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2023 D.C. Advocacy Day

1 min read

2023 D.C. Advocacy Day

Dear Lifesavers,

As part of this year’s 2023 Washington, D.C. Advocacy Day event, 25 advocates from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s National Capital Area Chapter (AFSP-NCAC) met with 10 members of the D.C. City Council to share information and urge that suicide prevention be made a priority.

To kickoff off the day, before heading out to our meetings, AFSP-NCAC Board Chair Alex Kula and I hosted a session in the John Wilson Building for our advocates where we presented on AFSP’s mission, work, and public policy priorities for the District of Columbia, including:

  • Enhancement of youth suicide prevention efforts by requiring schools to include 988 on their student ID cards and online, and to allow for excused absences for mental health.
  • Support of lethal means reduction efforts by funding the construction of architectural protections and implementing safer policies around firearms. 

Following the event, 27 DC advocates sent emails to their Councilmembers in support of the suicide prevention legislation above. For those still interested in sending an email to your Councilmember, regardless of whether you attended D.C. Advocacy Day, we encourage you to TAKE ACTION:

  • Visit AFSP’s Action Center
  • Under the “Take Action Today” dropdown at the top of the page, click “Contact Elected Officials”
  • Select “Write” and you will see a draft email that summarizes all of the issues discussed at DC Advocacy Day, which you can then send directly to your Councilmember.

On behalf of the entire AFSP-NCAC, I want to take this moment to thank those who were able to attend and all who sent emails to their respective Councilmembers. The awareness and recognition we are able to bring to this cause through our public policy efforts cannot be accomplished without the support of our dedicated volunteers! 

I also want to invite and encourage everyone to join us and Become an Advocate or join our the AFSP-NCAC Public Policy Committee by completing our Volunteer Application. 

More resources can be found online at afsp.org/Advocacy. We look forward to continuing our engagement with volunteers interested in the public policy space and, hopefully, having you join our advocacy efforts!

With Gratitude and Hope,

Deb Steinberg (she/her/hers)

Board Member & Public Policy Chair, National Capital Area Chapter
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention