Ahh summer camp: canoe lessons, bullies, camp counselors that are suspiciously red-eyed, and the romance that none of your friends back at school will ever believe really happenned because "she's from Maine and you don't know her" just doesn't fly.
...

Well, now you can do it all over again, excpt that none of that stuff will happen and instead you'll learn how to be an effective advocate and bring change to Olympia and Washington.

What: Children's Alliance Advocacy Camp
When/where: Advocacy Camp 2005 is October 17-19, 2005 in North Bend.
Why: Three, fun, and inspirational days that will teach you how to become a better public policy advocate.

Learn effective ways to change public policy to improve the lives of families and children through capitol based advocacy, grassroots mobilization, and the media.

Advocacy Camp is a three-day interactive training to help you become a better public policy advocate for families and children. [more after the jump]
Effective advocacy rests on a three–legged stool:
*Capitol Based Advocacy teaches you to work the legislative process effectively; communicate your concerns with your elected officials through visits, letter writing, and phone calls.
*Grassroots Advocacy focuses on creating change through recruitment and mobilization of advocates around an issue.
*Media Advocacy teaches you to use the media effectively to shape and change public opinion.

Cost: This is not a free event. The Children's Alliance incurs costs putting it on and they need to recoup some of that. Children’s Alliance members pay $175.00 for Advocacy Camp. If you are not a member of the Children’s Alliance, the cost is $250.00 per person. Scholarships are available for low-income people. Depending on available resources, child care and transportation assistance will be available.

The fee covers room and board, tuition and materials. In addition, CA will make sure that campers get a first hand experience learning from those who are in the front lines of advocacy. All trainers come with a diverse background and experience in advocacy work.

If you are interested in this awesome opportunity take one or all of the following three steps:
*Learn more at The Children's Alliance site.
*Download their application and/or become a CA member.
*Apply for a scholarship. You should be able to get at least a partial waiver, which could really help.