How to Use Your Voice for Advocacy - NOTE NEW TIME!

This is the second workshop in our series Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates

From writing persuasive emails to calling elected officials and testifying at hearings, this workshop will equip participants with practical strategies to make their voices heard and influence important policy decisions at every level of government.

Your presenter will be Liz Tentarelli, President of the League of Women Voters, NH

Liz Tentarelli is an educator and civic leader with a 30-year career teaching high school and college students, including 19 years at Merrimack College. While history was not her formal academic field, women’s history has been a lifelong interest and avocation.

Liz has been a member of the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire for more than 25 years and has served as president of the state League since 2015. In that role, she organizes and moderates candidate forums, provides nonpartisan voter education, and advocates for League positions at the New Hampshire State House. She is also a presenter on women’s suffrage with NH Humanities and serves on the Citizens Advisory Board for the New Hampshire Women’s Correctional Facility. The League of Women Voters is a direct descendant of the women’s suffrage movement, a legacy reflected throughout Liz’s work.

Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates: In partnership with the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, MomsRising, and other women-centered community organizations, this six-part workshop series will empower women in the Upper Valley to step into their power as leaders and advocates. Using the disproportionate impacts of HB 1569 on women’s right to vote as a central case study, the series will provide participants with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to engage in effective advocacy. From understanding how power operates on a day-to-day basis in our communities, to mastering communications and social media, to managing volunteers and sharing success stories, each session is designed to strengthen women’s voices and build a more representative democracy.

Want to attend via Zoom?  Preregister with Zoom HERE.

As part of a voting rights movement and despite ongoing segregationist repression, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Leadership Christian Conference (SCLC) led protest marches to the Dallas County Courthouse during Jan. and Feb. 1965. On Feb. 18th, an Alabama state trooper shot protester Jimmy Lee Jackson, who died eight days later. In response, a protest march from Selma to the state’s capital in Montgomery was scheduled for March 7.

Each year, Open Democracy along with a coalition of voting rights and human rights organizations, commemorates "Bloody Sunday" with a Selma Remembrance Event.  This year, we honor Jonathan Daniels, born on March 20, 1939, in Keene and an Episcopal seminarian and civil rights activist. In 1965, Daniels joined the civil rights movement in Selma, where he was murdered.

Please join us on Sunday, March 15th at the St. James Episcopal Church in Keene for “Freedom’s Unfinished Journey.” The event runs from 1:30-3:30 and scheduled speakers are:

• Rev. Elsa Worth, Welcome
• Olivia Zink from Open Democracy
• Deborah Opramolla, Following Jonathan Daniels Example Meet the Team here at Disability Rights Center NH
• Prof. Larry "Lawrence" Benaquist, who made a documentary "Here am I, send me. The Journey of Jonathan Daniels."

We'll also have a short film, light refreshments and music!

Please park in the rear of the church and enter through the back door.  Go to the second floor.  There is a lift for those that need it.

This event is cosponsored by Disability Rights Center, NH Peace Action, NH Center for Justice & Equity and the NH Council of Churches.

Want to join by Zoom?  Preregister with Zoom for the link HERE.

NOTE NEW TIME!

Communications and Social Media

This is the third workshop in our series Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates and will help you learn how to craft compelling messages, engage effectively on social media, and use communications tools to educate, mobilize, and grow your audience.

Your presenter will be Kaylie Efstratiou:

Kaylie Efstratiou is a policy and communications professional currently serving as Development and Communications Associate at Open Democracy in New Hampshire. She researches, writes, and testifies on legislation related to voting rights, campaign finance, redistricting, and electoral transparency, and regularly appears before the New Hampshire House and Senate Election Law Committees.

With a background in field organizing, voter outreach, and political research, she has also worked with The Blue Lab, the New Hampshire Democratic Party, and the Foundation for Civic Leadership. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire, with a focus on civic engagement and democratic institutions.

Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates: In partnership with the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, MomsRising, and other women-centered community organizations, this six-part workshop series will empower women in the Upper Valley to step into their power as leaders and advocates. Using the disproportionate impacts of HB 1569 on women’s right to vote as a central case study, the series will provide participants with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to engage in effective advocacy. From understanding how power operates on a day-to-day basis in our communities, to mastering communications and social media, to managing volunteers and sharing success stories, each session is designed to strengthen women’s voices and build a more representative democracy.

