June 2017 Monthly Meeting – Notes

Healthcare Highlight: Elizabeth Crocker delivered updates on the current state of the healthcare debate in Washington (including policy details comparing the ACA to the AHCA and the importance of calling our Senators).

• Legislative: Activist Happy Hour will now take place monthly: please CALL and SHARE to amplify your impact! Share your activism with hashtag #ActivistHappyHour. New scripts are planned to be released the third Wednesday  of each month.

• Events: We had a great table at the Annual DAUK Independence Day picnic. Thank you to all our volunteers and everyone who stopped by! Stay tuned for more event announcements from us in the near future.

• Recruiting: The team is focusing on including members from outside of London and was a big presence at our Independence Day picnic.

• Media & Comms: We’ve revamped our Twitter and Facebook feeds, please give us a “like”, “follow” or “share” and let us know what you think!  We’re highlighting new voices across our social media channels, so let us know if you’d like to take a week at the helm of our Twitter and Facebook. Newsletter will now be sent the first Monday of each month and the content deadline is the third Friday of each month.

• Education: Exciting teach ins are scheduled for September and November – stay tuned for further announcements with details.

Teach In: 

• Communication Techniques for Talking Across Party Lines. Jennifer Daniels gave a presentation on the theory behind constructive conversations (and why they’re so difficult). Victoria Shaskan facilitated an interactive theater exercise skillfully executed by Kate Von Dermark and Beatrix Newsom.
• For those who missed it: Polarization, common bias in our thinking, lack of confidence in information used to form opinions and differing worldviews often make it very difficult for liberals and conservatives to have effective political conversations. To overcome these challenges and have more constructive discussions, research and experts suggest taking steps to be an active listener, set realistic expectations, don’t assume bad intent from the other, ask him/her to explain in detail the impact of their position and use a moral framing compatible with the other person’s worldview. Utilising these suggestions can be difficult, so experts suggest practicing with another person.