We recently hosted an advocacy workshop as part of our January monthly meeting. Thirteen of our members attended and participated in a guided activity and discussion about cycling advocacy in Hamilton.
After a brief discussion about “what advocacy is”, participants separated into small groups of 2-3 people and filled out a worksheet about cycling advocacy. The purpose of this workshop was to seek feedback from our members on this topic.
Here are some of the main takeaways from our discussion:
● Communication about cycling advocacy is key — to council (delegations), to members (newsletters, social media) and to the public (op-eds)
● Participants viewed cycling advocacy as a way to engage with their community through bike rides, events and meetings
● All groups were able to identify positive progress on cycling in the City
● There is work to do to build broad-based support for cycling at City Hall, with other civic organizations and with residents
● We need to understand why people are not engaging in cycling advocacy and work to facilitate greater participation
● Geographic representation from all 15 wards is crucial to this work
● People suggest that the advocacy committee should have monthly meetings and function as a core group that is supported by a network of volunteers
Stay tuned for more information about our advocacy workshops and be sure to attend our March monthly meeting to participate in the next part of our series.
AND – Thank you to our friends at Relay Coffee for hosting this workshop!
