“Georgia Politics 101:A Lobbying Assignment at the State Capitol”

Shyam K. SriramGeorgia Perimeter College

Prepared for the Annual Conference of The Democracy Commitment,San Antonio, TX, June 7th to 9th, 2012

Assignment Background• Men Stopping Violence internship (2009)

• Stop Violence Against Women Day (SVAWD), 2009 to 2012

• Began taking students to capitol – initially as extra credit – in 2010.

• Part of larger project to introduce domestic violence awareness and sexual assault education in the political science classroom.

January, 2011

February, 2012

Assignment Objectives

1) Learn about interest groups and lobbying through a civic engagement opportunity.

2) Interact with other social justice lobbyists and advocates in Georgia.

3) Take part in role playing and simulations involving legislators and lobbyists.

4) Learn about the structure of the Georgia General Assembly including House and Senate leadership, customs and protocols.

Assignment Objectives Continued …

5) Identify state legislators by name, face and constituency.

6) Interact with state legislators and learn the fundamentals of lobbying.

7) Gain a basic understanding of terminology and facts concerning domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual assault and other crimes.

8) Learn how the legislative process in Georgia affects advocates, service agencies, victims and survivors.

Different Types of Assessmenta) Basic Reflection

• Do you feel like what you were lobbying for was important? Why or why not?

• On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “zero knowledge” and 10 being “expert” how much knowledge did you have before the event and how much did you have after?

• What did you learn about American politics from this experience? Are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

b) Letter to a Legislator• All students asked to choose public

policy topic in Georgia and write to either their state representative or senator.

• However, SVAWD attendees are asked to write about their experiences at the capitol and write to the legislators they met.

• Students use Project Vote Smart to locate legislators and the official legislative record to determine voting record on issue of choice.

Sample Student Responses• “Yes, I do feel that what we were lobbying for was important. Because it is

my right to do so, I come from a land where tyrants would snatch your rights away if you have any to start with.” (Student D, originally from Iraq)

• “As a survivor of domestic violence, I can stay that I am very familiar with the crisis. However, my experience happened during a relationship long ago when I lived in California as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and it is still very real today. I never knew the actual statistics in my home state of Georgia were so alarmingly high until attending this event. So, I can definitely relate to the topic with great empathy. I never in a million years thought that it could happen to me. I will say that domestic violence is like a disease: if left untreated it will literally kill you, day by day.” (Student E)

+ Share two student political letters on subject.

Feedback from this year’s event

• “Thanks for the opportunity of inviting me to the SVAWD at the State Capitol. It was an experience that will go into one of the moments of my life that I will always remember. No, I am not trying to score brownie points; it was a great experience for me. I have a few issues in my community that I am concerned with that I will address with my State representative.”

• “Thanx (sic) for taking precious time out of your day with your adorable wife to educate us hands-on. Today was a day of fulfillment and a great accomplishment for myself … I felt like I stood in the place of the 29,000 women that didn't have a voice last year, but have a better chance this year.”

Potential Challenges

• Legality/ New GPC policies• Supervisor and administration buy-in• Lobbying prep• Assignment construction and assessment• Event organization and logistics

(transportation, dress code, class conflicts, etiquette, etc.)

• Alternative assignments

Questions?