Developing Leaders through Community Engagement · 2019-06-24 · Organizational Standards Center...

Organizational Standards Center of Excellence Peer-to-Peer Webinar Series

Developing Leaders through Community Engagement

November 8, 2018

Leah Goldfine & Pamela Luckett, Montgomery County Community Action Agency – Maryland

Ayana Bias, United Planning Organization – Washington, DC

Montgomery County Community Action Board Community Advocacy Institute

Developing Leaders through Community Engagement

The Montgomery County, Maryland Community Action Board’s Community Advocacy Institute

NCAP Peer-to-Peer Webinar November 8, 2018

Outline for Today’s Presentation:

I. Overview of Montgomery County

II. Overview of the Montgomery County Community Action Board (CAB)

III. CAB’s Poverty Forums

IV. CAB’s Community Advocacy Institute

I. Overview

II. CSBG Organizational Standards

III. How the program works

IV. Best practices

V. Outcomes


Montgomery County, Maryland

Demographics:

• 1 million residents

• 18% African American, 15.1% Asian, 19% Hispanic or Latino, and 44.7% White (non-Hispanic or

Latino)

• Over 40% of County residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English

• 1/3 of residents were born outside of the United States Poverty in Montgomery County:

• Nearly 77,000 County residents live in poverty, including over 25,000 children

• Over 1/3 of Montgomery County Public Schools students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals


Self-Sufficiency in Montgomery County: • The Self-Sufficiency Standard (SSS) is the actual cost of

living in a specific geographic location

• SSS vs. Federal Poverty Level

• Federal Poverty Level for a family of four = $24,300

• SSS for a family of four with two adults, one

preschooler and one school-age child this same family

in Montgomery County = $91,252


• Public Community Action Board

• 18 members

• Board members represent various

government agencies/elected

officials, non-profit organizations,

and geographical locations within

the County

Overview of the Montgomery County Community Action Board


Poverty Forums - Raise Your Voice! • CAB hosted two large-scale poverty forums in 2015 and three smaller

forums at Community Action’s Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS)

Community Action Center

• Participants shared their concerns regarding important issues,

including transportation, jobs, child care, and housing. Residents also

shared recommendations for ways to address these issues

• Follow-up – Planning committee wanted to expand the opportunity

for community involvement by low-income residents by creating an

advocacy training program specifically targeting low-income

residents – The Community Advocacy Institute was born!


What is the Community Advocacy Institute?

An advocacy training program for lower-income County residents.

GOAL: To increase involvement by lower-income, underrepresented groups

in advocacy efforts.


The CAI and the CSBG Organizational Standards

MAXIMUM FEASIBLE PARTICIPATION

Category 1 – Consumer Input and Involvement 1.1 - The department demonstrates low-income individuals’ participation in its activities.

1.2 - The department analyzes information collected directly from low-income individuals as part of the community assessment.

Category 2 – Community Engagement 2.1 - The department has documented or demonstrated partnerships across the community, for specifically

identified purposes; partnerships include other anti-poverty organizations in the area.


Community Advocacy Institute Overview

• How the program works: • Recruitment July – August

• Online application • Outreach • Eligibility requirements:

• Montgomery County resident • Household income of $54,000 or less • Able to attend all workshops

• Interviews in September • Selection of participants in late September


CAI Program Components All workshops are facilitated by Board members

• Workshops held October – April • Orientation • Advocacy 101 • Storytelling & Research • Exploring the Issues • Nuts and Bolts of Advocacy • Advocacy Skills Review Sessions • Wrap-Up Session

• Advocacy Project

• Graduation


Alumni Group All graduates become members of the CAI Alumni Group

• Quarterly workshops

• Information exchange

• Networking


• Include workshop evaluation forms

• Invite guest speakers – this provides opportunities for

participants to engage with elected officials, issue

experts, and local advocates

• Incorporate various instructional techniques and

tools

• Implement an attendance requirement

• Provide all dates for workshops, orientation session,

and graduation on the outreach flier

Best Practices


• Encourage Board member participation

• Include a wrap-up session where participants can share their

feedback on the program

• Develop “next steps” i.e. mentoring program, alumni network,

email listserv, etc.

• Utilize a pre and post-program survey to evaluate the impact of

the program

Best practices continued


• 2018 post-program survey:

• All participants who completed the survey gave the program a 10 rating (maximum

score was 10)

• All participants who completed the survey indicated that the program made them

more likely to participate in advocacy efforts

• Graduates have applied to serve on County Boards, Committees, and Commissions

• Graduates have participated in advocacy groups, public forums, civic associations, etc.

Outcomes – Graduates


• Developing and facilitating the CAI has increased:

• Overall Board member participation

• Visibility for the Board

• Collaboration efforts

• Leadership and advocacy skills of Board

members

Outcomes – Community Action Board


United Planning Organization

Developing Leaders through Community Engagement NCAP Peer-to-Peer Webinar

2018 Agency of Excellence Award Winner Ayana Bias, UPO Advocacy Division

2907 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave, SE | Washington, DC 20032 (202) 231-7946 or [email protected]

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• Private nonprofit human service corporation • Established on December 10, 1962

• Established via gifts from both Ford and

Meyer Foundation grants

• Become the designated community action agency for Washington, DC in 1964

About UPO: We are poverty-fighters.

About UPO: The inspiration that keeps us moving forward.

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A city of thriving communities and self- sufficient residents.

Uniting People with Opportunities

Community Action change people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities,

and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire

community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves,

and each other.

About UPO: Governance

Governed by a 21-member tripartite board of directors

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1/3 Representatives of

low-income individuals and families

1/3 DC Mayoral Appointees

1/3 Representatives of industry

leaders in business, law enforcement and education

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Office of Early Learning

Community Health

Development (Fundraising)

Office of Business Mgmt

Advocacy & Volunteers

Workforce Institute

Youth Services

Executive Office

Community Reinvestment

Human Resources

UPO Inspire

UPO CDC

Programmatic and Administrative Divisions

Communications & Community

Relations

Finance

General Counsel

CSBG Service Providers

Information Technology

Strategic Positioning

Performance Management

Parent Coordination

CSBG Service Providers

Foster Grandparents

Board of Directors

Theory of Change

• Theory of Change involves: • Uniting Customers(residents of Washington DC with low-

incomes) with the Opportunity to Become Self-Sufficient through human capacity development, stronger community support and access to

• Uniting Staff and Volunteers with the Opportunity to Fully Utilize Their Skills in Making a Difference.

• Uniting Funders with the Opportunity to Invest in Transforming the Lives of Customers.

• Uniting Partners with the Opportunity to Extend the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Services Delivered.

• Uniting DC Residents with the Opportunity to help their Fellow Residents in Need. [Maximum Feasible Participation]

UPO Advocacy Division

Created to organize, and coordinate advocacy efforts based on the organizations

strategic plan, which is driven by the Community Needs

Assessment.

Other focuses includes but not limited to partnership

development, volunteerism, resident leadership

development, board recruitment, resident input, engagement, and

public policy.

Individuals with Low-income Community Involvement

• UPO Board • UPO Advisory

Councils • Participation in Task

Forces, Groups, Partnerships, and Collaborations

We ensure access and a seat at the table to allow the voice of the low-income to be heard, respected, and impactful.

1.5 Maximum Feasible Low-Income Community Involvement

2018 Agency of Excellence Award Winner

Best practices in Advocacy Highlighting Community Leadership Academy.

Community Leadership Academy (CLA)

The Community Leadership Academy (Community Voices) was designed to assist communities with building their local leadership capacity and equip local leaders with skills to manage and direct positive change. The program curriculum is compatible, and can be easily tailored to fit the needs and interests of any participant regardless of background, title, and demographics.

CLA was approved by the board in 2012.

