Getting Equity Advocacy Results
(GEAR)
identifying and tracking the essential components of
equity advocacy for policy change
Knowledge for Equity Conference
Silver Spring, MD | November 13-14, 2012
1
Welcome
Your trainers:
• Victor Rubin, PhD
Vice President for Research
[email protected]
• Jme McLean, MCP, MPH
Senior Associate
[email protected]
2
Session Objectives
In this training session, participants will:
• Discover four essential components of
equity advocacy
• Explore four major stages of an
equity campaign
• Examine specific wins associated with
equity advocacy at each stage of a campaign
• Identify various methods for planning, tracking,
and measuring success
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Definitions
“Equity means just and fair
inclusion. The goals of equity
must be to create conditions
that allow all to reach their full
potential. In short, equity
creates a path from hope to
change.”
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Definitions
Campaign
• A campaign is the connected series of
activities and events designed to bring
about policy change
Policy
• Policy is a course or principle of action
adopted by a government, organization,
or individual – formally or informally- to
guide future actions or decisions
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Example: Health Reform
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Questions
• How can advocates tell, midcourse, if their
campaign efforts are making an impact for
equity?
• How can advocates elevate, motivate, and
sustain their work, when political energies
slow or external conditions obstruct
planned strategy?
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Questions
• How do advocates justify their ongoing
efforts to advance a campaign, when
supporters and other contributors might
focus solely on the adoption of a policy
proposal?
• What approaches can advocates use to
sharpen and refine their equity strategy as
they go?
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GEAR Framework
Getting Equity Advocacy Results
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GEAR Framework
Four essential, ongoing
components of an equity campaign
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GEAR Framework
Ongoing Organizing
assures that those closest to
community challenges are
central to seeking solutions and
building power to bring them
about.
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GEAR Framework
Ongoing Capacity Building
involves strengthening the
knowledge and skills of equity
advocates and their
organizations to effectively
engage in efforts for change.
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GEAR Framework
Ongoing Research
is needed to inform every
aspect of the advocacy process,
from documenting conditions
and soliciting community
participation to assessing
prospective solutions and
projecting the impact of
change.
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GEAR Framework
Ongoing Communications
activities involve a range of
tools to strategically
disseminate ideas and
information and to educate
stakeholders and decision
makers to advance equity.
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GEAR Framework
Four major stages of an equity
campaign
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GEAR Framework
Get Ready: Build the Base
Engaged community residents,
leaders, and organizations are
the foundation of thriving
communities. They are also at
the base and in the leadership
of efforts for equitable change.
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GEAR Framework
Get Set: Name and Frame
the Equity Solutions
Finding a promising target for
change requires understanding the
problem and potential solutions, as
well as the possible pathways to
get there. Making plans to reach
that target can require research,
communications, and community
engagement
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GEAR Framework
Go: Move the Equity Proposal
Advancing equity advocacy
requires applying the results of
organizing, capacity building,
research, and communications
to a campaign.
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GEAR Framework
Grow: Build, Advance,
and Defend
A vision for equity can be achieved
only when the interpretations,
processes, and implementation of a
proposal for change are carried
through and critical components
supporting equity are functioning.
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GEAR Framework
interconnected
20
Example: Health Reform
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Example: California Infrastructure
Community Equity Initiative
(click for video)
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Example: California Infrastructure
A Closer Look: Results
Get Ready: Build the Base
 Issue Identification
 Community Visioning and
Organizing
 Initial Power Analyses
 Planning the Advocacy Strategy
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A Closer Look: Results
Community Visioning and
Organizing
 How central are the people most
impacted by the problem to
creating a vision and plan for
equitable change?
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A Closer Look: Results
Community Visioning and
Organizing
 What supports are available to
sustain and strengthen an inclusive
and ongoing organizing effort for
change?
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A Closer Look: Results
Community Visioning and
Organizing
 How does the leadership of the
collaborative demonstrate equity,
and how well is that leadership
supported?
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A Closer Look: Results
How central are the people most
impacted by the problem to creating
a vision and plan for equitable
change?
BENCHMARK:
The groups, communities, and people
most affected by the problem identify it as
a priority for change. Outreach strategies,
capacity- building efforts, and information
that is appropriate, available, and
accessible (e.g., culturally, linguistically,
and physically) to them may have
furthered their understanding and
engagement.
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Definitions
Benchmark
• Benchmarks are points of reference
useful for making comparisons. They are
typically set in advance to help track
progress.
Indicator
• Indicators are the specific, measurable
signs that a benchmark has been
accomplished.
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Planning, Tracking, and Measuring
Questions to answer:
• Why assess?
• What results matter most?
• When to assess?
• Who will assess?
• How to track and assess?
• What’s working?
• What needs to change?
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Planning, Tracking, and Measuring
• Strategies for tracking success in
Unincorporated Communities?
– Advisory Committee check-ins, planning and
checking based on framework and specific
benchmarks
– Records captured in meeting minutes
– Participatory activities: CBPR
– Straw polls, quick surveys
– Media reports: TV, radio, print news
– Other reports: grant reports, issue reports
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Conclusion
• Policy advocacy for equity requires:
– Time
– Non-traditional partnerships
– Expansive understanding of the variety of
equity results, and their connections to
broader change
• Getting Equity Advocacy Results (GEAR)
offers:
– A common framework for understanding equity
campaigns
– Benchmarks for planning and tracking success
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Further information
www.policylink.org/GEAR
navigate the framework and interact with
the benchmarks at your own pace
download GEAR materials
browse relevant resources
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Welcome
Your trainers:
• Victor Rubin, PhD
Vice President for Research
[email protected]
• Jme McLean, MCP, MPH
Senior Associate
[email protected]
34