Today, 24th June, is National Writing day 2020 which aims to celebrate the power of writing. As well as writing to process emotions and to share experiences and messages, a particular kind of writing is imperative at the moment: letter and email writing. Writing to MPs is a brilliant way to create change and something that, as young people, we can actively be doing.
Whether you’re writing to your MP about ‘Black Lives Matter’, transgender and non-binary rights in regards to government action on the ‘Gender Recognition Act’, environmental change, how the government is approaching Covid-19 or all of the above and so much more – make your voice heard. We must be active in tackling these issues, including speaking out by creating discussion in our spheres of influence by speaking to family and friends, sharing resources (find an article on our website with links to anti-racist resources here) or writing to your MP.
As well as writing to process emotions and to share experiences and messages, a particular kind of writing is imperative at the moment: letter and email writing.
Of course it is natural to be passionate about issues that have a direct impact on your life, but it is also massively important to consider researching and writing about issues that do not immediately impact you too. On issues that do not immediately impact you, the fact that there is no immediate risk to you speaking up is a privilege – so use that privilege for good. Being an ally to other communities includes being up to date on, advocating and speaking out on a range of issues.
Making your voice heard by your MP is key for a number of reasons. If you are writing a letter to an MP, explain why you care about this issue and why it is important that change is made. It your MP’s job to read and listen to your concerns and act on them; possible ways they could raise your concerns include in debates, in written, oral or urgent parliamentary questions or in formal letters to a minister. Although writing is a great way to reach them, there is also the option to ring or (in non Covid-19 times) to visit your MP to discuss different topics in depth.
It your MP’s job to read and listen to your concerns and act on them.
One of the most brilliant aspects of the internet right now is the sharing of resources; so many websites are creating and sharing templates for us to use to make it easier than ever to get started on reaching out to your MP. Below are some tips and resources on how to get started on this.
I have collated a number of resources here as a basis:
-An easy way to find your local MP: https://bit.ly/2A4CQEU
-A helpful resource with a template specifically about ‘Black Lives Matter’ by Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/black-lives-matter-write-your-mp
-A website full of resources and templates to help you get started: https://bit.ly/37WvBv7
-A resource by Mermaids for writing to your MP generally (with a specific focus on writing about the Gender Recognition Act): https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/write-to-your-mp/https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/write-to-your-mp/
-An email template to write to the PM about the ‘Gender Recognition Act’: https://bit.ly/3dw9kFs
Here are some more tips:
-If you’re a university student you can write to your MP where you go to university too- that means double the writing power and double the impact.
-Although emails are great to send and a really quick and easy way to contact your MP, writing a letter is also a really powerful and underrated way of contacting them- do not ‘write’ this option off (excuse the pun).
-Even though templates are really helpful, putting your own spin and voice into a letter is really great and can make a difference. Use your creativity- it is POWERFUL.
–Instagram and other social media platforms are a great place to start educating yourself on the issues you’ll be writing to your MP about. There are so many helpful infographics, with statistics and links to comprehensive resources.
-Follow up – this does not have to be a one time letter and it is great to keep the communication line going; keep pressing and asking questions.
-Talk to friends and family about writing to MPs and encourage them to do so too.
Please feel free to share any of your own tips/templates in the comments. Here’s to writing and making a change together: let’s all use our voices today in some way.
Elle Woods-Marshall
Image courtesy of Glenn Carstens Peters on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Elle Woods-Marshall
I'm a second year Durham student studying English Lit and Politics. Outside of my studies, I am involved in the student newspaper and radio as well as volunteering. I love reading poetry, crying over rom coms and eating burgers.