Want to attend via Zoom?  Click HERE to preregister with Zoom.

Attention community choruses, church choirs, school bands, a group of friends, or a family: join with us as we raise our voices in song to celebrate our shared humanity through song in a joyful, welcoming, and public space.

Your group can select up to 3 songs that reflect the themes of justice, belonging, and/or community. Please provide lyrics so that everyone present may sing.

Not wanting to be in a group leading a few songs?  No problem, you are welcome to enjoy the music.  This event warmly welcomes ALL to attend.

Joyful Noise is an intentionally inclusive, participatory, celebratory space.  My friends, these are weary times, let's create a moment of joyful resistance! 

Food options are still being worked out.

Cosponsored by NH Council of Churches, NH Peace Action, Coalition for Open Democracy

Register your group here: https://forms.gle/vvDGK3LpNKBv1XV27

Join Olivia Zink from Open Democracy NH at Meredith Town Library for a workshop on how to testify on legislation at the NH State House. Learn the basics of how a bill becomes a law, when you can make your voice heard, and how to do so through testimony.

This event is sponsored by the Meredith Democratic Committee.  It is free and open to the public. Please RSVP HERE

NOTE NEW TIME!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training

This is the fourth workshop in our series Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates and will provide a hands-on, accessible session designed to build comfort with digital tools—covering everything from managing emails to Zoom meetings—so that every leader can confidently engage in advocacy and organizing in today's hyper-online world.

Your presenter will be Dr. Dottie Morse:

Dr. Dottie Morris is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity at Keene State College, where she provides leadership and guidance as the institution advances its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism. A member of the President’s Cabinet, Dr. Morris works across executive leadership, academic affairs, student engagement, advancement, and administration to embed equity and social justice throughout the college.

With more than two decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Morris has served students as a counselor, teacher, academic advisor, and mentor to student organizations. Prior to her role at Keene State, she held senior leadership and counseling positions at World Learning’s School for International Training, Antioch University New England, and Colorado State University. She is also a Carsey Fellow with NH Listens and currently serves as Chair of the Board of the ACLU of New Hampshire.

Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates: In partnership with the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, MomsRising, and other women-centered community organizations, this six-part workshop series will empower women in the Upper Valley to step into their power as leaders and advocates. Using the disproportionate impacts of HB 1569 on women’s right to vote as a central case study, the series will provide participants with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to engage in effective advocacy. From understanding how power operates on a day-to-day basis in our communities, to mastering communications and social media, to managing volunteers and sharing success stories, each session is designed to strengthen women’s voices and build a more representative democracy.

Want to attend via Zoom?  Click HERE to preregister with Zoom.

NOTE NEW TIME!

Managing Great Volunteers

This is the fifth workshop in our series Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates and will focus on recruiting, training, and sustaining volunteers, with strategies for creating inclusive and energized teams that can carry the work forward.

Your presenter will be McKenzie Nichols:

MacKenzie Nicholson is a policy and advocacy leader and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, holding a B.S. in Family Studies with a concentration in Child Advocacy and Family Policy, and an M.S. in Public Policy. She is currently Senior Director at MomsRising, where she leads advocacy efforts focused on policies impacting low-income families, pay equity, and health equity.

Previously, she has held leadership roles with the Alzheimer's Association and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, managing large-scale grassroots campaigns, volunteer engagement, and legislative strategy. She also serves as Principal Consultant at Kids First Consulting, supporting nonprofits through campaign strategy, advocacy training, and grant development. Earlier in her career, she was a Research Fellow on Vulnerable Families at the UNH Carsey School of Public Policy.

Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates: In partnership with the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, MomsRising, and other women-centered community organizations, this six-part workshop series will empower women in the Upper Valley to step into their power as leaders and advocates. Using the disproportionate impacts of HB 1569 on women’s right to vote as a central case study, the series will provide participants with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to engage in effective advocacy. From understanding how power operates on a day-to-day basis in our communities, to mastering communications and social media, to managing volunteers and sharing success stories, each session is designed to strengthen women’s voices and build a more representative democracy.

Want to attend via Zoom?  Click HERE to preregister with Zoom.

NIOTE NEW TIME!

Stories of Success

This is the sixth workshop in our series Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates.  A panel of women community advocates will share firsthand experiences of organizing against harmful policies, building coalitions, and winning real victories, offering inspiration and practical lessons for participants’ own leadership journeys.

