ANNOUNCING: 2026 NASW-IL Advocacy Day
- NASW-IL Staff
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Join NASW-IL for a day of social work advocacy in our state capital!
2026 NASW-ILLINOIS CHAPTER ADVOCACY DAY
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
This year's 2026 NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Day will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Springfield, IL. Come learn about current emerging issues in the state of Illinois as well as up-to-the-minute legislation currently up for vote in Illinois. Unite your voices with hundreds of other social work colleagues on issues that affect the social work profession! The individual registration deadline is 9am CT on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
Advocacy Day attendees will be split up by their senate and house districts and led by an NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leader to meetings at the Illinois State Capitol building with their elected officials. Participants will be expected to attend a 30-minute pre-event virtual training that will educate all participants about the anticipated bills up for vote the week of Advocacy Day; those who cannot participate in the live training will be able to access a recording of training. At Advocacy Day, participants will be trained by NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders on effective lobbying strategies before heading to the capitol to meet with state legislators. Check back with the "Get Ready for Advocacy Day" section of our Advocacy Day page in the coming months as more information and materials are added.
ADVOCACY DAY EVENTS DETAILS
Pre-Advocacy Day Training
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Time: 12:00–12:30pm via Zoom*
*A recording will be made available to all who cannot participate live virtually.
Participation in our pre-Advocacy Day training to learn about the bills you’ll be advocating for on Advocacy Day is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This 30-minute training will take place live virtually on Monday, April 6, 2026, from 12:00 to 12:30pm via Zoom. A recording of the training will also be made available to those who are unable to participate in the live training.
2026 NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Day Details
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Time (tentative): 9:00am (SHARP!)
Meet-Up Point: State House Inn & Conference Center, 101 E Adams St, Springfield, IL 62701
Lobbying at Capitol: Illinois State Capitol Building, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield IL 62701
Cost: $5.00
Cancellation Policy: Please see registration form for cancellation policy.
Please note: CEUs are NOT available for this year's event.
Advocacy Day is a ZERO PROFIT event for the NASW-Illinois Chapter.
All fees cover a portion of the total costs.
REGISTRATION
Register to Vote/Update Your Voting Address
To ensure that your day of lobbying is as effective as possible, we encourage all participants who want to vote in Illinois to register to vote. If you are already registered to vote, check to make sure your voting record has the most up-to-date address on file. You can register to vote in Illinois and update or check on your voting address at: https://ova.elections.il.gov/
NOTE: If you aren't yet registered to vote in Illinois, aren't sure if you're registered to vote, or need to update your voting address, you can register to do so online now before March 1st or after March 18th. The above link will close at 11:59pm on 03/01/26 and reopen on 03/19/26. During this time, you will be required to register in person at your local polling place through March 18, 2026. The above link will reopen at 12:00am on March 19, 2026.
Individual Registration for Advocacy Day
Registration Deadline: 9am Central Time on Tuesday, April 7, 2026*
*Registrants received after deadline are not guaranteed to be placed in groups to meet with their direct legislators.
Looking for group registration? Schools who would like to pre-pay for their students can reach out to the chapter with the expected number of students participating in the event, and we can send an invoice for payment to allow for students from that school/program to have the $5.00 registration fee waived. PLEASE NOTE: The deadline to request group registration for your school is Friday, March 13, 2026.
NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders Program
New to this year's Advocacy Day is our NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders
Program. This one-day program will train individuals on effective lobbying
techniques, their local state senate and house representatives and other elected
officials, and how to navigate advocacy tools to effectively represent social work
priorities. To learn more about the NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders
Program and apply, click here.