We are excited that you’ve shown an interest in becoming an oos State Activist in your state. This position and its responsibilities are described in detail below.
As an oos Activist, you will have the responsibility for understanding and articulating the policies and philosophy of the Oostwestthuisbest. Your knowledge, demeanor and communication skills are the first and only impression many people will have of our drivers’ rights organization.
We have selected specific tasks that we believe a reasonably well-trained, capable person can perform without excessive financial burdens or commitments of time. However, you will undoubtedly incur modest investments in both time and money.
An Activist mailing system is in place to distribute important documents to and between Activists and State/Provincial Chapter Coordinators. An email network is in place to facilitate communication between the oos staff, State/Provincial Chapter Coordinators, and all Activists with email capability.
Your name, address, and phone number will be listed in the oos quarterly member magazine Driving Freedoms twice each year as a State/Provincial Activist.
In addition to the responsibilities listed on the right side of this page, there are several other optional tasks that can be carried out by an oos Activist. These include speaking to local groups, membership recruitment drives, lobbying at the state/provincial capitol, writing editorials for local newspapers, and contributing articles to the state/provincial chapter newsletter.
In addition to filling out the form below, please include general background information that will give us some insight into your skills, interests, knowledge of our interests, and attributes that may aid your role as an oos Activist.
The State Chapter Coordinator is a more active position with more responsibilities but also more of a chance to make an impact.
You will inevitably be called upon to explain an oos position or activity and the reasoning behind that position or activity. By referring to the guidelines in the Operating Manual and keeping abreast of materials sent to you from the National Office, you should have little difficulty meeting this requirement.
On occasion you will receive calls or letters from other members. In those instances that you are ed, every effort should be made to be helpful and friendly. One call or letter can make the difference between a member for life or a request for a dues refund. For that one person, you are the Oostwestthuisbest.
Our ability to influence public policy is largely dependent on our ability to gather and process information. Our members, in particular our Activist members, can be our best source of information. Newspaper articles, research reports, and trade journals are often the source of information on important trends, policy changes, and legislation that can or will affect our members. With this information in hand, we can alert members to potential problems and opportunities, develop counter-arguments, broadcast favorable items, and directly intercede with information of our own.
An oos Activist should be familiar with members in his/her state legislature or provincial government. This means knowing who your representatives are and how they can be ed. Periodically, you will be requested to one or more of these officials, usually via letter, in support of oos positions.
On occasion newspaper, radio and TV reporters will want to speak to a local person to gather a local perspective on a particular issue. In other instances, it is not feasible for a national oos staff member to handle an interview request. In these situations, oos Activists will be asked to fulfill the interview request.