Personal Advocacy
Personal Advocacy Toolkit
The immigrant story is the story of the United States. Here at International House, we believe that when immigrants thrive, Charlotte thrives. Immigrants enrich our culture, broaden our understanding of the world, and fuel economic growth. It is our goal to support them and the community they’ve chosen to call home. There are many ways to support us in that mission. One way is through storytelling, personal advocacy, and the power of speaking up for vulnerable neighbors in your community.
According to the NC Center for Non-Profits, advocacy is a broad term that encompasses any type of communication that advances a nonprofit’s mission. Advocacy can include discussions on public policy issues, nonpartisan voter engagement activities, and issue-based rallies. It can also include storytelling about a nonprofit’s mission, programs and services. Your advocacy can help strengthen our community by giving a voice to the immigrants in our community that are often misunderstood, misrepresented, or sometimes even unjustly vilified. Join us in the fight to show our local and national leaders that we are stronger together. Here are some resources to get you started:
Advocacy Resources:
- Tips for Writing Representative Letters (link to Marie’s tips)
Non-Profit Organization Funding
According to the NC Center for Non-Profits, there are over 360,000 non-profit employees in NC providing vital community resources many citizens rely on each and every day. The nonprofit sector in NC earns more than two thirds (80%) of its revenue through fees for services and government contracts and grants. Although the issue of non-profit funding has been recently under public attack, the problem has persisted since pandemic times. Nonprofit missions are vulnerable to actions by policymakers who, whether intentionally or not, through a wide variety of methods, have been limited resources, slashing budgets and redirecting public sentiment. International House needs your help amplifying the issue of non-profit funding so that we continue to have the resources we need to serve the immigrants of Charlotte and the internationally minded. Use the below letter to customize and send to your federal representatives today.
Pause of US Refugee Resettlement Program
In the year 1980, Congress officially passed the bipartisan United States Refugee Act, providing the first statutory basis for asylum, increasing the number of refugees that could be admitted to the U.S. each year, and creating the Office of Refugee Resettlement to oversee resettlement programs. Under the Act, the president, in consultation with Congress, sets the annual number of refugee admissions and the allocation of these admissions to refugees coming from various parts of world. Organizations like International House are tasked through this act to provide a range of federally funded resettlement programming: workforce development, English language, transportation assistance, childcare, healthcare and much more. We now see ourselves in limbo through a moratorium on all refugee resettlement program spending. Many refugees around the world remain in temporary housing waiting for their chance to journey to the United States. Others are already here but are unable to access resources without organizational funding. Will you join us in asking your elected officials to continue their humanitarian mandate to welcome refugees to the United States?
Instructions for the Refugee Resettlement Letter
The Refugee Resettlement Letter
