1) Talk about what you are voting for
Without saying who you are voting for, do say what you are voting for, speaking from the heart about how that connects to your love for your kids or grandkids. People will connect with that on an emotional level and be moved to follow your lead.
Use #VoteForOurKids
- make a lawn or window sign to tell everyone you're going to #VoteForOurKids - and for candidates whose platforms put kids' futures first - take a selfie and tag us so we can share!
- make a quick 60-second video and post it on your social channels
- turn your message into a brief, punchy letter to the editor in your local paper - be brief, creative, and speak from the heart to connect with readers on an emotional level (facts and figures are fine, but stories move people)
Remember to share a copy with us, tag us or use the hashtag #VoteForOurKids and we'll amplify!
2) Get your candidates to talk
Don't wait for them to come to you - go to them and tell them what you care about! Put your issues front and centre. Whoever wins will then know what their constituents expect of them. There are a lot of ways to engage with your local candidates:
The basics:
- call them up and talk to them
- get a group together (could be a bunch of friends) and invite candidates to come to you, maybe outside in a local park while your kids play
- if there's a candidate debate in your riding, go to the mic and ask a question (or two, if it's allowed)
3) Bigger actions
- If there isn't a candidate debate happening, organize one. Sound like a lot of work? You don't have to do it alone: partner with other local groups, connect with us for support ([email protected]) and/or reach out to GreenPac for more on their 100 Debates on the Environment initiative. Record the debate and post it for a wider audience - we can help you with that!
- Survey your candidates on their climate platform and share the results - we can help with this too! Joining with other local groups will make it more likely that candidates will take it seriously. And remember to include ALL candidates and publish the results fairly to validate the process.
