Advocacy Curricula Project
Over the years a number of faculty members have shared their advocacy education and training curricula that they or their students have developed. The curricula cover a range of advocacy topics at the local, state and federal level on a variety of issues. Building on these initial materials, Education GRO staff recently sent out an email message to the psychology education/training community encouraging psychology faculty to participate in the new on-line advocacy curricula project by sharing any advocacy curricula/materials that they might have. In addition, a collaborative effort has been initiated with Division 37 members Carol Falender and Mindy Feinberg Gutow, as well as Annie Toro, Associate Executive Director for Public Interest Government Relations, to develop advocacy curriculum models that may be used in on-line Webinar seminars and/or possible publication. BEA members and other psychologists wishing to participate in the on-line curricula project should send their advocacy curricula materials (e.g. courses, readings, exercises, or experiments) to Emily Rath by email to erath@apa.org or by mail to Emily Rath, American Psychological Association, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002.

APAGS Advocacy Training
On December 9-10, seventeen American Psychological Association of Graduate Students members descended on Washington, DC for an advocacy training workshop combined with Hill visits to offices of their members of Congress. Led by Education GRO, the advocacy training hosted seventeen participants representing the Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT) within APAGS including Regional Advocacy Coordinators and State Advocacy Coordinators. The participants had a chance to better connect with their fellow Advocacy Coordinators and understand ways to get involved in the legislative process. The legislative issues discussed throughout the training and those which the APAGS members advocating for included the Campus Suicide Prevention Program as part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reauthorization and the protection of peer-reviewed research grants.

Air Force Advocacy Training
On January 31, six psychology resident interns and three staff members from the Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base arrived in Washington, DC for an advocacy training workshop combined with informational visits with key Congressional staff members. The advocacy training workshop, hosted by Education GRO, instructed these advocacy novices on the importance of federal advocacy, the basics of the legislative process and the most effective means for communicating with their Members of Congress. In addition, they were trained on how to conduct a successful hill visit with their Member of Congress and were briefed on an important program initiated by Education GRO, the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP). Following the advocacy training, the Air Force participants descended on Capitol Hill for informational meetings with key staff members from the offices of Sen. Tom Harking (D-IA) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT).

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