Grassroots Team Leader
MEA Grassroots Team Leaders are MEA Grassroots Activists
who are ready for the next level of advocacy and leadership—people
who want to organize and lead a sustained grassroots
effort within their Congressional districts and/or states
geared at convincing the public to convince their Congressional
representatives to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell.”
MEA Grassroots Team Leaders must first become certified
as MEA Grassroots Activists before going on to the next
level of training. To learn how to become an MEA Grassroots
Activist, click
here. To become a Grassroots Team Leader, you must
also express a willingness to spend several hours per
week on grassroots organizing and lobbying.
The certification process for Grassroots Team Leaders
begins with Chapter 4 of the MEA Grassroots Workbook,
Media and Public Relations. In this chapter, you will
learn the basics of dealing with the media, how to write
press releases, dealing with newspaper editorial boards,
tips for successful interviews, and staging public events.
The exercises at the end of Chapter 4 will ask you to
identify local media sources, describe their political
slant (if any), identify reporters who report on gay
and/or military issues, and your local media’s
“press cycles.” An MEA Mentor with experience
in journalism, communications and/or public relations
will guide you through this chapter.
Chapter 5 deals with the military and veterans—basic
things you need to know about the military and how it
implements personnel policies, and the makeup and politics
of veterans’ organizations. At the end you will
be asked to research and identify local branches/chapters
of veterans’ organizations. Again, an MEA Mentor
with relevant experience will provide you guidance and
advice.
Finally, Chapter 6 will teach you the basics of grassroots
organizing, with tips from experienced activists in
this particularly fun and creative field. You will be
asked to develop an initial plan for grassroots organizing
in your local area.
At the end of this process, you will be certified as
an MEA Grassroots Team Leader, with official recognition
on the MEA website, and with authorization to make public
statements as an MEA representative. MEA intends to
rely heavily on its Grassroots Team Leaders for advice
on political strategy and expects from its Team Leaders
a regular, ongoing effort to increase public attention
and pressure to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell.”
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