OPRA's Advocacy Army
Why Now?
More than ever, OPRA Members are willing to commit their time and resources to advocate with their state and federal elected officials for their services, their staff, and the people they support. In order to capitalize on the Membership's energy, OPRA developed Advocacy Army to arm providers, families, and Ohioans with I/DD with the skills and knowledge of how to be effective legislative advocates.
The Advocacy Army Curriculum
The curriculum combines lectures from the OPRA team, active learning exercises, and presentations from system partners.
Topics:
| State and Federal Advocacy | The Legislative and State Budget Process | Planning and Hosting Effective Legislative Meetings |
| Building Effective Narratives | Mapping Relationships | The Role of the OPRA PAC |
New for 2024: A Statehouse Advocacy Day that includes a Statehouse tour and meetings with offices of members of the General Assembly*
Who Should Participate?
The Advocacy Army curriculum is designed to be taken by teams of up to five representatives from an OPRA Provider Member. Representatives can include agency administrators, frontline supervisors or direct support professionals (DSPs), people served by the agency, and families served by the agency. Each participant is expected to participate in each in-person training session and the Statehouse Day.
Training Location, Dates, and Times
Day 1: August 14th, 2024, 10am-3pm
Location: Amelita Mirolo Barn
Day 2 and 3: September 10th-September 11th
September 10th: Training- 11am-3pm; Dinner with Guest Speakers- 5pm-7pm
Location: The Graduate Columbus**
September 11th: Statehouse Advocacy Day- 9am- TBD (depends on meeting times)
Location: Ohio Statehouse
1 Capitol Square
Columbus, OH 43215
*For members sending teams to the training without top leadership, there will be an opportunity for top leadership to join the legislative meetings. Additional communication about this option will be shared closer to the event. OPRA staff will be available to attend meetings with members for those in small groups or who would like additional support. For more information on legislative meetings, please reach out to Christine.
**A room block is reserved at The Graduate for attendees who wish to stay overnight. Additional information will be distributed once attendees register.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in sponsoring OPRA's Advocacy Army? Click here:
