I was thinking of something that would be tangible and around which we could structure the AMA Club. Also knowing that a lot of students might lack the skills or experience to do advocacy and that might be a barrier. Knowing that, given my experience delivering dozens of Statehouse advocacy workshops, I have the training and skillset which I felt I could easily share and pass along my skills from the legislative floor, into this setting.
The three part series came out of what I wanted to provide other students. The first one is an overview of what went on in the Maine State House this year, and what's going on next time to give perspective to folks; the second is on the logistics of how to navigate the legislative system; and the third is developing a personal story. With House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, I was connected with his team by a friend and was hoping that I could get him here. Having him do part of the training developed out of working with his team and thinking that it might be good, even if he doesn't explicitly talk about what went on last session, but rather what's going on this session. I think that his voice is so important because he's young, he is from Biddeford, and he is the first out speaker in Maine’s history. He has a lot going on for him that I think students will identify with and see in themselves. It just seemed like a natural fit to put him in as part of the series as well.
Tell me a little bit about your experience preparing for the event.
I started to reach out to the other advocacy clubs on campus, because I wanted as many students who might get something from this to have that opportunity. In general, there are so many competing interests and schedules that the more we can team-up together, the more participation and outcomes would be increased. I'd sort of laid out the idea of what I wanted for the three trainings, but didn't have the speakers or anything lined up. I did a lot of outreach to the teams, but a lot of logistical planning (the best time, how to set up, etc.) was a collaborative effort. The main thing was all of us helping to get our members out there for the execution of the event. It’s been pretty declarative. Also, the AMA supports us financially through grants. I got a grant to pay for the food for these events and am hoping to get another grant in the spring to rent a bus to take people to Augusta. That’s the ultimate outcome I'd like to get from this: to have medical students going to Augusta and testifying on legislation, submitting written testimony or writing a Letter to the Editor (LTE). That's the tangible thing I'd like to get out of this. Part of the training is also going to focus on how to effectively engage in social media, so students can use their voice in that way, which is huge.
I think that these trainings are going to be applicable to students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni alike. They're going to be learning actionable skills so they can take on any issue, from any political background, and effectively engage with legislation and carry out advocacy.
Maine House Representative Sam Zeger addressing COM students during the first training workshop