a staff person might be available to meet with me?”

Write down the date, time and person you spoke with. If you have not heard back in a few days, call again to follow up. Be polite but persistent!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 24, 2024 is WEAR DENIM DAY! Get your DENIM READY! 4/24 #DenimDay April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month. #SAAPM#supportsurvivors #listentosurvivors Take action. Learn more from RAINN. Take pics and post on your social media platforms. 

April 17, 2024. DHS Launches KNOW 2 PROTECT Campaign to raise awareness and combat child exploitation online. Please join us. We need ALL of you. Use the #Know2Protect Tool Kit and share facts, resources and take actions on your social media platforms. #communitycreateschange

April 15, 2024. Please sign the Petition for SAMMY’S LAW. It only takes seconds.

Sammy was an amazing kid — sweet, funny, curious, and an A student. Sammy’s parents worked hard to keep him away from dangerous people and places. But, like most parents, Sammy’s parents had no idea that drug dealers were preying on children using Snapchat and other social media platforms. And they had no idea illegal, untested drugs could be delivered to their house as easily as a pizza. On February 7, 2021, a drug dealer reached out to our son Sammy on Snapchat and delivered drugs to him at home. He snuck out after his parents were asleep to meet the dealer, who gave him what turned out to be a lethal dose of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid twice as addictive as heroin, 100 times more powerful than morphine — and fatal even in microscopic doses. Sammy had no idea he was taking it. As a result, Sammy lost his life. Don’t let your child or teen be next.

April 10, 2024. The 2024 Dirty Dozen List Revealed. Now we need you. Take action and hold these 12 companies, platforms, apps and even Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act responsible for facilitating sexual exploitation. This annual campaign sponsored by our colleagues at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation is a proven winner with many past victories to pushing CHANGE. #protectourchildren

April 6, 2024. Register for the 2024 Dirty Dozen List Reveal on April 10th at 11AM EST! This is the annual campaign calling out 12 mainstream corporations, institutions and entities that facilitate and profit from sexual abuse and exploitation. Since its inception in 2013, #DDL campaign has galvanized tens of thousands of individuals like YOU to call on corporations, government agencies and organizations to change problematic policies and practices. Have you registered for the reveal event? If not, you can do so here. Thank You.

April 2024. Calling ALL New York Warriors! Do you want a brothel next door? It could happen. And soon. New York legislators want to pass a bill legalizing pimps, traffickers, brothel owners, illicit spas and sex buying. More people, including vulnerable children, will be trafficked to fill the demand. Join us. Make your voice heard. Urge your elected representatives to VOTE NO  and SAY YES  to the Sex Trade Survivors Justice & Equality Model! Learn more from New Yorkers for the Equality Model.    

April 4, 2024. Join the Warriors for an evening of take actions to raise awareness and provide resources about ending human trafficking in New York State. Learn more and tickets. 

March 20, 2024. Calling ALL New York Warriors! Right now there are two bills in the New York legislature that are designed to protect our kids online. These important pieces of legislation have powerful, bipartisan support—but if we want them to cross the finish line, they need your support.

Common Sense Media is holding a Day of Action in Albany on Wednesday, March 20 and the Warriors will be there!

We want to see you there! Here are the details:

What: Day of Action for Kids Online Safety 

When: Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 10am

Where: Albany, NY 

Why: To ensure our kids’ safety online

RSVP Here

If you can participate, you’ll have an opportunity to attend a media event at the capitol and meet with your legislators. For years, we’ve all seen the devastating impact that social media can have on kids’ mental health—and we have the research to back it up. But for too long, these giant companies have skirted accountability while profiting at the expense of children. Enough is enough.

It’s time to prioritize the mental health crisis among young people and pass legislation that will make the internet a safer, healthier place for kids and teens. If you’re with us, then please, join us on March 20 and show your support for the SAFE for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act—RSVP now to let us know you’re coming.

If you live in New York City, we’ll provide transportation for you. After you sign up, we’ll send you all the details you need to participate.

March 11.  It’s Never Too Early to Sound the Alarm! #onepillkills

March 8. Calling ALL New York Warriors. We Need You!

March is Talk To Teens Month! A MUST-READ from our colleagues at Bark Technologies. Recognizing the Signs of Disordered Eating in Teens. It is crucial for parents to recognize in today’s age of airbrushed influencers and celebrities with perfect bodies crafted by personal trainers, teens may feel pressured to live up to a certain body type.

February 2024 is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

One in three teens experience some sort of abuse – physical, sexual, bullying. Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, recognized each year in February, serves to raise awareness and promote safe, healthy relationships. TDV is an adverse childhood experience and a type of intimate partner violence. TDV is common, and some teens are at a greater risk than others. 

Please learn more – Love Is Respect

02-29 FREE. Register Now!

02-25 Deadline is 02-26-2024. Facing Fentanyl. Take Action. #fentanyl #onepillkills #protectourkids

01-25 Urge Your Elected Representatives to Pass #KOSA – Kids Online Safety Act. First child safety bill in 25 years. This bipartisan legislation still needs our help get over the finish line. Join us. Make your voice heard. #protectkidsonline

01-02-2024 Start the New Year with Vetted Information. You are not alone. Always call 988 if you or a loved one are in crisis.