Season's Greetings & Farewell to 2019
|
|
Before the end of the year and the holidays kick into high gear, we wanted to recap some of the work that we have done over the last couple of months. We hope that as you enjoy the holidays with friends and family, please keep us in mind for any help you may need with thought leadership campaigns, media relations, social media, crisis communications, or strategic communications.
A note to our clients: BlueDot Strategies will be closed December 24th to January 1st.
We wish all of you a happy and restful holiday season. We have lots of work to do in 2020 to create a world of peace and prosperity!
|
|
For over three decades, the spouses of our fallen military members have not received their full benefits. For the last several years, on behalf of the
Gold Star Wives of America
, BlueDot has engaged in an intense lobbying effort on Capitol Hill, engaging both sides of the aisle to eliminate the “Widow’s Tax”, also known as the Survivor Benefit Plan/Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (SBP/DIC) offset. This week, we learned that the provision to eliminate this tax will be included in the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA).
For many decades, surviving spouses and their families who were eligible and elected to pay into the SBP program have been penalized and not received full compensation for the sacrifice that their loved ones made for this country. Because of the work of BlueDot and many other advocates and organizations, that inequity has come to an end. Surviving spouses and their families have earned this compensation through the service of their loved ones and now will see the full benefits returned to them.
At BlueDot, our work has always been on the best outcomes for our clients. With the Gold Star Wives, we have helped keep the promise first coined by President Abraham Lincoln that is engraved on the wall of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs which says “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan”. Every day, it is our honor to continue the fight and ensure that our military spouses and their families get the compensation that has been earned by their loved ones.
|
|
Connecting Our Friends: Jonathan Branfman
College of William & Mary
Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender & Media Studies
|
Dr. Jonathan Branfman is an emerging leader in translating academic research on gender, sexuality, race, and pop culture into mainstream education. In addition to being a professor at the College of William and Mary, Dr. Branfman is the author of
You Be You! The Kid's Guide to Gender, Sexuality and Family
, a newly-released children's book on these critical social issues. Last month, we introduced Dr. Branfman to one of our favorite podcasters, Shai Korman. Check out their conversation on Gender and Jewishness on
the Friday Night Movie podcast
!
Follow Dr. Branfman on Twitter at @JonBranfman. Be sure to add the
Pancake for the Table podcast
to your holiday listening and follow them at @pancake4table on Twitter and Instagram.
Want to learn more about our Thought Leader Boot Camp?
Email us!
|
|
Lars Anderson featured on MSNBC regarding Hurricane Dorian, FEMA procedures
|
|
BlueDot's founding partner Lars Anderson was a guest on two separate MSNBC shows in response to landfall and the effects of Hurricane Dorian.
Lars spoke with both Craig Melvin and Lawrence O'Donnell to discuss the expectations of Hurricane Dorian while also providing feedback on the situation from the perspective of a former FEMA official.
In addition, Lars regularly trains leaders on how best to communicate in a crisis and to hone their message to reach audiences most effectively.
Check out our work with New York City Office of Emergency Management
here
.
|
|
NextGen #DigitalDiplomacy
|
|
Digital tools are the most direct way for diplomats to engage audiences and educate them on complex international issues. Helping our clients and friends navigate the opportunities and challenges is a major part of our work.
This fall, BlueDot co-founder Moira Whelan spoke about this and other public diplomacy issues to graduate students from Maxwell at Syracuse University, GSPIA at University of Pittsburgh, and the Korbel School at Denver University. She also spoke to a group of foreign military attaches at embassies at a seminar sponsored by NDU and a group of officials from the European Union.
But confronting disinformation and on-line aggression is a threat to democracy, so Moira also led a discussion on deepfakes at the Atlantic Council's
STRATCOM
in October and has a few projects in the works to help address these challenges.
|
|
BlueDot set to host first-ever Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp in 2020
|
|
Developed for public sector and embassy personnel, the Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp is designed to provide hands-on training for creating and implementing digital strategies for foreign ministries, embassies and international institutions. Conducted by leading experts in the field, the Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp is a unique experience that will build the skills of communications and public diplomacy leaders, social media managers and policy officers, and sharpen the capabilities of project managers, and senior diplomats.
|
|
Over these two days, participants will gain:
- Insights and tools necessary to create an original digital strategy
- Effective techniques for communicating on behalf of their governments and institutions on social media platforms
- Tool kits for developing digital projects and campaigns
- Knowledge of digital best practices employed by embassies and institutions
- Project management and resource allocation for digital campaigns
- Crisis communications planning and management on digital platforms
- Skills for managing official personal and institutional social media content
|
|
BlueDot Strategies is looking for an intern for the spring semester starting in January! This is a paid opportunity with a lot of potential for growth. You can find the
intern job description here
.
|
|
BlueDot Strategies
641 S Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(20
2) 281-067
5 | bluedotstrategies.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
