Susquehanna Health Fair: Lisa, Southeast PA

So far in this internship, the most interesting people I have met were from tabling at the Susquehanna Health Fair on the campus of Temple University. In my experiences canvassing and phone banking, many women were incredibly pressed for time. While they politely answered questions and produced emails, these women always seemed to be in a rush to get back to their lives. At the health fair, however, life seemed to move along at a slower pace. Although most of the people who stopped by the table were uneducated about comprehensive sex ed and contraception, many were curious and took the time to stop and ask thorough questions. One woman grilled me about both of the bills, and another wanted to know why comprehensive sex ed is such a pressing issue. Most of the people at the health fair seemed to be impartial about sex ed, never before realizing its importance in their lives or in their communities. Despite this neutrality, few were apathetic. Upon hearing about the statistics of comprehensive versus abstinence only sex ed, many of them began to recall shortcomings of their own sex education and eagerly signed the petition. While there were few who came to the table already passionate about sex ed, it was incredibly interesting to witness people’s realizations about the importance of it.

Investing In Our Youth: Rachel, Western PA

Garfield is one of those neighborhoods that straddles the vague line between “safe” and “unsafe” parts of the city of Pittsburgh. On one street, pedestrians stride smartly along leafy sidewalks, and students crowd into bohemian coffee shops, and a few blocks away, 60-year-old row houses crumble into decrepitude.

Canvassing here is an adventure. On the late-June afternoon when we walked these streets, several times I raised my hand to knock at a house, matching the number to my list, only to find the door plastered with eviction notices, gas shut-offs, maybe even a formidable “CONDEMNED” sign that made me drop my hand and scrawl “moved” onto my paper.

Our grassroots organizing activities this summer are touched deeply by the current recession. We have encountered an unusual number of defunct addresses and phone numbers; leading us to disconnected phones, boarded-up houses, or confused new occupants bewildered by the names we ask for.

These constant reminders motivate me to work harder; in times of economic turmoil, the attention of the public and the politicians often drifts far from health and education. These fields are often painted as soft and insubstantial, at least compared with the meatier business of trade and finance. The Pennsylvania state budget has bowed to these perceptions, slashing dozens of valuable education and health programs.

Our work is even more vital in times like these. How can we ensure the continual viability of our country and its people? The answer is a little cliché, but no less critical for this: invest in our youth. Young people today need a full and honest – in a word, comprehensive – education to prepare them to be contributing members of society. Pennsylvania’s schools are denying students this preparation for life, robbing them of the education that will help them lead a healthy, safe sexual life. If our young people are not healthy, how can they revitalize our ailing economy?

A lot of people will tell me that this is a stretch; that connecting the Healthy Youth Act to our country’s economic well-being is a political wordgame. But our day canvassing in Garfield convinces me otherwise. From the 62-year old lady who described in a low voice the young people – the children, really – who were getting pregnant or contracting STDs in the neighborhood; to the 25-year old women with the 8-year old son who, this early in her career, is already playing catch-up, the people I talked to provided compelling evidence that comprehensive sex education is essential for our country’s well-being. And that’s worth knocking on a hundred empty houses.

Gemma, Northeast PA

Sarah and I just finished the third week of our internship and so far it’s been complicated but very rewarding. We’ve realized flexibility is one of the most important parts of grassroots organizing. For example, we planned to go door-to-door three times during our second week, but it rained almost every day and we were only able to canvass once. Instead, we made phone calls and switched around the day of our data entry. One of my favorite parts of the internship (and one of the most frustrating) is that you have to think on your feet and be ready for anything. We’re also discovering that the more challenging something is, the more rewarding it is. On our first day out, almost no one was home and we had a high number of refusals. However, when we got our first petition signed, it felt amazing.

So many people have been supportive. It is so wonderful going to someone’s door and hearing her personal reasons behind supporting Planned Parenthood and comprehensive sex education. This past week, I spoke to a school nurse who works in the Hazleton school district and she told me nearly 70 students in the high school were pregnant last year alone. She’s been struggling with the school for most of her career to put comprehensive sex education into the curriculum and was very supportive of Planned Parenthood’s work. Its women like her who makes me proud to intern for Planned Parenthood and to play a role in making a positive and lasting change for students in Pennsylvania.

Week 2: Juliana, Southeast PA

“This has been a disastrous first couple of weeks.” That’s what Madeline just said after the other Chester County interns and I spent the day cutting six turfs, not realizing that our list of doors somehow included EVERYONE who lived in the area as opposed to just our target (women aged 25-60). So we recycled hundreds of sheets of paper and are now starting over.

I’m learning that grassroots organizing is just that – messy, complicated, but also so important. It’s been frustrating learning how to use the computer programs, forgetting to enter data, getting lost canvassing – and yet we’ve received so much positive feedback for our efforts. We tabled at the gay pride parade in Philadelphia and got 250 petition signatures while also meeting some really enthusiastic people. Certain individuals have stuck with me: the 60 year old grandmother I phone banked who had never heard of Planned Parenthood, but after I explained the services we offer, replied, “Well…you’re just trying to help people, right? …Then of course I support you.” The young mother in the health center who looked us in the eyes and thanked us for our work. The woman who assured us that she had her legislator’s phone number on speed dial and would call him immediately to urge him to vote for our sex ed bills.

