This summer is a perfect time to engage in advocacy work — right from your home — with the NASP 2021 Advocacy Academy! The NASP Government and Professional Relations (GPR) Committee is hosting this two-day virtual training on July 21-22 with the intention of bringing together like-minded leaders in school psychology and other NASP members who want to work together to address the shortages in our profession. This Academy takes the place of the Public Policy Institute (PPI), which is a multi-day conference type event held in DC where school psychologists from across the country convene to engage in learning and doing advocacy work!

There are multiple components to this virtual experience, including a pre-recorded grass roots advocacy training that walks participants through how to set up virtual Capitol Hill meetings with their elected officials, which is just one of the worthwhile experiences that participants have during the training! In addition, there is one day of live presentations, discussions, and meetings with assigned regional and state teams. The Academy culminates in a second day of meetings with elected officials and opportunities to check-in with other participants’ experiences. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other advocates in our field who live right in Colorado! You can also earn 7.5 NASP-approved Continuing Professional Development credits by enrolling.

As a former GPR Committee student member and PPI student facilitator and participant, I can honestly say that making connections with other passionate advocates in our field and meeting with my elected officials on Capitol Hill has been one of the highlights of my career in school psychology! I encourage you to attend this unique virtual experience if you are interested in advocacy work -- it cuts down on travel costs (participants typically must travel to DC for PPI) and this virtual format also provides flexibility to complete the pre-training with just two days of additional live content.

Deadline to register is June 30th! It costs $209 for NASP members.

Please reach out to me at elly.maras@du.edu if you would like to learn more about the Advocacy Academy or PPI.