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IGNITE the Capitol Social posts (72 x 28 in)-Feb-21-2025-11-22-14-8479-PM

Legislative Advocacy at IGNITE

You don't always have to think BIG when it comes advocating for the issues that matter to you. 

More often than not, it's the local issues- like educational funding, or the maintenance of communal spaces- that matters to us in our-to-day lives. Our mission at IGNITE is to help you leverage your passion for change (big or small) into actionable legislative advocacy. Our programming is centered around educating the next generation of political leaders so that they can utilize their political literacy to champion the rights of those who need it most. 

Our goals as an organization is to build a more equitable political space. 

The issues we focus on and advocate for- menstrual equity, voting rights, civic rights for marginalized groups- are key components of a more equitable country. They address current civic injustices or inequalities, and highlight the aspects of our current legislative state that need the most attention. You can find some of the key bills we've helped write, or support, below.

Building better policy through advocacy

Each year, hundreds of IGNITE program participants advocate for policy change with the help of IGNITE. Issues include voting rights, campaign finance reform, codifying reproductive rights into law, sexual violence prevention, harassment on public transit, and menstrual equity.  Collectively, they have spent hundreds of hours calling, writing, using social media, and meeting with legislators to make their voices heard.

Our advocacy in action

College Chapter Spotlight: UCLA Students Demand Better Access to Care

Most colleges in America do not offer rape kits on campus, and some school officials and healthcare experts have resisted demands to do so. Against that backdrop, more than 75 members of IGNITE’s college chapter at UCLA went on a successful mission to increase students’ access to Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) exams, also known as rape test kits, across the University of California campuses. They advocated for and passed a bill, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2023, that requires most California universities and colleges to provide transportation for students to and from a sexual assault treatment center. The Los Angeles Times ran an in-depth story on this victory.

Members of the IGNITE UCLA chapter hope their success will support more survivors to seek exams and report their assaults. The students worked with Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), an obstetrician and gynecologist, to write Assembly Bill 1138, which requires schools to provide free and anonymous transportation to a treatment center that provides SAFE exams, or to contract with local organizations to provide the transportation. The bill is crucial to adequately shift the onus of post-assault care to universities and away from struggling students.
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how you can Advocate with ignite

IGNITE the Capitol Advocacy Days 

There's no such thing as "too young" when it comes to advocating for yourself and your community. 

Every year, IGNITE organizes trips to state capitols across the country to teach participants about the legislative process and how they can influence policy decisions. These IGNITE the Capitol Advocacy Days make legislative advocacy accessible for middle school, high school, and college-aged student and gives them a chance to experience their local government in action.

Sign up for notifications on IGNITE the Capitol Advocacy days

IGNITE the Capitol

Advocate for change. Upcoming events to be announced soon.

Our IGNITE the Capitol series gives high school and college students opportunities to advocate for issues that matter to them with the lawmakers who have the power to enact change. We gather hundreds of young women at state capitols and in Washington, DC, and train them on legislative processes and advocacy strategies. They meet with legislators and staffers to their share stories and perspectives on the policies that affect their lives. These advocacy days serve as accessible and deeply impactful opportunities for young women to shape legislative agendas and influence policy decisions affecting their communities and beyond.

Upcoming IGNITE the Capitol Events - web sized

IGNITE & PERIOD. Organizing Academy: Activate Your Advocacy

Make a difference in your community.

Join our next Organizing Academy: Activate Your Advocacy Bootcamp!  We host this 4-week, free, virtual bootcamp twice a year in partnership with PERIOD. to provide you with the tools and resources you need to become a powerful changemaker and community leader. 

Attendees learn the ins and outs of the legislative process, join a network of politically ambitious individuals, and get the opportunity to match with an internship with a legislator to gain the mentorship they need to launch their own political careers. Those who complete all four sessions of the bootcamp also earn a certification and can attend a graduation ceremony at a later date.

Registration for the February 2026 session is now open. 

In partnership with:

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Lessons from our future leaders

NO MASTERS CLASS by IGNITE

WE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE 

How do we usher in the NEW class of political changemakers? By letting them teach us how it's done. Introducing #NMCbyIGNITE, a digital class taught by the future of politics. Join Mari Copeny, Will Larkins, Sis and Emily Flores as they share how we can take politics into our own hands.