Citizenship + Advocacy

Washington, DC is the perfect place to gain an in-depth knowledge about the issues you care most about and connect them to your faith in action. WSC has relationships with a number of excellent speakers and organizations that can help your group better understand many current issues such as immigration, hunger, human trafficking, and how to lobby effectively as citizens. 

Talk to us about your interests. If there are specific topics you are interested in learning more about, please let us know! 

Quick Notes

Some seminars are free where others involve a fee, typically $250 – $400. This translates to $10 – $20 per participant, depending on your group size. 

  • If you want to ground your time in Washington with reflections from your own faith tradition, the WSC is a great facility. Approximately 40 Christian Bibles are available for groups to use. If you are from another faith tradition, the WSC would welcome donations of your scriptures for placement in the WSC.

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Meeting Your Federal Representatives

Your visit to Washington, DC is an excellent opportunity to meet with the people who represent you in Congress.

The opportunity to meet with a Senator or Representative will greatly depend on his or her schedule. However, if timing doesn’t allow for an in-person meeting, you can certainly visit their office and meet with their staff.

Here is how to set up a visit:

  1. To find your Representative, go to the U.S. House of Representatives website.   To find your Senators, go to the U.S. Senate website.

  2. Call your representative and two senators, introduce your group and request a meeting – if he or she is not available, then meet with one of the staffers.  (Read this for more tips on preparing for a meeting.)

  3. So what to discuss when you get there?  Congress.gov is an invaluable resource that can help you see exactly what bills are before Congress and how your Representatives are voting on them.

  4. Bonus: Representatives usually have a certain number of Capitol and White House tour passes reserved for their constituents.  Be sure to ask the staff about availability when scheduling your visit.

Hosting Workshops and Speakers

Faces of Homelessness

The Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau is a program of the National Coalition for the Homeless that is comprised of people who are or have been homeless and works to educate the public about homelessness and what can be done to end it.

Face Hunger Workshop

Face Hunger™ is a hands-on simulation and discussion activity that raises awareness and understanding of hunger. It’s a meaningful way to kick off any food drive or donation campaign and a great addition to the volunteer experience at the Capital Area Food Bank.

Host a Hunger Banquet

Oxfam Hunger Banquets are volunteer-led interactive events that bring statistics about poverty to life. With full promotional and planning advice from Oxfam, guests and coordinators randomly select tickets matching real people who are high-, middle-, or low-income earners, demonstrating that where you end up is all in the luck of the draw.