Dear Friends,
Everyone deserves a chance to thrive. If you’re reading this, you probably agree. But across the U.S., that sentiment isn’t universal. As we experience deep and broad cuts to the programs that help families stay well, it’s more obvious than ever that not all of our neighbors believe that every child and parent are worth investing in. Nonetheless, LIFT will always believe in families – both their worth and their power. Every parent is an expert on their own life, and here at LIFT-NY, we are beginning to deploy that expertise in our new Policy and Advocacy work.
While the federal landscape is bleak, there is room to maneuver at the state and local level in terms of preserving – or even expanding – family-supporting policies. We are gearing up for just that, and making sure our members’ voices and priorities are front and center. This summer, we launched our Policy efforts in NYC with two events. The first was a fireside chat where I talked with members about our plans and shared some of my own policy work from earlier in my career. The second was a training for members on the Public Narrative framework popularized by Marshall Ganz, with our own trauma-informed twists to ensure that any personal storytelling our members do is ethical and psychologically safe. This is just the beginning of our Policy and Advocacy journey. We’ll be continuing to engage members to build a cohort of folks who are ready to tell policymakers what they need to thrive.
We’re beginning to develop partnerships and join coalitions with organizations who share our values and aims. And with our national policy agenda soon to be released, we’ll be taking some active stances on laws and policies we think will help ensure that every family in New York has the chance to thrive – something we all deserve. Stay tuned for more updates over the next year, and as always, please reach out if you have questions or want to support this important evolution to our work
In solidarity,
