Capitol Hill Day: Building Relationships and Opening Doors
December 9, 2020
Advocacy, National Mentoring Summit
On January 27, 2021, take part in MENTOR’s seventh annual Capitol Hill Day and join mentoring advocates as we raise our voices and drive change for our communities. You can sign up for Capitol Hill Day (which is taking place virtually this year) when you register for the 2021 National Mentoring Summit, or you can email Adriane Alicea if you would like to attend Capitol Hill Day but are not attending the National Mentoring Summit.
Adriane Alicea, Director of Advocacy at MENTOR National had the chance to interview Samuel Bellamy, Jr., Business Development Consultant for South Carolina Mentors about his past experiences attending Capitol Hill Day below:
What is your favorite part of Capitol Hill Day?
My favorite part of Capitol Hill day is surprisingly the hustle and bustle of trying to get from meeting to meeting with our state leaders. There was something about the sense of urgency I felt during the day that was really electrifying to me. I knew we were there to do some important work and on that particular day, the energy of the day solidified its importance. I think you will feel a similar hustle virtually, as well.
What is one thing you learned about Congress and advocating for mentoring through Capitol Hill Day?
The number one thing I learned from Capitol Hill Day is that all of this is an actual process. Before attending my first Capitol Hill day I was vaguely familiar about the process and honestly, I wasn’t aware of the amount of work and bipartisan support it took to advocate for the things we need for young people in the mentoring field. So, through it all I learned that policy work takes time and there must be alignment both in aspirations and in the budget for policymakers.
How do you personally define advocacy and how does Capitol Hill Day help drive towards your organization’s goals?
I define advocacy now as pure relationship building toward an alignment of goals. The foundational activity of advocacy is rooted in our ability to influence political and social systems to help us achieve our movement’s mission. What I learned on Capitol Hill Day is that none of this is possible without first establishing solid relationships. Since Capitol Hill Day, we have been staying in touch with our Members of Congress. Our goal is to inform them of our work and allow a relationship to build before asking for anything in return.
What is one piece of advice you would give future Capitol Hill Day advocates?
I would advise all future advocates to trust the process. You may not walk out of a meeting with a firm commitment to invest in mentoring today, but the relationships and connections you build along the way will be the key needed to open future doors for your program.