In November, UU FaithAction celebrated it’s second anniversary of Action Hour. Here are some impact statistics:
In two years, we’ve made:
- 766 phone calls
- 593 emails
We’ve discussed policies and action with 158 individuals, averaging about 16 people in each Action Hour call.
When Action Hour started, we only held it once per month, but high demand and positive reception encouraged us to expand to every first and third Friday. Now, during New Jersey’s lame duck legislative session, we’re holding Action Hour every Friday. Here is what one frequent attendee, Nadine Sapirman, had to say about Action Hour:
On empowering everyday UU’s…
“I’m a strong believer in everyday people having a voice in our democracy. As you may know, I’ve been a volunteer citizen lobbyist for Citizens’ Climate Lobby for about 12 years. I greatly appreciate organizations that provide the resources to help citizens take this kind of meaningful action in support of policies.”
How would you rate your engagement with our actions now? What about in the past (before Action Hour)?
“I’ve stepped up my actions with UUFANJ since the Action Hours began two years ago. I try to tune in most First Fridays, and have spread the word in my congregation through our social media and other channels. Rev. Charles sometimes brings experts to the Zoom meeting to help inform us on various pieces of legislation and there’s always a connection to our UU values as to why it’s important to support the legislation. Clearly, a lot of preparation goes into both the meeting and all of the supportive documentation to make the actions easy to understand and easy to take.”
What do you like about Action Hour?
“Our UUFANJ Action Hours are a great format. I love that they take place during a typical lunch time — noon on Fridays — so many people might have the opportunity to take part. They’re called Action Hours but, many times, volunteers get all the information they need in about half an hour. We can then take our actions (usually calling and writing) immediately, or we can do it later that day or another time when it might be more convenient.
“I’ve made so many calls to my Assemblypersons’ office that they now know me. We can discuss some important pieces of legislation, like the Immigrant Trust Act, at more than a surface level. I’m so grateful that UU FaithAction NJ has provided this valuable platform for UU’s around the state to educate themselves and one another, mobilize together, and advocate for impactful policy in New Jersey.”