The Civic Engagement group meets regularly to bring timely justice actions to each Sunday worship service. We pick important issues for letters, postcards, petitions, and phone calls. In addition, we network with other justice and faith groups in Phoenix and beyond.
Recent Civic Actions
-
Election Protection Training Sessions for Arizona Volunteers
Hello, UUCP Good Trouble Makers! First, we have kudos from UU the Vote AZ / UUJAZ: “Shout out to the UU the Vote team at Unitarian Universalist Church of Phoenix for already writing 410 postcards/letters and knocking on 161 doors for Arizonans for Fair Elections!”
For all those interested in being poll watchers, here’s information from Arizona Election Protection on how to get involved in Arizona, via Election Protection and Common Cause. You can sign up for online training. They also have training for Social Media monitoring. Social Media monitoring is not one of the categories that will get us to Good Trouble status, but it’s still worthwhile if that’s something that interests you.
This is an important message for Election Protection volunteers in Arizona.
To participate as a volunteer with the Protect the Vote 2022 program for the primary on August 2nd, you are required to go to one of the training sessions below.
There are several different roles available for our Election Protection work, and each role’s training is designed to give you the tools and resources you need, prepare you for what to expect, and run through a number of practice scenarios. At the end, you’ll be a prepared volunteer ready to sign up for a shift. And remember, we’ll always be a phone call away if you have questions or unexpected problems the day of.
Here are the volunteer roles you can sign up for in Arizona. Please register for trainings for any roles you are interested in.
Poll Monitors support voters at the polls in-person, answering questions but also connecting voters denied the ballot to legal resources. This is a great way to directly assist voters and be our eyes and ears at the polls, making sure every valid registered voter gets to exercise their rights.
We are holding four training sessions for Poll Monitors between now and the August 2nd primary:
- Thursday, July 14, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
- Tuesday, July 19, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
- Saturday, July 23, from 11:00am to 1:00pm
If you have accessibility concerns or any other questions about these poll monitor trainings, please contact Taylor Moss at taylor@azdrc.org.
Social Media Monitors identify voters posting on social media about problems voting, and connect them to resources and support. Additionally, you’ll be catching and reporting vote-related misinformation and disinformation. This was a big problem in 2020 and we’re already seeing it continue in 2022, so your support here will be a huge help.
Register for a Social Media Monitor Training taking place the next few Wednesdays.
Poll monitors will be active on election day, while Social Media Monitors will be active throughout this election cycle—so it’s ok to sign up for both if you’re interested!
Join us in this fight as we launch UUCP’s #UUtheVote 2022 to become a Good Trouble Congregation. If you want to learn more and get involved, please contact us at goodtrouble@phoenixuu.org.
Let’s make good trouble together!
-
Welcome Center Clothing Donations
Sweatshirts, coats, jackets, gloves, hats and other clothes are desperately needed at the Phoenix Welcome Center. Asylum-seekers arrive with only the clothes on their backs and many are heading to cold climates to await asylum hearings. We will be at the UUCP Outdoor Holiday Get-Together Sunday afternoon, December 19, at Granada Park from 3-5pm to start the collection. If you need more time to gather your giveaways, please bring them to UUCP’s upper parking lot on Sunday, January 2, from 2-4pm. The most needed items are:
- Sweatshirts, coats, jackets, gloves and hats for all ages
- T-shirts for men and women, especially in S and M
- Gently used shoes for men, women and children
-
Winter Hats and Gloves Needed
Some asylum-seekers who are housed at the Phoenix Welcome Center for a day or two are heading for cold climates. They arrive here with only the clothes on their backs and need to be prepared for destinations such as Minnesota and New York. Please consider donating via this GoFundMe campaign to purchase winter hats and gloves for them.
Older notifications are viewable in our Civic Engagement archives.
Interested in Joining Us?
This document provides information about our mission and activities, how often we meet, and what we expect of our members: Civic Engagement Team. For further information, please email civicengagement@phoenixuu.org.
UU Justice Arizona (UUJAZ)
In addition to weekly Civic Engagement actions, members of UUCP may participate with UU Justice Arizona (UUJAZ), a network of eleven AZ UU congregations. UUJAZ coordinates and promotes statewide justice efforts among UUs, including our annual UU Day at the Legislature. See the UUJAZ web page for more information, or visit their Facebook page.