Children Advocating for Themselves

As I walked into my neighborhood coffee shop yesterday, I saw the Boston Globe sitting face-up on the counter, and this headline grabbed my eye: “Lobbying at Age 8: She Asks Legislators for METCO Funding.” The article focused on Melissa Solomon, a participant in the METCO program. Eight years old, Solomon already is learning to advocate for herself and for other children who need access to educational opportunities. This is a great example of how children can be taught change-making skills, in a way that is relevant to their own lives. (Although it is sad that children need these skills at such a young age, because the government often does not provide basic services for children).

UU Statewide Networks Promote Health Insurance

The Unitarian Universalist statewide advocacy organizations are working hard to expand access to health insurance. A few quick updates:

The Legislative Ministry of Maryland supports raising Maryland’s tobacco tax, in order to increase health care coverage on the state level.

The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry, California, is lobbying for universal single-payer coverage on the statewide level, as part of the OneCareNow campaign.

The Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network took action in December to support reauthorization and increased funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

(SCHIP is a federal program that provides health insurance for children through funds given to states. Promise the Children also supports reauthorization and increased funding for SCHIP).

If you know of other Unitarian Universalist organizations or congregations working on this issue, please post a comment or e-mail me (shelby [at] promisethechildrenuu.org)

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Supports Interfaith Children’s Organization

Here’s another model of how Unitarian Universalists can engage in children’s advocacy, from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA):

The UUCA has helped children by supporting the Interfaith Children’s Movement of Metropolitan Atlanta (ICMma). ICMma works on many of the same issues that we do at Promise the Children, including early education and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. ICMma offers several opportunities for congregations to get involved, including “street retreats,” an interfaith children’s service, and a prayer breakfast. Joy Borra is active at the UUCA and serves on the board of ICMma. She explained that the UUCA contributed to the founding of the ICMma, and that the congregation is taking a collection this Sunday on behalf of ICMma!