#IamABE's Day on the Hill: Self-Advocacy for ABE Learners, Volunteers and Staff

As Minneapolis educators walk the picket line this week, and Saint Paul teachers narrowly avoid a strike, it’s a great time to talk about self-advocacy in adult basic education (ABE) classrooms. #IamABE’s Day on the Hill event later this spring provides a real-life, authentic opportunity for self-advocacy and materials to prepare. 

#IamABE is a grassroots effort by a group of ABE educators to…

• amplify students’ voices about issues that affect them
• create more awareness around who ABE serves and what it does
• educate students about ways they can communicate with the government

#IamABE’s Day on the Hill is an event that allows ABE learners and staff to put all of this into action. Legislators who vote on adult education funding and policy benefit from building relationships with adult education staff, leaders, volunteers and learners in their districts. At the Day on the Hill, learners can communicate with their legislators by inviting them to their sites virtually or in-person, by visiting the MN State Capitol or by sending or hand-delivering postcards they write that describe how ABE has affected their lives. Visit #IamABE’s website to access free Beginning-Low Intermediate and Intermediate to Low-Advanced lesson plans you can use to prepare for the event. 

Then, follow #IamABE on Facebook to get updates and the confirmed date for this year’s Day on the Hill later this spring. Take this wonderful opportunity to watch learners advocate for the ABE services they use! 

Additional free resources from #IamABE:

• Beginning, intermediate and advanced/GED curriculum on the first amendment, refuting stereotypes and privacy settings
• Participatory Curriculum Planning Toolkit 

Feel free to contact iamabemn@gmail.com with any questions or to get involved!