This page is about February 2023
CLICK HERE to see our 2024 Student Day of Action Page
Our Student Day of Action was a huge success! Check out pictures of the event HERE
Join us on Friday, February 3, 2023 for our annual gathering at the state capitol for students and young professionals -- a STUDENT DAY OF ACTION! Early morning appointments with legislators and their staff will kick off our day. You will have an opportunity to advocate on important policies affecting thousands of Virginians. Afterwards, we'll gather to debrief, sharing and analyzing what we heard from our current elected officials.
Elections in November, 2023 may shuffle the political deck, as every single delegate and senator position will be on the ballot, so we will spend some time talking about activating young Virginia voters statewide, on campuses and in communities. After lunch, we'll hold workshops on key issues facing the commonwealth in the coming year.
Having early appointments on Friday morning, we will start our preparations for the legislator visits on Thursday evening, February 2nd. As buses, vans, and carpools of students arrive from schools across the state, we'll gather at the Seven Hills Youth Hostel for a drop-in dinner with students, legislators and friends from ally organizations. Overnight lodging is available for students, on a first-come-first-serve basis, so register early!
Advocacy 101 training will follow dinner and include crucial instruction in how to conduct visits with legislators, issue briefings, and helpful information about what to expect when you go to the General Assembly. Thursday evening is an essential component of the Student Day of Action, as it prepares you for your important role in advocating on issues. Please plan to participate Thursday evening and Friday day. Thursday evening finishes with a documentary screening of Aftershock, a film on Black maternal mortality -- a public health emergency that we'll speak to in our advocacy meetings with law-makers on Friday.
*We're working with some professors to offer class credit when you attend this event! Check with your professor to find out if you qualify*
Frequently Asked Questions
Thursday, 6-9PM
- Dinner with students, legislators, and allies
- Advocacy 101 Training: How to conduct a legislative visit; issue briefing/talking points; forming teams
- Aftershock, documentary screening
Friday, 8AM-3PM
- Breakfast
- Appointments with legislators & staff
- Debriefing of meetings
- Plenary: 2023 The Year of the Young Voter! Strategies for voter activation on campus and in communities
- Lunch
- Workshops/Session 1: Environmental Justice, Higher Education in Prison, Public Health Disparities, and Worker Justice
- Workshops/Session 2: Filmmaking for Justice, Headlines and Hate Crimes, and Graduate Programs in Social Change
- Closing Plenary
LIMIT SOLITARY CONFINEMENT: The United Nations recognizes the use of extended periods of isolated confinement as a form of torture. Yet, Virginia prisons and jails employ solitary confinement with almost no regulation. We are calling for limitations on the use of solitary confinement in Virginia. Specifically, we advocate for no more than 15 days in isolation in any 60 day period.
REQUIRE IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING: Black women die in childbirth at three times the rate of White counterparts in Virginia (and nationally). We are proposing mandatory awareness training about implicit bias for medical professionals who work with pregnant individuals. Unconscious (implicit) bias is thought to underlie the shocking, documented differences in preventable maternal mortality rates. We also advocate for steps to address the "maternal health care deserts," those areas in Virginia having none or inadequate medical supports for prenatal care and even delivery.
FUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Virginia doesn't have enough housing for low income and moderate income residents. We advocate for funding programs supporting production of affordable units, in addition to supporting protections for renters.
PAID SICK DAYS: VICPP will continue our advocacy of paid sick days for workers who do not have adequate protections
Learn more about all our priorities HERE
We are happy to work with professors to offer class credit for participation in Student Day of Action. If you are a professor and are interested in offering credit, or if you're a student and want to see if this can count for credit, we are happy to have the conversation! Email terri@virginiainterfaithcenter.org for next steps.
Student Day of Action 2023 is LIVE and in person in Richmond!
That's okay! We welcome returners and also people who have never done anything like this before! Most of us get a little nervous at the prospect of talking with elected officials or experts of any kind, but we will prepare you in advance with our Advocacy 101 training on Thursday evening. We will also send you to the meetings in small teams, according to your voting district, so everyone will have support from others in the group. And, not every individual will have to speak -- your presence will speak for itself!
Check out our Tips for Effective and Engaging Legislative Visits
Find out who your legislator is: whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/