ABOUT
Date: 12/03/2026 - 12/04/2026
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Please join us either in person on December 3 at Virginia Tech or virtually on December 4 for an advocacy capacity-building workshop. During these sessions, participants will come away with practical strategies for preparing for and engaging in the 2026 General Assembly session, with the content shaped by your feedback from our previous advocacy workshop. We’ll build on what we learned together and focus on turning advocacy knowledge into meaningful action. This workshop series is presented by Voices for Virginia’s Children and co-hosted by ACT for Alexandria and the Northern Virginia Health Foundation and sponsored by Sibley Memorial Hospital.
Topics include:
- Building and maintaining a policy coalition
- Preparing for and participating in an in-person advocacy day at the Capitol
- Crafting compelling legislative asks and leave-behind materials
- Mobilizing grassroots supporters ahead of session
- Navigating the 2026 legislative session as an engaged advocate
By learning from one another and building on our collective experience, we can strengthen our voices and be better prepared to advocate for the communities we serve. Space is limited, so secure your spot today!
Speaker: Rachael Deane is the Chief Executive Officer at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She provides overall strategic and operational leadership for Voices’ staff, programs, and execution of its mission. Rachael’s career has been dedicated to legal and policy advocacy for racial equity and economic justice at the local, state, and national levels. She joined Voices after many years as a legal aid attorney and as Legal Director of the Youth Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, where she led policy campaigns to end Virginia’s school-to-prison pipeline and to fund student mental health supports in public education.
Speaker: Cat Atkinson is the Director of Engagement at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She previously led policy and advocacy work in the mental health domain at Voices for young people aged 0-24, with a cross-system focus that supports young people in their homes, schools, and communities. Cat comes to Voices with two years of experience training and working in Child Welfare as a recent Master of Social Work graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University and a two-year Child Welfare Stipend recipient. During her graduate studies, Cat had the pleasure of interning with Voices for Virginia’s Children; she was integral in the development and success of Voices’ inaugural youth advocacy cohort, Virginia’s Youth in Action.
Please Note: Coffee and a light breakfast will be provided. Also, parking is available on-site. During your arrival, a team member will be at the entrance at the beginning of the meeting to greet you. However, if you find yourself running a little late, we will have signage to help guide you.
Events Policy:
By entering this event, you are agreeing to enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering the event location, you consent to photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for promotional purposes, inclusion on websites, and/or social media, by ACT and its affiliates and representatives. Images, photos and/or videos may be used to promote similar ACT events in the future and highlight the event. You release ACT, its officers and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of photographs, video and/or or sound recordings. Images will only be used by the organization for its own purposes and will not be licensed or otherwise assigned to third parties for commercial purposes.
Questions? Contact Brandi Yee at brandi.yee@actforalexandria.org
