Advocacy for meaningful change is one of the three primary ways Room One works in our mission to reduce violence and poverty. If we are to have a rural valley where everyone can truly thrive, we need responsive systems, community partners, equitable access to resources, and trauma-informed practices.
Advocacy is defined as efforts to influence, advance, inform, and design public policy and systems change solutions that reflect the needs of communities who are most impacted. - Perigee Fund & Stolte Family Foundation Community Based Organization Advocacy Project
Room One is a 501 (c) 3 Organization and thus abides by all state and federal regulations that guide any advocacy or lobbying for agencies with this status. Community based organizations like ours are uniquely positioned to speak to the policies, laws, and systems that impact our neighbors.
We think of Advocacy as: helping to build service and resource systems that center those most marginalized through:
collaboration, data, dialogue and policy,
amplifying stories of those most impacted,
doing partner work to reduce barriers clients and community members experience,
connecting with local resources, facilitating connections,
working within coalitions for change through awareness campaigns, program development, and policy change (e.g. more state funding for childcare, early childhood education),
utilizing a range of tools for community organizing, using our platform to raise awareness and to amplify stories, and limited direct lobbying efforts.
We know the people most impacted by the issue are the best advocates for change. We also recognize that an equity lens is essential to this work and we do continuous learning within our organization to grow our understanding of how white supremacy and patriarchy have shaped systems and structures to perpetuate inequity.
"Your story is valid. You are worthy. It's the system that is broken." - Repeal Hyde Art Project
Washington non-profits are allowed to lobby their representatives in specific ways. Room One takes part in both direct and grassroots lobbing activities in accordance with state and federal laws. In the past two years, we have done a diverse range of advocacy activities relating to:
Comprehensive Sexual Health Education
Youth Homelessness
Access to Childcare
Affordable Local Housing
Grassroots Advocacy is where Room One has the most capacity. We have been embedded in Okanogan social services since 1998 engaging a broad spectrum of issues like domestic and sexual violence, mental health and wellbeing, crisis intervention work, teen pregnancy prevention, and homelessness. These issues, and many more, need work to be done at every level. Working together for the well-being of all is how we thrive.
When making a decision about whether Advocacy is our best approach, we ask a few questions:
Is this a significant community need?
Is Room One best situated to take action considering our mission, our areas of expertise, our staff capacity?
Is there momentum or a window of opportunity that warrants timely action?
We also work to keep voices of those most impacted by the issue at the center of our decision making and actions. Our values guide us: dignity, self-determination, accountability, allyship, joy. There are then a range of actions we can take (see below).
