A program called “Get Your Voice Heard” aims to educate D.C. residents on how to successfully interact with the city council, mayor’s office and other government agencies.
During a workshop held downtown at D.C.’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Monday night, librarian Ben Merrion educated attendees about how District government operates and how to write and present testimony before D.C. Council members.
“Knowledge and information is what we do here at the library, and they can be really empowering for people,” said Merrion, who has worked in the D.C. Public Library System since 2006.
“We want people to learn about structuring their testimony, learn what to say, and mainly just come away with a sense of confidence, that ‘I can do this,'” he said.
Library officials said “Get Your Voice Heard” will be a recurring program.
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“What I’m really hoping for is that residents are coming away educated and empowered on how they can make a difference,” said Diana Veiga, civic engagement coordinator for the D.C. Public Library System.
“I think it’s just important that people have an understanding that when you elect people into office they have a responsibility and then we as citizens also have a responsibility, in terms of holding them accountable,” she said.