One Person Can Make a Difference

The FCNL office on Capitol Hill came alive the weekend of March 9-12 as twenty young adults arrived for the Third Annual Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend. The participants, who came from colleges and Friends meetings from across the U.S., were united in their desire to make a difference. This year’s lobby weekend was planned to coincide with a Legislative Action Conference hosted by the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL). On Friday, Lobby Weekend participants attended workshops and strategy sessions where they learned how to take the landmine ban campaign back to their communities. On Saturday morning, the young adults gathered bright and early in the cold to collect signatures for a petition asking Pres. Bush to sign onto the Mine Ban Treaty. They then took part in a demonstration at Lafayette Park and an interfaith prayer service to honor the victims of landmines. On Saturday evening and Sunday, Lobby Weekend participants plunged into FCNL-sponsored legislative briefings on the death penalty, landmines, and military aid to Colombia. Other sessions offered practical preparation for their Monday lobby visits. The Young Adult lobbyists were warmly received by staff in the congressional offices they visited. Participants in one group actually met with their Member and were given a special tour of the Capitol! Everyone returned from the visits energized and encouraged. They had really been listened to and their views were taken seriously. One person can make a difference! This year’s Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend was jointly sponsored by FCNL and the William Penn House and supported enthusiastically by young adults, local meetings, and Friends’ colleges