For every frustration, there has also been gratification, and that’s what makes this work so worth it.

The first two weeks...: Anna, Western PA

Anna D from Pittsburgh here, two weeks into my Grassroots Organizing Internship with PPWP. I am very excited with how much on-the-ground work Rachel and I have already done: three canvasses, a phone bank, and tabling at Pittsburgh’s Pride festival! Canvassing has been quite rewarding so far-- the vast majority of people I’ve spoken with have been very receptive and supportive. Pride fest was loads of fun (and everyone loved the free chapstick and colorful condoms), it was like tabling at a giant party! I’ve had a few surreal conversations (on the phone: “No, comprehensive sex education actually does not include handing out condoms at elementary schools…”), been seriously scared by some aggressive Rottweilers, and got several compliments on my YNT t-shirt. Based on the successes of these first few weeks, I am looking forward to a busy and productive summer!

Healthy Youth Summer 2009

Throughout this summer, thirteen PPPA interns spread throughout Pennsylvania will be blogging to tell the story of their grassroots organizing internship experiences.

Twelve interns have been placed around PA to gather active support for comprehensive sex education:

Anna D & Rachel in Western PA
Sarah W & Gemma in the Northeast
Michelle & Elissa in Central PA
Lisa, Juliana, Sarah P, Madeline, Anna M, & Clarissa in the Southeast.

One public affairs intern, Rhiannon, works in the state public affairs office in Harrisburg, the state capitol.

McBush: Eliminating women's access to health care, one term at a time.

Planned Parenthood PA Advocates reproductive freedom fighters held a visibility outside John McCain’s York town hall meeting yesterday, to let residents in on McCain’s dirty little secret.

During his 25 years in Congress, the Republican presidential candidate has consistently voted against medically accurate sex education, birth control, and even family planning funding to pay for breast and cervical cancer screenings for low-income and uninsured women. He’s earned a 0% rating from Planned Parenthood Action Fund for his long history of votes against women’s health.

You might wonder, “How does one earn a 0% rating without my hearing about it?”

The simple answer is that McCain doesn’t want you to know. Thanks to his reputation as a "maverick," many Americans have come to think of him as a moderate. As many as half of women who support John McCain actually think he's pro-choice. Asked about his views on insurance coverage of birth control in July, McCain flat-out told a reporter, "I certainly do not want to discuss that issue."

But McCain can't hide from his voting record if pro-family planning, pro-choice voters choose to make it an issue, as Planned Parenthood supporters did in York on Tuesday. Holding signs with slogans such as "Stop McCain's War on Women," supporters encouraged passerby to Know McCain. Check out these three media spots featuring Planned Parenthood:

1. Anne Laird of Planned Parenthood PA Advocates was featured on the local WPMT FOX43 news coverage of John McCain's stop in York, PA on August 12. Click here to see Anne and several PPPA signs, including a great slogan from Sari Stevens: "McBush: Eliminating women's access to health care, one term at a time."
2. Sara Reed of Planned Parenthood of Northeast and Mid-Penn was featured in a York Dispatch article about the event:
   
   "As John McCain supporters streamed into the York Expo Center Tuesday, they passed a couple dozen sign-bearing opponents protesting his stance on abortion rights, the Iraq War and the economy.
   
   'It's important for us to educate women and men about John McCain,' said Sara Reed, who works for Planned Parenthood of Northeast and Mid-Penn. Planned Parenthood staff and volunteers were holding handmade signs to bring attention to McCain's voting record, which has received a zero percent approval rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund for his votes on sex education, birth control and abortion rights. The action fund gave Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama a 100 percent approval rating for his support of abortion rights and other reproduction-related issues."
3. Planned Parenthood interns are featured in YouTube coverage of the event by Keystone Progress, a Pennsylvania progressive advocacy organization

I wish I could write about seeing McCain firsthand. I wish I could say that I'd asked a question of the senator, that I'd been able to raise this issue with him directly. Unfortunately, I'm not a registered Republican with a conservative reputation. McCain's campaign pre-screened everyone requesting a ticket to the event, and only people fitting that description (and their children) were admitted. Doesn't this negate the implication of a "town hall" meeting? Only one side of the town is allowed to present their opinion.

Obviously, this meant that McCain faced only his supporters, and wasn't challenged with any tough questions. Given the layout of the York Expo Center, where the meeting was held, McCain didn't even have to see the signs or hear the chants of those who showed up to voice their disagreement. Hardly preperation for leading a diverse nation, where one isn't just the president of people who already agree with you.

America needs a president who respects all constituents, including women. McCain has spent the past 25 years telling us he will not be that president. America needs a president who listens to and considers all points of view. At least in York, the McCain campaign made it clear that only conservatives can have a seat at the table.

- Cassie, Harrisburg.