12 Step Action Plan | ARPA Canada

Month 1

This month your job is to prayerfully pick ONE of your local representatives who you would like to build a relationship with. Find out who your MP, MLA/MPP, and town councillors are. Do a bit of research on them. It will only take about 30 minutes to get a good idea of who they are and where they stand on the issues of the day.

Month 2

Month two will be to introduce yourself. Our experience is that a nice way to introduce yourself is to thank them for their service. Since this is just month two, we are going to keep it simple and do this with an email. You can use ARPA’s EasyMail service to do this in five minutes. This is not the place to bring up any weighty political issue. Rather we can sincerely thank them for their service.

Month 3

In this month we are all going to hand write a card. The card can build a little on your earlier email, but it should still be focused on encouraging and thanking them. Something handwritten is going to stand out and be noticed by the government official and their staff. Feel free to include a family picture to make it more personal and to help them remember you.

Month 4

Find out when the official is going to be at a public function that you can attend. Maybe a groundbreaking ceremony, or a community event, or a meet-and-greet at their office. You can find this information in your local newspaper, on the person’s website or facebook accounts. Then attend it and introduce yourself, and express your interest in meeting for coffee or something in the coming weeks. This gives you a broader period of two months to find an event and attend it. For this one, when you complete it you can check off Months 4 & 5!

Month 5

Month 6

Ask the person if they would be willing to meet with you for coffee or lunch somewhere. Prepare for the meeting by getting talking points from ARPA, and questions you have for the individual. You can contact ARPA for help with this step. Then attend the meeting. Keep it friendly and introductory, just getting to know them.

Month 7

Month 8

Send them a follow up call or email thanking them for joining you for the meeting.

Month 9

Over months 9, 10, and 11 work with friends, or family, or church members to arrange a bigger, more social gathering with the official. Think BBQ, backyard event, church picnic, etc. Schedule the event in a week when the official is likely to be in the riding and away from legislative business. Find a venue, build commitment. Confirm with the official the time and place.

Month 10

Have the BBQ, backyard event, church picnic etc. that you planned in Month 9.

Month 11

Have the BBQ, backyard event, church picnic etc. that you planned in Month 9.

Month 12

This month, for the final step of the 12 Step Action Plan write a handwritten letter to the representative, focused on encouraging and thanking them as they begin a new season of work. Be sure to personalize it, mentioning some of your interactions and highlights over the past year.

Start again!

Though the 12 months are up, this doesn’t mean you can’t do it all over again! If you’ve recently had a local election, or want to try reaching out to a different politician you can start from the top! If you’ve never done the 12 step action plan, now is a great time to start!