Nicole Allen, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
As part of National Arts Advocacy Day on March 25, 2014, supporters in SE Pennsylvania had the opportunity to advocate right in their own backyard.
GroundSwell, the grassroots advocacy program of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, along with the Artistic Rebuttal Project (ARP) partnered with local arts organizations in four southeastern Pennsylvania counties to host phone banks that allowed arts supporters to reach their federal legislators from a distance.
The “Go Forth by Phone” event took place at four different locations. Supporters were encouraged to bring their lunch, phones and computers, and spend their break making sure their voices were heard. A phone script and suggested language for emails was provided. The locations were as follows:
- The Philadelphia County phone bank will be hosted at CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia
- The Chester County phone bank will be hosted by Arts Holding Hands and Hearts
at Coatesville Area Public Library - The Delaware County phone bank will be hosted by Community Arts Center
- The Montgomery County phone bank will be hosted by Creative MontCo at Valley Forge Convention & Visitors Bureau
The phone bank idea was originally conceived by Artistic Rebuttal Project Executive Director Amy Scheidegger, who thought of the project when she realized she would not be able to attend this year’s National Arts Advocacy Day conference in Washington. “I knew there had tobe different ways of advocating, especially for the type of person who can speak easier when there’s less pressure,” says Scheidegger. “This phone bank idea came from wanting to provide people with a low-pressure environment and everything they need at their fingertips so that they serve as back-up to those in Washington. It also hopes to convince people that advocating can be done from anywhere at any time, not only in DC on designated advocacy days.”
Scheidegger then brought the idea to GroundSwell, who partnered with ARP to coordinate the phone bank in Philadelphia as well as the suburban counties. “We’re very excited to be part of this event, and to be doing it with such a wide reach,” said Cultural Alliance Interim Executive Director Michael Norris. “We need representation from as many districts as possible, especially in the suburbs.”
More information about the “Go Forth by Phone” events and other grassroots advocacy activities can visit www.groundswellpa.org.