Friday, December 09, 2022
Advocacy Corner: Legislative Aide Advocacy 101
Next month, on January 17, AgeGuide will host its annual Legislative Aid Kick-Off for all of the legislative aides and staffers in the Northeastern Illinois region. While connecting with legislators is critical to our advocacy work, we recognize the importance of building relationships with the other most important people at the table; the aides.
Working with Aides
As any advocate will attest, it’s often hard to get face time with legislators because they’re busy legislating, campaigning, or traveling to and from the capital and their district. As a result, our information and invitations sometimes get passed to staffers and aides. This is a good thing!
Aides have power and control over who and what gets to the legislator. The relationship with legislative staff is also critical to any advocacy efforts because they influence, research, craft, and review legislation that impacts aging services. In addition, they provide constituent services and field thousands of calls from district residents, including older adults. A strong relationship with an aide can not only help spread the word about aging services but also get us a seat at the table and a connection to the legislator themselves.
AgeGuide makes a concerted effort to get to know legislative staffers and keep them updated on the efforts of our network.
Why Now?
Our annual Aide Kickoff is one way that we build these critical relationships. This event has become an anticipated start to the new legislative session, for both new and seasoned aides, drawing legislative offices from across the region and sparking new relationships that lead to improved advocacy.
Coming on the heels of the Midterm and beginning of the legislative session, our annual Aide Kickoff is strategically scheduled to allow us to meet and orient new legislators and their teams to aging services and our advocacy priorities. In addition, this virtual event is a chance to celebrate achievements, reconnect with returning aides and share a host of new and reimagined resources for older adults.
AgeGuide Legislative Aide Kickoff 2023
Our persistent message to legislators and aides is that Older Americans Act services are a critical resource to ensure people stay socially connected and remain at home and in the community. This year’s Kickoff will drive home this point with our theme of longevity, including:
- How to support older adults and their caregivers as they live longer lives
- How to lead constituents to resources that reduce social isolation in those extra years
- How to empower the people of Northeastern Illinois to age well, live with dignity, and build connections
Data Collection
Following this event, AgeGuide surveys all the regional aides to collect data on what issues are most pressing for them this year and how the aging network can help. We use this information to inform service design and delivery and to develop our advocacy strategy for the year. Last year’s survey indicated that legislators found our events and resources valuable and they wanted even more direct connection to service providers and older adult constituents. This lead AgeGuide to partner with our local Senior Centers to coordinate several site visits for legislators. The visits were a huge success and much appreciated by legislators and older adult participants alike.
What You Can Do
January is a great month to reach out to new and returning legislative offices. Give them a call to introduce yourself and tell them to support aging services this year. Find out who the aides are and invite them to visit your local aging service provider. This touchpoint with your legislative offices will position you as a trusted resource and keep aging services front and center. To find your legislative officials click here.
