Upper School Lobbyists Advocate for Peacebuilding Programs & Investments in Conflict Prevention

 

During the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Lobbying Weekend, Friends students and the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice collaborated with more than 100 Quakers from across the country who came together to lobby congressional offices for robust funding in the FY2024 for peacebuilding initiatives like, Complex Crises Fund, Atrocity Prevention Fund and Reconciliation Programs. 

During the event, which took place November 15-17, students were able to hear from a number of guest speakers from a variety of organizations, including Peace Direct, Mercy Corps, and the American Friends Service Committee. In addition to plenary sessions, students and CPEJ staff had the opportunity to participate in a variety of breakout workshops. All were designed to equip participants to be effective lobbyists and advocates for peacebuilding. 

Friends Seminary students were among the most active participants at the event — a testament to just how much they had gained from this training sponsored by the largest Quaker lobbyist organization.

Over the last five years, Friends Seminary has worked to strengthen this aspect of our civic engagement programming. Whether it be through in-school lobbying workshops and phone banking, Service Committee letter-writing campaigns, the CPEJ-sponsored trips to Albany, or the continued collaborations with FCNL, Friends students are amplifying their voices as lobbyists and using their capacity to call for changes to public policy that would help bring about a world that ought to be. 

 

 

Students who participated in the 2023 annual FCNL Lobby Weekend Youth Conference are listed below.

Alden ’24

Dashiell ’26

Graham ’26

Jack ’25

Livia ’25

Thalia ’27