CLA Participatory Approach • Learners are actively involved in the training and the needs of the group

tend to shape the focus and direction of the training. • The program is also co-facilitated by members from the community who

have been recruited and trained to use the program. This method of teaching (i.e., Co-facilitation) is used because develop leaders by encouraging them to be active participants in their learning.

• Co-facilitators do very little lecturing during the sessions. Instead, a variety

of learning strategies in each session (such as, group discussions, role plays, activities, stimulation exercises, videos/visuals) and most of these strategies encourage participants to take an active role in the learning sessions.

• Aspects of the training cover a host of topics such as group leadership,

group decision-making, conflict management, problem solving, communication, managing change, and community and economic development.

Training Modules Unit 1: Building a Community Vision Utilizing a Shared Group Leadership Approach - Emphasis is placed on importance of working together as a group; developing a shared community vision of what they want their community; and connecting their vision to community strengths and resources they can help them solve those problems.

Unit 2: Communicating Our Vision Through Working Together – Emphasis is placed on teaching the group how to listen and respect the ideas of others; making group decisions using consensus; and communicating those ideas and vision to other groups in the county.

Unit 3: Working on Our Vision – Step by Step – Emphasis is placed on sharing the six-step problem solving model; selecting three problems from their community vision; investigating and determining the appropriate solutions to those problems.

Unit 4: Building a Community to Implement Our Community Action Plan – Emphasis is placed on importance of having an organizational structure to continue their work and following through with their action plans to solve community problems

Elements of the Curriculum

• Offers a unique opportunity for community-wide input on issues and concerns, how to develop a shared vision, and a Community Action Plan.

• Provides an opportunity to develop skills through self-selected community project planning.

• Incorporates real life hands-on exercises and other activities to assist in project development and implementation.

Immediate Benefit to the Community.

• Build a leadership base among broad group of residents both young and old

• Create a shared vision of the community’s future • Increased social support/cohesion for how they want their

community to be defined • Local resident empowerment.

Program Outcomes

• Build a community vision utilizing a shared group leadership approach.

• Work together effectively as a group so they can communities their

visions to others. • Apply a problem solving model to approach their community

problems in a systematic way. • Plan ways to continue working on their vision through organization at

the community level.

Training Format • Regular schedules sessions are 6 to 8 consecutive weeks - each

session can lasts about two hours. • The community group decides how many sessions they want to do

each time they meet. • Preferred group size is around 15 people which is important to ensure

that each person to get a lot of opportunities to talk and share ideas. • Led by co facilitator who job is to help the group stay on the topic

and work toward shared understanding. • Comfortable setting for learning where participants can talk and work

with one another easily. • Sessions are tended to be fun, interesting and engaging.

Community Leadership Highlights

• Charted a Toastmasters Club (2013). – UPO Community Leaders Toastmasters Club

• Resident led Voter Registration Drives, Events/Activities. • Trained 25 trainers (2018) • Helped established a Civic Association (2014) • Participants testify, rally, and are more engaged in

community meetings, events, activities. • 2 CLA participants ran for leadership positions in the

current election as ANC and won!.

FY 2019 Major Goals for CLA

• Implement Action Plan for WHCAN Leadership Academy. • Conduct Parent CLA at local Elementary School

– Outcome: Develop & Implement Schools PTA/PTO

• Conduct CLA training for UPO program Customers(each Division will designate 2-3 customers to receive training) – Outcome: Develop advocates for organization, UPO Program

spokesperson, create social change, and promote community action.

• Conduct a CLA training for new elected ANC officers, led

by our Advocacy Advisory Council – Outcome: Shared Vision in targeted Wards

Special thanks to: Michelle Eley, Ph.D.

Community and Economic Development Specialist North Carolina A&T State University

Cooperative Extension Program Greensboro, NC 27420-1928

Josephine Williams

Project Coordinator Greensboro Housing Coalition

Curriculum: Community Voices Leadership Development for Community Decision Making

Developing Leaders through Community Engagement · 2019-06-24 · Organizational Standards Center...

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