Your presenter will be Zandra Rice Hawkins:

Zandra Rice Hawkins is a nonprofit executive director, City Councilor, PTA volunteer, and longtime community advocate who believes deeply that we are stronger together. She currently serves as a City Council Member for the City of Concord and is the Founding Executive Director of Granite State Progress, a statewide communications and research hub advancing progressive policy in New Hampshire.

With more than two decades of experience, she has built and managed budgets, staff, programs, advocacy campaigns, and government and community relations efforts at the local, state, and national levels. Her work spans economic justice, health care, workers’ rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, gun violence prevention, and family-friendly workplace policies. At the core of her work is a belief that public service means representing neighbors’ best interests, expanding opportunities for civic participation, and helping build a future where everyone can succeed.

Your Passion, Your Leadership: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Women Advocates: In partnership with the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, MomsRising, and other women-centered community organizations, this six-part workshop series will empower women in the Upper Valley to step into their power as leaders and advocates. Using the disproportionate impacts of HB 1569 on women’s right to vote as a central case study, the series will provide participants with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to engage in effective advocacy. From understanding how power operates on a day-to-day basis in our communities, to mastering communications and social media, to managing volunteers and sharing success stories, each session is designed to strengthen women’s voices and build a more representative democracy.

Want to attend via Zoom?  Please click HERE to preregister with Zoom.

Saturday, April 11, 1pm: Bird-dog Training, Concord

Want to learn to bird-dog the candidates like a pro?  

Join us for a training by Arnie Alpert and Olivia Zink on April 11 at 1pm, 4 Park St., Concord. 

The term "bird-dog" comes from hunting; the bird-dog's job is to flush the birds out of the bushes and into the open. Politicians are like the birds--they try to keep their positions hidden behind vague rhetoric. Using tightly crafted questions, the successful bird-dog forces candidates to reveal their position on an issue.

Learn how to ask questions on issues of importance to the candidates who are visiting our towns!

The NH Coalition for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Open Democracy Action and NH Peace Action are hosting this training designed to explain how to strategically follow and quiz candidates about significant issues. With incomparable access to presidential candidates and the media who follow them, New Hampshire’s citizen “bird-dog” can shift the political tides of the nation. We show up at candidate appearances with honed questions that both educate onlookers and the media, and elicit informative answers from the targeted candidate.

Space is limited. RSVP HERE, or use the QR code.

The Hard Work of Hope takes you into the heady days of 1960s and 1970s activism, chronicling the hopes and strategies of the young people who created the movements that rocked the country.

Michael Ansara was on the front lines. In this fascinating memoir, he traces an arc of discovery: from the hope and moral clarity of the Civil Rights Movement to the ten-year struggle to end the war in Vietnam, with its sit-ins, marches, confrontations, and antiwar riots.

Ansara takes the reader into the minds of the activists detailing their successes as well as their mistakes. The Hard Work of Hope shows how he learned to become a more effective organizer and build the Massachusetts Fair Share organization. The book explores issues that remain urgent. How does a movement build support when large parts of the country are opposed to its goals? How do you connect with people who disagree with you? How do you build organizations that unite across racial lines? How can we make progress on the unfinished business of the hard work of hope?

Michael Ansara spent many years as an activist and an organizer, starting with the civil rights movement of the 1960s, going on to be a regional organizer for Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). He spent 10 years organizing opposition to the war in Vietnam. For 15 years, he was a community organizer, including directing Mass Fair Share. He has worked on political campaigns, coordinated voter registration efforts, and trained many organizers. He owned and ran two successful businesses. He is the co-founder of Mass Poetry. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Redress Movement and the organizing team for Volunteer Blue. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, and his essays have appeared in Vox, Arrowsmith, Solstice, and Cognoscenti. Cornell University Press will publish his memoir, The Hard Work of Hope, on July 15th, 2025.

Purchasing information

Available at your local book store (Paperback 23.95): 

Gibson's Bookstore, 45 South Main St., Concord, NH 03301  603-224-0562 Needs to be ordered

Main Street BookEnds of Warner, 16 East Main St., Warner, NH 03278 (603) 456-2700 Needs to be ordered

Toadstool Bookstores, 12 Depot St., Peterborough, NH 03458   (603) 924-3543  Needs to be ordered

Water Street Bookstore, 125 Water Street, Exeter, NH 03833 (603) 778-9731  Needs to be ordered