1 | P a g e

Building a Common Cause Advocacy Network

Cultivating leadership and advancing social justice

This document outlines an upcoming BRC publication and is not in plain language.

Mark Starford, Director wwwbrcenter.org

© 2014

2 | P a g e

BACKGROUND

Since 1994 the Board Resource Center (BRC) has provided services to organizations and individuals to increase leadership and participation of

diverse community members in organizational governance groups.

BRC works with state and federal agencies, advocacy groups, and nonprofit organizations to accommodate the needs of their members, ensuring inclusive decision making and greater engagement in civic affairs. BRC is recognized notionally for its work in plain language adaptations and accessible instructional design. In 2012, BRC was awarded a Clearmark Award for Plain Language from the Center for Plain Language, for its “Boards for All” series webcast training. BRC is committed to grassroots engagement in public policy. We use a personal and public leadership development methodology to increase the sphere of influence persons with disabilities and community partners have in political, economic, and social settings. BRC produces user-tested accessible media, provides leadership training, and offers technical assistance as a way to foster partnerships and drive meaningful outcomes.

BRC provides facilitation services, strategic planning, leadership training, and multimedia adaptations to informational materials. BRC’s success with producing the "Leadership through Personal Change" project (California Department of Developmental Services), led to methods and tools that were used in forming a statewide advocacy network. The statewide Network was initially sponsored by California State Council on Developmental Disabilities and incorporated practices to assure Californians with disabilities “take the lead”. This common cause Network lays a broad foundation for growth, peer mentoring, and expansion of partnerships that is founded upon leadership development and coalition building. Together, these methods and means inspire collective action for social and political change.

3 | P a g e

IN A NUTSHELL

Over the course of our history, African Americans have gained liberties and civil rights through coalition building and joint advocacy action. In the 1950s individuals and groups organized a vast public campaign for social justice. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks became national figures by promoting human

rights. However, they likely would not have achieved their standing without the steadfast strength of grassroots leadership and associations in countless communities. Civil rights victories resulted from individuals using their voices and community alliances to build a powerful movement that continues to advocate for equality today. This history provided a framework for other groups, such as women and people with disabilities, to lead their own campaigns for basic rights. When diverse agencies with varying agendas unite around common issues to find creative solutions, it produces significant impact. Coalition building provides opportunities for individuals to come together, share values, and take joint action. They strengthen their voices along the way. These collective voices bring more force for change, not only in local communities, but across broad constituencies. People with disabilities have made significant strides toward equality with the passage of state and federal legislation. Yet they are not always viewed as equals and still face significant barriers when trying to participate in their communities. True integration will be achieved when the general public recognizes individuals with disabilities as valuable members of society. Let us learn from the experiences of the Civil Rights movement. Individuals with disabilities should use the success of this historic movement as a model for building leadership and working side-by-side with community leaders. When this happens, we will advocate more effectively for full inclusion.

Molly Kennedy Disability Advocate

4 | P a g e

BOOKLET PURPOSE

This booklet describes a model that enables practical learning, civic engagement and leadership by people committed to making a difference - including persons with disabilities. The booklet builds a strong membership linkage with obligations to foster public activism, work for systems change, and professional development.

A statewide common cause network brings advocates who represent diverse public interest organizations together to connect with each other across regions. It unites many voices to accomplish shared advocacy goals in communities and influence public policy. Network members reach out to build relationships so they can address concerns of the people they represent. Leadership and advocacy strategies reach individuals in their communities through multi-year planning and action. With campaigns aimed at outcome-driven objectives, this model provides a vibrant platform for collaborative learning and leading. Positive change occurs at multiple levels, beginning with personal empowerment that combines training, participation, and capacity building. Underlying a focus on personal and group leadership development is a belief that such growth leads to a collective competency indispensable to successful advocacy accomplishment.

5 | P a g e

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS: 1 - 3

1. Personal Leadership: Effective advocacy requires learning and skill acquisition by individual leaders, organizations they represent, and community coalitions they want to build. Learning how to balance personal objectives and group goals paves the way to richer accomplishment. Be it speaking confidently to authority, paying off an exploitive “Pay Day” loan, or exercising more independence at home, personal development builds the foundation for more effective peer and public advocacy.

2. Facilitation:

The human rights movements have demonstrated that individuals with diverse abilities can play a principal role in shaping public policy when they have access to meaningful support. Providing facilitation services with individualized support to members assumes coalitions will be enriched by wider constituent participation and advocacy outcomes will benefit a broader community.

3. Technology Resources:

More than ever before, technology is an essential means and, in some instances, a transformative mechanism, used to advance communication. It can advance skills, cultivate relationships, increase attendance at meetings, and build social capital. All of which are vital to strengthening capacities of fellow community members and realizing the goals.

6 | P a g e

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS: 4 - 6

4. Coalition building:

Leadership is grounded in human relations and characterized by shared goals. This perspective is process-oriented, value-centered, and collaborative. Once groups unite, each group's vision of change broadens and it becomes more difficult to disregard the coalition's efforts. A coalition will have a greater voice through its collective vision and shared action.

