Speed Meeting Activity for Community Addressing Racism

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Keiva Hummel

The three-page, Speed Meeting Activity for Community Addressing Racism, by Everyday Democracy was published October 2014 on ED’s site here. This activity is designed to address racial equity issues, and is especially helpful for those using the Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation discussion guide [by Everyday Democracy].

Participants are given a printout of a clock with four meeting times: at the 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, and 12:00. Each person finds a partner in the room to meet with during each of these times (4 meet ups total). Each time slot has a different question to explore with the partner “scheduled” at that time, and after all four meet ups, there is an overall group debrief at the end. Below is an excerpt from the activity and you can find the entire activity on Everyday Democracy’s site here.

From Everyday Democracy…

This activity can be used whenever people don’t know each other and need to connect at any phase of the work, and especially in the organizing phase.

Purpose of Activity:
– To get participants comfortable talking in pairs and about race/ethnicity
– To allow participants an opportunity to reflect on their past and present experiences
– To help participants feel more comfortable thinking about their experiences through a racial/ethnic/cultural lens.

Background:
This activity was created so that participants could start talking about race and ethnicity in pairs. This activity help participants begin to build relationships. Through answering the 6:00 to 9:00 questions, participants will be able to reflect on their past and present experiences through a racial/ethnic/cultural lens.

Find the entire activity on ED’s site here.

About Everyday Democracy
Everyday Democracy (formerly called the Study Circles Resource Center) is a project of The Paul J. Aicher Foundation, a private operating foundation dedicated to strengthening deliberative democracy and improving the quality of public life in the United States. Since our founding in 1989, we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across the United States on issues such as: racial equity, poverty reduction and economic development, education reform, early childhood development and building strong neighborhoods. We work with national, regional and state organizations in order to leverage our resources and to expand the reach and impact of civic engagement processes and tools.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/resources/speed-meeting-activity-communities-addressing-racism

Racial Dynamics to Watch For

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Keiva Hummel

The two-page tip sheet from Everyday Democracy, Racial Dynamics to Watch For, was published April 2010. The tip sheet gives pointers on how to keep racial dynamics in mind, in order to design better and more inclusive programs/events. The tip sheet gives advice for three categories: Planning and organizing, Dialogues and facilitation, and Working on Action. Below is an excerpt from the tip sheet and it’s available on Everyday Democracy’s site here.

From Everyday Democracy…

As you approach a large community-change initiative, pay attention to racial dynamics. Consider the following examples. Talk about how you might prevent or correct these situations.

Planning and organizing
– The organizing committee recruits one person of color to “represent” the African American / Latino / or Asian “community”.

-The chair of the group selects a large, prosperous, white church – or another venue frequented by whites – a a regular meeting site for the organizing team.

-The group decides to rotate meeting sites between a prosperous white church and a local black church. White attendance is very low when the meeting takes place as the black church.

…

Dialogues and facilitation
– The white facilitator seems to lead most of the times; the person of color who is co-facilitating tends to do more note-taking.

– The white organizer checks in with the white facilitator about how things are going.

– One or two people or color in a circle or 10 are asked to speak for their whole group.

…

Working on Action
– Action groups are often dominated by whites. While people of color may be invited to participate, they are more “for show”. Old habits and behaviors continue, and whites stay in the lead.

– As people form new partnerships to address problems in the community, they hesitate to include people from different racial groups.

– People who are most affected by new policies are shut out. They have no voice in the policy making.

…

This is a condensed version of Racial Dynamics to Watch For, the original can be found in full on Everyday Democracy’s site here.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/resources/racial-dynamics-watch

10 Ways to Make Your Materials More Inclusive

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Keiva Hummel

The article, 10 Ways to Make Your Materials More Inclusive, from Everyday Democracy provide tips to make your materials (and events) more inclusive when engaging the community. These guidelines recommend ways to take into consideration diverse human experiences and expressions, in order to have better designed dialogue and deliberation processes. You can find the article below and in full on Everyday Democracy’s site here.

From Everyday Democracy…

As diverse as we are racially, ethnically and culturally, we are also very diverse in how we learn. When we train, facilitate or write guides, we should pay attention to different learning styles. For example, some people need graphs and charts to understand information, and others need a written explanation. Still others need to hear a presentation. Some people thrive in a group setting, while others need time for self-reflection. There may also be various levels of literacy or English-language skills within groups.

To develop discussion materials that will make your dialogues more inclusive of varying learning styles and literacy levels:

1. Add color and graphics to highlight important information.

Your materials are probably filled with a lot of text, so using color and graphics can help highlight the important points. Also, plenty of white space can help people digest the information more quickly.

2. Use simple language.

It’s always good practice to avoid run-on sentences, but you should also watch out for difficult terms and jargon. Think to yourself, “How would I explain this to my 10-year-old neighbor?” Using simple language will help everyone better understand the process, especially people with lower literacy levels or for whom English is not their first language.

3. Define vocabulary.

If you can’t avoid using certain terms, create a glossary or define difficult words in the sidebars. For concepts that may be hard to define or that may have multiple definitions, you can invite dialogue participants to have a discussion about the terms if there is disagreement among the group.

4. Include an audio option as a guide supplement.

Since some people absorb information more quickly through hearing the information instead of reading it, you might want to consider including an audio CD or links to podcasts with your guide. The entire guide doesn’t need to have an audio component, but having an audio component for the introduction and key concepts for each session would be a useful addition to your guide.

5. Use an animated visual, like a comic strip, to explain the process.

This helps visual learners to quickly understand key concepts and helps cut down the time needed for explanations.

6. Provide alternatives for visual information.

Whenever you present a graph or chart, also include a verbal explanation for the information you are presenting. This allows people to absorb the information in a way that’s easiest for them.

7. Translate materials.

In your dialogue groups you may have people who don’t speak any English. If you have the resources, consider translating materials into the most widely used language(s) in your community. If you can’t translate the entire discussion guide, another option is to create handouts for each session that could be translated into other languages.

8. Include activities that allow for physical movement.

This increases interactivity, but also helps take into consideration learning styles that call for more physical interaction.

9. Include activities in which participants can role play/switch roles.

These activities not only help make the discussions more interactive, but they also help participants experience an issue from a different perspective.

10. Allow time for reflection.

Set aside a few minutes at the end of a session for journaling or self-reflection for those people who need a few moments to process information.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/tips/10-ways-make-your-materials-more-inclusive

Activity to Explore Community Demographics

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Keiva Hummel

This two-page activity from Everyday Democracy, Activity to Explore Community Demographics, is to improve efforts to be inclusive when creating a team or coalition. This exercise gives prompts for a group brainstorming activity, suggests doing previous research, and utilizing resources to find information on the community to build a diverse group of people. Read the activity below or find the original and download for free from Everyday Democracy’s site here.

From the activity…

Purpose of activity: Use this exercise to help your coalition make a list of the diverse people and groups in your community.

This list is helpful for recruitment and communications purposes, to help your efforts be inclusive.

Materials needed:
Flip chart
Markers

Part 1: Brainstorm activity
Brainstorming is a creative way for a group to come up with lots of ideas in a short amount of time.

As a large group, brainstorm responses to these questions:

Who makes up our community?

What kinds of people live, work and go to school here?

Make sure to think about ALL the different kinds of people who make up your community. Think about race and culture, economic background, religious or spiritual background, political background, profession, age, gender, etc.

Capture each response on a flip chart.

Part 2: Research the demographics of your community
Have some volunteers do research about who makes up the community. Bring the information back to the group at the next meeting. Or, you can prepare the information ahead of time to continue the conversation immediately after the brainstorm.

Compare the list you brainstormed with the information the volunteers researched. As a group, discuss these questions:

Are there any groups that we missed in our brainstorm? Why?

Is there any information you find surprising?

As you continue your work, keep these observations in mind so you can be sure to reach out to all groups in your community.

Resources for finding community information
The town hall or clerk’s office in your community might have data on what kinds of people are in the community.

Look up your community using one of these online resources:

American FactFinder is a Census Bureau tool that offers statistics on different areas of the country. You can view the available Census data (including the American Community or other available survey’s) for your town. This data may be older. There is “Guided Search” feature that allows you to look in depth at available data.

DiversityData lets you customize reports with the specific information you’re looking for. You can print or email them and convert them to a PDF document. The information is only available for large metropolitan areas.

ZipSkinny offers a simple layout of Census Bureau results with a quick search of a zip code. You can view the results in chart form or compare zip codes.

County Business & Demographic Map is interactive and lets you explore different types of statistics throughout the U.S. Choose the statistics you’re interested in such as race, ethnicity, population, housing status, etc., search any county, city, etc., and compare it with another location.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/resources/activity-explore-community-demographics

Understanding Structural Racism Activity

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Keiva Hummel

Everyday Democracy published the five-page activity, Understanding Structural Racism Activity, on January 2015. This activity gives participants an opportunity for better understanding how structural racism manifests and how to design realistic events/actions from a structural racism lens. Participants will explore all three layers of structural racism: personal attitudes/beliefs, formal and informal practices, and policies and procedures- via group discussion and skit activity, then work through the issues that arise at all three levels to create realistic events/actions. Below is an excerpt from the activity and you can download for free from Everyday Democracy here.

From the activity…

This activity helps participants delve deeper in analyzing racism and start to learn how to use a structural racism lens. Many times, actions are focused on changing the personal beliefs without looking at the practices and procedures that contribute to the issue. Through this activity, participants will have the opportunity to break down the issue of racism at a structural level so that the group can come up with realistic action ideas for change.

Goal:

To get participants to analyze an issue through a structural racism lens

To engage participants in an interactive way to identify the personal beliefs, practices, and procedures that contribute to the issue

To create a compiled list of barriers impacting the issue on the structural level

Materials needed:

Structural Racism handouts
Chart paper
Markers

Preparation:

Review the Structural Racism handout. Familiarize yourself and understand all 3 layers to structural racism: the personal attitudes/beliefs, formal and informal practices, and policies and procedures.

Review the sample structural racism examples. If the sample examples do not fit the community specific issue, brainstorm a few examples for each level.

Identify the community specific issue the group will work on.

Part 1: Activity overview

Pass out the Structural Racism handouts. Give participants a few minutes to review them.

Explain each level of structural racism as participants look on.

Use the examples to help participants understand each level. Allow time for clarifying questions.

Divide participants into three groups. Group 1 will be “Personal Attitudes,” Group 2 will be “Formal and Informal Practices,” and Group 3 will be “Policies and Procedures.”

In the small groups, give participants 10 minutes to think of examples for their assigned group. Have the groups record their answers on chart paper.

Part 2: Skit Activity

Following the brainstorm, ask each small group to pick one example and create a 2-minute skit to illustrate the example.

Have each group set the skit’s context and perform their skit. Ask the audience to pay attention to how the skit illustrates the group’s assigned level.

After each skit, debrief with the following questions:

Was the skit realistic?

How was the skit an example of personal attitudes and beliefs/practices/policies and procedures?

After all the skits, ask all three skits to start up simultaneously. Wait about 20 seconds.

Then, stop the skits and explain that collectively, these are the different levels contributing to the issue. If one level is addressed, there are two other levels occurring at the same time. If this group wants to truly see change, actions need to address all three levels.
…

You can find access to the rest of the activity on Everyday Democracy’s site here.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/resources/understanding-structural-racism-activity

Leadership Compass Activity

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Keiva Hummel

This five-page activity from Everyday Democracy titled, Leadership Compass Activity, was published January 2015 and helps to determine the leadership styles of participants within an action group. The activity is meant to be done with an organizing or action group on its first or second meeting.

The group individually answers 27 questions to determine whether their leadership style is that of a: Nurturer, Teacher, Mobilizer, or Visionary. After finding out your personal leadership style, the group breaks into smaller groups to discuss positive aspects of their leadership style. The group then comes back together to discuss how to balance the group’s leadership style variety and how to work with challenges that may arise. The activity is available for free download on Everyday Democracy’s site here.

From Everyday Democracy

This is a team building activity for an organizing coalition or action teams to use during their first or second meeting.

Teamwork begins with self-awareness and awareness of other people’s leadership styles. We can’t be good at everything so we need to bring together people with different styles and talents. This worksheet will help you and your team figure out how you can work collaboratively across leadership styles

We have learned that some of the key components to ensuring racially-equitable systemic change include building relationships, establishing a diverse coalition, having trained peer facilitators during dialogues, building on assets, and linking actions to individual, community, and policy change. We provide online tools and in-person trainings on organizing, racial equity, facilitation, communications, and action planning. We act as a catalyst and coach for communities, knowing that the people of each community are best suited to carry out and sustain the work that will make a difference. The communities we serve are the focal point of our work. Our ultimate aim is to help create communities that value everyone’s voice and work for everyone, and to help create a strong national democracy that upholds these principles.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/resources/leadership-compass-activity

Effective Public Engagement through Strategic Communication (ILG)

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Keiva Hummel

The five-page tip sheet from Institute of Local Government, Effective Public Engagement through Strategic Communication (2015), is a tool to provide guidelines for effectively engaging the public. View the guide below and download the PDF here.

From ILG…

Strategic communication is an essential tool for effective public engagement. This tip sheet offers advice on communication strategies before, during and after the agency’s public engagement effort.

I. Before the Agency Begins a Public Engagement Effort:
Understand the Audiences

In order to effectively communicate about a public process or program, the starting point is to understand who the agency seeks to engage.

Identify key audiences and stakeholders. What are their interests? How do they connect to the project or policy?
Identify the community values, commonly held principles or valued qualities, such as personal safety, freedom or fairness. Understanding this can help you craft your message.
Ask stakeholders about their preferences regarding communication. What communications channels work best for them? Getting this perspective during planning both enhances understanding of these key audiences and creates a valuable communication channel for further engagement.
Understand connections and relationships among audiences and individuals. Who are their trusted advisors? How willing are these influencers to act? Understanding these dynamics can help the agency broaden the impact of its engagement effort.

With the above information in mind, the agency can identify and prioritize communication channels that align with the needs, opportunities and resources of both the project or policy and the audiences that the agency seeks to engage.

Consider Both the Message and the Messenger

In developing a message for a policy or project, succinctly and clearly articulate the message.

What is at stake for the community.
Why the audience should care. Explain how the decision could affect what different people value.
The action the agency wants the agency the audience to take. For example, is the goal to help inform people, help them analyze and weigh in on different solutions to a problem, or take a specific step
What will happen if audience members do take action. Consider the choice of messenger and how it will affect the way in which people will receive the agency’s message.
Identify and support community champions who can speak with authenticity and power to the issue or need being addressed.
Consider developing an outreach working group to help extend the agency’s ability to reach into different audiences in the community.
Empower community members as storytellers. Personal perspective on a proposed policy or project can be compelling to broader audiences and the media. Tie the agency’s communication plan to the policy or project consideration process.
What are the policy or project decision-making milestones?
How will the agency communicate progress towards key decision-making milestones?
How will the agency communicate how public input influenced the final outcomes of the decision making process? Tie the agency’s communication plan to the policy or project consideration process?
What are the policy or project decision-making milestones?
How will the agency communicate progress towards key decision-making milestones?
How will the agency communicate how public input influenced the final outcomes of the decision making process?

