Thrill-Seeking for Nerds (who want to change the world)

Lobbying is one of the most intense and effective advocacy actions! And it's no wonder- a face to face conversation with your member of Congress gives both parties the opportunity to be heard and understood, and speak in depth on their positions and room for compromise. There’s an idea many people have in their heads of a cartoonish, fancy-suited man with a briefcase sneaking around Capitol Hill and bribing politicians to represent his interest. I, too, think of that image with extreme distaste. Yes, there are paid lobbyists, but that’s not what I mean by a "lobby meeting" with volunteer constituents . “Lobbying” as a general concept gets its name from people who used to wait around in the lobby of the office building, hoping to snag a few minutes or even precious seconds of a lawmaker’s time to promote their cause. [A panorama taken while my family waited to meet with Senator Blunt. My mom appears three times in the shot, among the crowd waiting in the lobby.] These ...

Hey, teen advocates! Here's a really cool book you should get for your mom! [Book cover, depicting women linking arms in front of the Capitol. "What would you change about the world if you could?" and changyit.com are written above and below the book, respectively] This Women’s History Month, I’m proud to celebrate the most important woman in my life and how she has been a part of global history– my mom, Cynthia Changyit Levin , writing her debut book From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started! On International Women’s Day (March 8), her book was officially launched for the world to read. It’s a warm, funny, and inspirational guide to political advocacy specifically geared towards moms and their unique power. Experts and everyday advocates alike have written glowing endorsements already, but as Cynthia Changyit Levin’s eldest child, I feel uniquely qualified to say this is the perfect representation of her life’s work...

When advocacy feels like an uphill battle, who keeps you climbing? Today, I looked for inspiration on what to say about advocacy that I haven't already said here. I found it in a project for U.S. History class, at the end of last school year!  The assignment was to write a letter to my hypothetical future grandchildren about what life was like during 2020. It reminded me how tiring advocacy can be, but also that the power of personal relationships and fun moments do more to keep me engaged than the urgency of statistics, and I think that's a valuable lesson about movements. Here's an excerpt of what I wrote to my imaginary grandchild: Separated from my local community because I was isolated at home, the Sunrise Movement became my community. All that time online was draining, and electoral politics feels soul-sucking, so our team made sure that we were real friends to each other. These were the people I stayed up with until 1 a.m. on election night video calls. The combined ...