5. Community and regional planning:

Investing in advocacy planning across communities seeks long-term advancement of the rights for all people, with and without disabilities. A commitment to social change seeks to increase civic engagement, take on responsibility for self and others, and empower communities.

6. Public policy:

Often the aspiration of advocacy is to make change through vigorous political influence. Inherent liberties of equity and fairness are reflected in many judicial and statutory accomplishments of civil rights struggles throughout U.S. history. Accordingly, linkages with legislative authority and policy making are essential to successful Network advocacy in the public sphere. As the Network matures - creating its own governance process, planning collaboratively, and taking action - members benefit from learning and leading with achievement. Success includes mobilizing partners, testing accessible information formats to better inform the public, and advocating on personal and public levels. These multi-level outcomes all lead to gaining power and contributing to meaningful change that makes a difference.

7 | P a g e

PARTNERSHIPS Responsibilities of Network members (and partner organizations they represent) focus on leadership learning and mentoring to increase capacities and meet challenges inevitable in struggles to expand basic human rights. Partner organizations provide supplementary support and personal facilitation services to their Network representatives, when needed. Expectations for “heavy lifting” are aimed at individual members who begin by acting on personal advocacy missions, sharing resources, and connecting with allies in their communities. Utilizing these elements, the Network comes to understand concerns across communities, and communicate authentically among its membership and coalition partnerships. It strives to engage in coalition building while keeping eyes on the prize of social justice, while developing linkages across regions. By working together and sharing resources, individuals and community organizations become powerful team “allies” and jointly benefit from the rewards of success. Enabled by training opportunities, support and plain language accessible information, persons with disabilities and their community partners have the tools to lead the way. By uniting voices, advocates can change lives and make a difference.

8 | P a g e

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

ACTIVITIES

As a leader, it is important to understand firsthand the meaning of self-determination and how to exercise basic rights. To gain more practical experience, Network members are encouraged to use “Think-Plan-Do,” a decision-making strategy (http://brcenter.org/lib/LTPC.php) aimed at reflection and personal growth. Members identify individual advocacy goals and implement plans to “lead by example”. They use facilitation support and coaching to address personal objectives and advocate more ably in their communities.

Network Members • Create personal leadership plans with measurable outcomes • Practice outreach strategies and leadership tools • Explore community organizations, identify allies, grow coalitions

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

With experience gained from steering the Network, members expand personal expertise and promote teamwork. They demonstrate risk taking, learning, and resourcefulness to share with colleagues. With “a personal to public” pathway, the Network fosters an advocacy course so members increase effectiveness with community peers and within the broader context of public policy making.

Leading by Example • Demonstrate personal growth so others may learn • Mentor others by sharing experiences and leadership tools • Advocate for the rights of others

9 | P a g e

FACILITATION SERVICES & SUPPORT

ACTIVITIES

The Network believes that group and individual facilitation services need to be viewed as an investment in successful inclusion. Members utilize personal facilitation support to assist with meaningful participation in Network responsibilities, community outreach and advocacy. A member who uses a facilitator identifies specific support and accommodations. Support can also include group training and accessible materials.

Network Member • Identify supports needed for more effective leadership • Create facilitation plan and facilitator duty description, revise as needed

Partner and Sponsor Organizations • Provide facilitation services to assist members with responsibilities • Assist Network member to create facilitator duty description • Provide facilitation training and services to assist Network as a whole

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

By providing facilitation support, organizations demonstrate their commitment to inclusive practices while building human and social capital. Members acknowledge the significance of support that promotes increased participation and leadership.

Network Members • Increase capacity and carry out responsibilities effectively • Identify strengths and support needs, revise as responsibilities change

Partner Organizations • Gain capacity to provide individualized facilitation services • Share support strategies with partner organizations

10 | P a g e

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES

ACTIVITIES

The use of media resources for communicating among members and coalition partners is essential for sustainability. Access to comprehensible information becomes the cornerstone to inclusion of all people, especially those underrepresented in public conversation and excluded by traditional communication designs. Multimedia materials must be constructed in plain language accessible formats. The Network believes information is essential to independent decision making and must be viewed as a human right, available through a variety of systems and formats. Fortunately, current technology enables diverse communication methods and can serve to broaden outreach with little or no cost.

Network • Adapt complex information into tested understandable language • Empower coalition partners to utilize technology to advance activities • Use online communication to maintain connections between meetings • Share accessible formats, plain language, and multimedia tools

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Increased media literacy enhances capabilities, meets different learning needs, and puts Network members in greater control of their message. By promoting accessible plain language with multimedia design, the Network emphasizes the essential nature of unobstructed information so learning is advanced and voices can be united. It reflects the fundamental right of all people to understandable information on issues important to their lives and communities. Network tools, documents and related resources serve as models to comprehensible formats that support leadership growth and advocacy.

11 | P a g e

COALITION BUILDING

ACTIVITIES

A successful coalition consists of people who figure out how to respect each other's differences and accomplish something important to all members. A coalition works to achieve a common purpose and engage in joint activity. Made up of groups with similar values, interests, and goals, it allows members to combine resources and become more powerful than when each acts alone. A broad-based coalition also enhances credibility. The more widespread support the Network demonstrates, the more significant the advocacy effort is recognized. Network members gather information about their communities so members engage successfully and build partnerships.

