Encourage one another to sit on citizen committees and councils or consider running for elected positions in local government

|

Suggested Practices and Examples for Implementation:

  • Contact your local government staff to find the list of advisory boards and commissions they rely on to get community input into the policy process.
  • Attend the meetings of these advisory boards and commissions – they should all be open to the public, have prepared agendas they share with the public, and have publicly accessible lists of the members of their boards and commissions so that you can connect with the members individually. If any of that isn’t publicly available, contact a local nonprofit to help you get this information.
  • Join your local political party (Republican, Democrat, etc.) and attend meetings to learn about the process of running for an elected office.
  • Think about the people in your community who you respect and who would make good representatives in your local government. Encourage them to run for office!
  • Support the campaigns for the candidates who will represent your values and priorities in office. There are lots of different ways to volunteer or donate to support political campaigns.
  • Find organizations you trust and join them in their campaigns/advocacy for environmental protection, climate action, and a more just world.
    • Local action/involvement is vital, and joining with others to effect large-scale change is also deeply important. 

General Information Related to this Strategy:

Available Resources in Western North Carolina: