The 2019 Advocacy Meeting is just a couple weeks away and Government Relations Committee member Alyson Tom has all your questions covered.

During a Facebook Live conversation Wednesday, Tom discussed her advocacy background, the issues that matter most to her, and the upcoming Advocacy Meeting.

Tom experienced her first Advocacy Meeting at the national level last year and she offered some advice for newcomers.

“I could certainly understand if someone has never done anything like this before that it could be intimidating or a little scary to talk to these people you’ve seen on TV and read about in the news. My advice for new people is just remember you are the expert in the field. You know more about your job than anybody else. Even if they think they know what your job is, you know your job. That’s the key point to remember,” Tom said.

“And the other thing is, don’t worry. You honestly don’t need to know anything about what you’re going to be doing because you’re going to get the information you need once you arrive in DC. There will be training. There will be lots of us who have done things like this before who can talk to you. I encourage anyone who has never done it and been thinking about it to come.”

No prior experience is necessary to attend the 2019 Advocacy Meeting and Tom encourages NACAC members to get involved, even if it’s not at this national meeting yet.

“If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to advocacy, start with what matters to you. It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed because there are so many things that need our voice and that need our support, but we can’t do everything,” she said.

“Start advocating for maybe a single issue or, if that feels like too much, start advocating for one student and go from there.”

Watch the full video and register for the 2019 Advocacy Meeting before space fills up.

Ashley Dobson is NACAC’s communications manager for content and social media. You can reach her at adobson@nacacnet.org.