Network Members and Partner Organizations • Use groups and their leaders as sources of strength and ideas • Bring diverse representatives groups together to learn from one another • Identify common issues and share resources

EXPECTED OUTCOMES Whether the aim is to change attitudes or move legislation forward, Network members must know their communities. Network members collaborate and share information to gain insight about related issues, events or potential funding. Their collective knowledge leads to a better understanding of issues and captures more public support. A coalition not only increases social capital, it can leverage resources and gain access to connections established by other groups through its partnerships. As it gathers support from constituent communities, the public and local officials take the endeavor more seriously.

12 | P a g e

REGIONAL PLANS

ACTIVITIES

Successful advocacy results from thoughtful consideration and agreement on plans and action steps. The Network stresses the importance of sound planning and a commitment to carry out, evaluate, and revise plans to achieve outcomes and increase influence. Its structure and manageable communication methods enable it to share advocacy interests and focus on joint planning. Regional and statewide planning establishes a basis for efficiency and accountability. It is the process of translating into action the shared vision that has drawn partners together.

Network Members • Collect information regarding community issues • Facilitate creation of outcome-driven plans • Utilize organizational supports that promote action plans • Assist with implementation and share resources

Partner Organizations • Collect information regarding issues and interests • Help create plans • Assist with activities, share resources

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

A principal purpose of the Network is to accomplish a larger goal than individuals or single groups can achieve. Members and their coalition partners become “achievers” rather than merely “talkers” who attend meetings. With a focus on leadership skills, accessible information, and shared resources, members effectively address collective issues. Whether the Network’s goal is to increase personal safety, broaden inclusion or advance employment opportunities, collective resources and joint action achieves significant outcomes.

13 | P a g e

PUBLIC POLICY

ACTIVITIES

As social movements advance, coalitions and their leaders apply skill and influence in different and larger public arenas. With increased practice and engagement in their communities, they actively advance human rights and social justice in political arenas. Drawing on their own experiences, Network members use their experience and tools as community and statewide leaders to participate in policy making and political action.

Network Members • Address planning to act on issues impacting systems change • Influence policy with innovation and solutions • With other coalitions, bring policy recommendations to legislative leaders • Advocate with local, state and national policy-makers

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The Network can open doorways for communities to engage in wide social justice action. Through its alliances with regional groups and statewide organizations, it strives to advance advocacy and policy making by persons with and without disabilities. As the Network governs its own association and cultivates partnerships, members demonstrate increased leadership and acquire the knowledge and strength to challenge traditional perspectives.

14 | P a g e

OVERCOMING BARRIERS

A new association or network will have to contend with its own history and the status quo of partner organizations or coalition groups before beginning the work that needs to be done.

To overcome these initial barriers, it is essential to involve individuals and groups most affected by the issues at hand and to create a participatory atmosphere. Include community members and groups that have not been involved in the past, as well as those who have been at the table but insist they have all the answers.

It is expected to take more time than anticipated for individuals and organizations to learn and understand that working together can further mutual interests.

• Organizations promote the status quo, turf-protecting

• Organization leadership does not understand the concept

• Obstructive attitudes and beliefs

• Insular and privileged agency expectations regarding resources

• Lack of preparation, training, orientation in social justice work

• Lack of utilization of existing resources

• Information not available in formats that promote participation

• Failure to cultivate collaborative leadership

15 | P a g e

PARTIAL LIST OF REFERENCES

Avolio, B.J. &Gardner, W.L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly.

Boyce, W. (2001). A Seat at the Table: Persons With Disabilities and Policy Making. McGill Queen’s University Press.

Brown, K. M. (2004). Leadership for social justice and equity: Weaving a transformative framework and pedagogy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 79-110.

Christensen, K. & Levinson, D. (2003). Encyclopedia of Community - From the Village to the Virtual World, Vol.1.

Day, D. (2000) Leadership development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly Volume 11, Issue 4, Winter 2000, Pages 581–613

Goldfarb, K. P., & Grinberg, J. (2002). Leadership for social justice: Authentic participation in the case of a community center in Caracas, Venezuela. Journal of School Leadership, 12, 157-173.

Lyman, L. L., & Villani, C. J. (2002). The complexity of poverty: A missing component of educational leadership programs. The Journal of School Leadership, 12, 246-280.

Foster, W. (1989). Toward a Critical Practice of Leadership. In Critical Perspectives on Educational Leadership. Smyth, J. (Ed.).

Theoharis, G. (2007). Social Justice Educational Leaders and Resistance: Toward a Theory of Social Justice Leadership Educational Administration QuarterlyVol. 43, No. 2 (April 2007) 221-258

Wolf, T. (2001). Community coalition building - contemporary practice and research: introduction. American Journal of Community Psychology. Apr;29 (2):165-72.

Association of University Centers on Disabilities (2012). Envisioning the Future: Allies in Self-Advocacy Final Report. For more information about the upcoming collation building series, contact: Mark Starford, Director Board Resource Center mark@brcenter.org © 2014