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"History will
have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social
transition was
not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the
appalling silence of the good people." ~ Martin Luther King,
Jr.
Easy Ways for You to Get Involved
Write a letter to your
politician
The Social Justice Team is moving from
vision to action this year ... Our chosen focus is
reducing poverty.
With your help, we can encourage the provincial government to move forward on
its pledge, announced last December, to reduce child poverty by 25% in 5 years. Social assistance rates were drastically cut in 1992 and have never been
restored.
We’re asking the government to include a $100 per month Healthy
Food Supplement to social assistance rates in the Ontario budget due next March.
However, the budget is being crafted now, so the time for action is now.
Here’s how you can join the campaign to put food in the budget and reduce
poverty:
- Support the “Do the Math” program,
sponsored by The Stop Community Food Centre. Visit their website,
thestop.org, to take the survey
| Take the Online Survey
Do the Math
then click to send a message to Premier McGuinty |
It's a survey which allows you
to determine whether a single person living on social assistance receives
enough income to live with health and dignity. If you believe current rates
are inadequate, you can make your voice heard by emailing a pre-written
letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty. You can also mail-in a “Do the Math”
postcard available from members of the Social Justice Team. Either or both
of these actions will increase awareness and help build a groundswell of
support.
- Educate yourself about Poverty Reduction:
- Join us when we visit our local MPPs:
Contact Jannie Mills, Greig Clark or Jan Schlee to give us your
input or to accompany us on these visits. We would like 4 or 5 people to go
on each visit.
- Visit your MP and MPP
- Find out where to contact politicians
- Write to politicians and express your
passion and concern about the issues
-
find information on how to write a letter and to whom
- Politicians really do pay attention to their mail. Especially the
volume of mail. As letters mount up on an issue, it will achieve greater
importance. At the national level, one letter is considered to represent
thousands of people’s opinions. The ratio declines as you move down the
government hierarchy, but at the municipal level, fewer people write, so
the letters still have clout. Your letter does not have to be typed.
Handwriting is fine. So is word processing. The key is that your letter
is original and not recognizable as a pre-printed message. Always sign
your letters. Include your address for their response.
Your letter does not have to
be technical. You do not have to know everything about an issue to write
and express your opinion. It does have to be clear. State explicitly
what you want the politician to do. Include a specific question
requesting his or her response. If the response misses the point or is
inadequate, write again.
- watch for online petitions such as
Do the Math
- Remember that the most effective input is a visit, next a
personal letter, then an online petition and email
-
write a 'letter to the editor' of your newspaper
-
contact the media, call in to radio and TV shows
- Improve your advocacy skills
- Get involved in elections
- educate yourself on the social justice and poverty reduction
policies of each political party and vote accordingly
- attend town hall meetings and speak up on the importance of poverty reduction
- Fundraise
- there are many groups advocating for poverty reduction that could
use support
- Contact Fairlawn Social Justice to ask
questions and to find out how you can get involved:
FairlawnSocialJustice@gmail.com
Social Justice Vision Statement
Fairlawn Avenue United Church will be an inspiring and thriving champion
of social justice where the congregation is passionately engaged in actions
which transform society, individual lives and ourselves as we move towards the
creation of a just and sustainable world.
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