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Wednesday, Jan. 25
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Clean Energy For All Lobby Day, MA State House, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
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Tuesday, Jan. 31
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Sexual Health Lobby Day, MA State House, from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
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Tuesday, Jan. 31
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Deadline to update your League roster in LWVUS database
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Wednesday, Feb. 1
| LWVMA Charter School Study Consensus Reports Due
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Wednesday, Feb. 1
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2017 Student Video Contest Kick off
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Monday, Feb. 6
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Conversation with Juliette Kayyem, Bentley University, from 5
until 7 p.m.
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Friday, Feb. 10
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LWVMA Board Meeting, Acton Memorial Library, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
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Friday, Feb. 10
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Program Planning suggestions due
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Friday, April 28 - Saturday, April 29
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LWVMA Convention, Sheraton Hotel, Framingham
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Join Us for a Conversation with Juliette Kayyem on Cybersecurity, Terrorism, and Democracy on Feb. 6
Concerned about the impact of cyberterrorism on our democracy?
Join LWVMA for an inside look at the threats and challenges ahead with Juliette Kayyem, former Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. Date: Monday, February 6
| Lecture and Q & A: | 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. | | Reception: | 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. |
Location: Bentley University, Wilder Pavilion, 175 Forest Street, Waltham This event is free and open to League members and their guests, but we request that you register yourself and any guests to ensure sufficient seating. To register, please click here. This event is co-sponsored by LWVMA and the Valente Center for Arts and Sciences at Bentley University. |
High School Video Contest Kicks off Feb. 1
"Making Democracy Work in My Community," the fourth annual LWVMA high school video contest, starts Feb. 1. All Massachusetts high school students are invited to submit two-minute videos highlighting citizen-led efforts to nurture democracy at the local level--someone in the community who is fighting injustice, organizing action, fostering dialogue, encouraging civic participation or educating about important issues. The contest runs through March 31.
The first-place award is $500; second-place, $250; and third-place, $100. All winners will be invited to attend an award ceremony at the Massachusetts State House, and winning videos will be publicized throughout the state. For more details on entering the contest, click here.
Please help spread the word. Local Leagues play a key role in publicizing the contest in their communities. Click here for a toolkit on the contest, including a flyer you can print and distribute at high schools in your area, a sample letter to the editor for your local paper, and a post to use on your League website.
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Regional Field Service Meetings Coming Up
The LWVMA Field Service program provides opportunities for local League leaders to meet, share, and plan within defined geographical areas. The goal of the program is to support local League leaders, strengthen local Leagues and encourage regional collaboration.
Documents for these Field Service meetings are posted on the LWVMA website.
Winter Field Service meetings:
- Metro West: Saturday, Jan. 14, 10:15 a.m.-1 p.m., NewTV, Newton. Contact Sharyn Roberts
- West: Saturday, Jan. 14 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Mocha Maya's, Shelburne Falls. Contact Nancy Polan
- Merrimack Valley/North Shore: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Friendly's in Peabody. Contact Karen Price
- Metro Northwest, Sunday, Jan. 29, 1 p.m., Concord Main Library, Trustees Room. Contact Lora Goldenberg
- Metro/South: Saturday, Feb. 11, 10:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Westwood Library. Contact Karen Price
- Central: To be determined. Contact Karen Price.
For questions, please contact Field Service Director Karen Price. For further information on the Field Service website click here.
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1st Call to Convention Coming Jan. 28
Be on the lookout for 1st Call to Convention in your mailbox Jan. 28. It will include details on convention registration, hotel room reservation, delegate information, two-day program schedule, and lots more.
The theme of LWVMA 2017 Convention is The Future of Democracy: Facing the Challenges. If you want play a role in planning for our future, be sure that you are with League members from across the state on April 28 and 29 at the Framingham Sheraton. We'll be looking for your input.
Make plans now. Don't wait until the last minute.
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Speak Up on Clean Energy and Sexual Health
Now is the time to make your voice heard on Beacon Hill on the critical issues of clean energy and sexual health and reproductive rights. Be sure the legislature knows this is no time for our state to move backward on these issues.
LWVMA is participating in two lobby days in January. While the final versions of legislation in both areas are not yet available and the Legislative Action Committee will be working on those bills when they are filed, we urge all Massachusetts League members to attend these lobby days and emphasize the importance the League places on both issues. Here are the basics. Watch for an action alert with more details next week.
Clean Energy for All Lobby Day, Wednesday, Jan. 25
State House in Boston. Breakfast and gathering, 10 a.m.
Remarks for the media 10:30 - 11 a.m.
Training and lobbying 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Join League colleagues and Mass Power Forward coalition partners to shape the future of energy legislation in Massachusetts. Grassroots leaders and advocates from over 150 clean energy groups will gather at the State House to draw attention to and recruit co-sponsors for priority clean energy and climate legislation in advance of the Feb. 1 bill cosponsor deadline.
Sexual Health Lobby Day, Tuesday, Jan. 31
State House in Boston. Coffee and information, 9:30-11 a.m.
Lobbying training, 11 a.m.-noon; lobbying noon-2 p.m.
Join over 30 organizations to insist on bills supporting sexual health. Among the target legislation is a bill for comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education, a bill LWVMA has been supporting for years. Other legislation in the works is a bill to make contraception more affordable by eliminating co-pays, including co-pays for emergency contraception, and closing insurance loopholes on contraception; and a bill to protect confidentiality on insurance documents.
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Charter School Study Consensus Due Feb. 1
When your League completes its consensus meeting for the state charter school study and your board has approved the result, please fill out the response form, available here. You can email the form to [email protected], or print it out and mail it to League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, 133 Portland St., Boston, MA 02114.
You should receive an acknowledgement of receipt of your consensus report within two or three days. If you do not, please email [email protected] to confirm that the report was received.
Remember, the deadline for consensus reports to be filed is Feb. 1, so that a position can be developed from the results for a vote at the April 28-29 Convention.
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Program Planning Suggestions Due Feb. 10
Your League's recommendations for action priorities, action items and studies or reviews of positions will help shape the state League's direction for the next two years. Please submit your recommendation form by Feb. 10 so that we can develop a recommended program for the April convention to vote on. Send your form to [email protected]. The program planning guide and response form are here.
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LWVUS Offers Grants for New Citizen Voter Registration
The national League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) has announced a 2017 New Citizens Voter Registration Project. As part of this project, LWVEF will award pass-through grants to state and local Leagues to undertake voter registration activities at naturalization ceremonies for new citizens. Applications are due Feb. 17, 2017. To apply, please see the application guidelines here.
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Don't Forget to Update Your Roster
Time is running out to update your League's membership roster with LWVUS! For assistance on working in the national database you can download the user manual or contact [email protected]. Remember that your "official membership count" (i.e., the numbers in the database on Jan. 31, 2017) will be used to determine your League's per member payment (PMP) for FY 2017-18. Contact Brynne at [email protected] if you have questions.
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The League Leader Update is distributed to local League board members and LWVMA leaders. Anyone can request the Update by clicking here. Please review this Update for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin.
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