Whew! Take a deep breath, advocates.

By Camille Schenkkan

Skip lunch to leave work an hour early. Eat an energy bar in the car. Arrive at school at 7pm. Get home at 11pm and do as much reading as possible before passing out. When the alarm goes off at 7am, do it again.

They say advocacy is all about numbers: the number of people in a network and the number of constituents who take action. While this is true, advocacy is also about relationships. Having solid relationships with those in your network as well as those you advocate to is essential to developing the trust needed to make successful change.

Tis the season. Budget season. With all the advocacy campaigns we have launched in recent weeks, I think it's safe to assume that anyone reading this blog has probably taken action on one of our recent campaigns, whether it be for your school district, municipality, or the County.

PTA parent and Arts Ed Advocate Cynthia Willman has authored this Guest Blog outlining her recent meeting with LAUSD board member Yolie Flores organized by a group of parent advocates in LAUSD District 5.