Community Voices Heard: Engaging Constituents for Social, Economic and Racial Justice
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Transcript of Community Voices Heard: Engaging Constituents for Social, Economic and Racial Justice
Engaging Constituents for Social, Racial & Economic Justice
Sondra Youdelman, Executive DirectorCommunity Voices Heard
CVH Background
• Founded as welfare-rights organization in New York City
• Evolved to be multi-issue and multi-chapter– New York City– Westchester County– Orange County– Dutchess County
CVH MISSION
Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a member-led multi-racial
organization, principally women of color and low-income families in
New York State that build power to secure social, economic, and racial
justice for all.
WE ACCOMPLISH THIS THROUGH:
• Grassroots Organizing, • Leadership Development,
• Policy Changes, and • Creating New Models of
Direct Democracy.
Programmatic Priorities
• Winning Campaigns
• Growing & Developing Membership
• Building Regional Power
• Expanding ElectoralImpact
CHANGE
STRATEGY
TYPE OF CHANGE EXAMPLE
Service Helping • Soup Kitchen
• Shelter
• Workforce Dev
Development Self-Help Community Investment
• Community Garden
• Housing Dev
• Co-op Creation
Advocacy Doing for People • Class Action Law
• Policy Think Tanks
• Lobby Firms
Organizing & Engagement
Directly Affected People do for Themselves or have Direct Voice
• Organizing Groups
• Fast Food Forward
• Dreamers
• #BlackLivesMatters
Why Community Engagement?
• Directly affected people have grounded perspective & expertise
• Issues that matter most in communities may be distinct from those crafted in policy shops
• Ownership of constituency/ community is essential to long-term change
Case Study #1:Organizing Campaign
• Shift in federal welfare policy in 1996; state in 1997
• Welfare recipient frustration with unpaid work mandate (WEP/ workfare)
• Ongoing recruitment of base at welfare centers, employment services programs, WEP sites
• Development of campaign and training of member-leaders
Campaign Engagement• Narrative shifts through
engagement– Countering myth of welfare
recipients as lazy– Shift to welfare recipients as
exploited workers
• Problems with system’s approach highlighted
– Research to expose problems– Testimony at public hearings– Individual & mass meetings with
legislators– Actions to pressure decision-
makers
• Mobilized workers moved union allies!
– WEP as public sector sweatshop
Perseverance & Victory
• Creation of paid Transitional Jobs Program in NYC & State
– 2,500 people per year since 2001– Recent increase to $11.50/ hour
• Movement on state legislation to end WEP
– 48 Assembly Members– 18 Senate Members– 50 Organizational Supporters
• Announcement in NYC about phase out of program
– Written into State Employment Plan– Two year phase out – Joint creation of pilot alternatives
Welfare recipients themselves were the only ones maintaining
this particular fight through the years!
Case Study #2:Community Visioning Process
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
• Poor history of engagement & trust
• New Commissioner wanted to take new approach to engagement
• Raised funds for trusted & experienced community groups to do the engagement work
Varied Approach & Multi-Phased Engagement Process
• 1,200 doors knocked• 750 surveys gathered• 19 lobby meetings • 4 leadership meetings
– 400 attendees
• 3 facilitated visioning sessions– 300 attendees
• 1 report back• Ongoing monitoring
Important Outcomes
• input into agency plan / vision
• community ownership of project
• development of local leadership
• creation of a local leadership team
• connection of local team to citywide committee
Case Study #3:Participatory Budgeting
Neighborhood AssembliesSeptember - November
Project Expos & Vote: April
• Tailor engagement to context
• Consider utilizing varied approaches
• Repeat engagement over time
• Allow for varied levels of engagement
• Ensure feedback loops exist
• Encourage real decision-making power
• Realize engagement never ends!
Important Process Elements
• Offer Language Access (translation, interpretation, etc.)
• Facilitate Engagement (food, childcare, Metro Cards, etc.)
• Partner with Trusted Groups (community organizations, local service providers, etc.)
• Provide Technical Assistance (facilitators, designers, lawyers, organizers, etc.)
• Resource the Work (staff time, materials, canvass team, stipends, etc.)
Best Practices to Consider
• Community engagement can be incorporated into all kinds of work!
• Groups already trusted in the community should be sought to lead engagement processes
• Engagement takes time… it’s important to incorporate ample time into projects
• There are lots of examples of good practices and processes…look to them!
Important Takeaways