Create a Media Plan that Integrates Both Traditional (Print, Radio and Television) and Online Outlets

Develop key story themes and messengers.
- Find the right community partners and champions to help spread the agency’s information and messages. – Develop a sequence of messages that tie to key milestones in the policy or project.
- Scale the level of media activity to fit the time frames and capacities of the media outlets and contacts in the area.
Create a list of media, reporters, key bloggers and online journalists who reach priority audiences.
- Identify both larger and smaller community-based publications and outlets, including radio. Be sure to include the newsletters, blogs and events of key community partners.
- Consider the different types of reporters and outlets who might cover various angles of the story (health, real estate, living, local agency beat, ethnic media, etc.).
Create a planning calendar for the decision-making process on the policy or project.
- Include key milestones, events, news happenings and announcements that can engage the public.
- Plug into other activities related to the policy or project topic locally, nationally and even internationally.
- Brainstorm different ways to slice the story to ensure ongoing coverage.
- List the different news opportunities (for example, at launch, when funding is secured, when a proposal is made, when success is achieved). Find the other relevant angles (for example, health, sustainability, education). Identify submission opportunities for opinion pieces and who are the right spokespeople and storytellers.
Monitor the media for opportunities to respond to other related stories with information about your policy or project.

II. During the Public Engagement Process:
Create opportunities for Sustaining Communication

Public engagement efforts are most successful when spokespeople consider context, content and commitment in relation to the audiences they seek to reach.

Create opportunities for engagement through channels and events both within and outside of the public agency.
Offer multiple opportunities for the public to communicate back to the agency (surveys, online forums and meetings) to reflect that different groups will have different preferences in terms of communications channels.
Show progress, new information or actions as proactively and quickly as possible.
Follow up on commitments made (for example, to get answers to questions) and (when possible) immediately ask for feedback about the agency’s communications and engagement efforts.
Recognize and thank partners and collaborating stakeholders for their efforts during the engagement process.

Expand Opportunities for Sustained Interaction with the Media to Maximize Strategic Communication and Public Engagement

Train spokespeople on the needs and tendencies of media representatives.
Develop relationships with key reporters and outlets:
- Be respectful of deadlines
- Provide them with only story ideas their audiences will care about.
- Understand which outlets do and do not have reporters who routinely cover your topic, and adjust the background material you provide accordingly.
- Don’t ask to review a quote or the story
- Ask for corrections only if there are grave factual errors
- Give them information they ask for even if it is not relevant to the policy or project.
Pitch news stories and submit opinion pieces consistent with the agency’s planning calendar. Consider an editorial board meeting with the local daily newspaper at the beginning of the effort. Another possibility is an “educational” news briefing with background information for outlets that do not have a reporter on that beat (such as ethnic media, recently downsized local papers, radio, etc.)
Communicate progress points and/or key lessons along the way to support champions and demonstrate that the community conversation is influencing the decision-making process.
Invite media to all community meetings and make spokespeople available for interviews.
Be prepared to take advantage of opportunities to react to news events. Have drafts of op-eds and letters to the editor that the right community member or other stakeholder can review, sign and submit quickly.
Share media coverage with priority audiences (for example, provide printouts at community meetings, post on the agency’s website and share through other online tools).

III. After the Public Engagement Process:
Measure and Evaluate the Engagement

At the conclusion of an engagement process, use quantitative and qualitative metrics to evaluate, adjust and improve your strategy. Lessons learned from both successful and unsuccessful strategies can help to refine the agency’s understanding of the values, interests and concerns of audiences and stakeholders. This will benefit future engagement efforts.

Gather qualitative data through surveys, interviews, focus groups or informal channels.
Use process measures to assess what you did including:
- Materials distributed,
- Outreach conducted,
- Media engaged, and
- Staff, friends, partners and others reached
Use outcome measures to assess what happened:
- Did you achieve the goals?
- How many new people did you reach?
- Did you receive positive media coverage?
- Who used the key messages?
- Did you earn endorsements?
- ho got involved and what did they do?
Ask for feedback and advice from stakeholders.

Create Opportunities for Ongoing Communication and Concentrate on Maintaining the Relationships with Stakeholders

As with any relationship, maintaining communication after an engagement effort has been completed will ensure that audiences and stakeholders stay informed-making them more likely to participate in future efforts.

Share findings and lessons learned from debriefing and performance assessments.
Circle back to stakeholders with information that shows how their efforts made a difference. Thank them for their involvement.
Use existing venues (governing body meetings, public events) and resources (website, e-mail newsletters) to celebrate new approaches, new relationships or specific successful outcomes that highlight partners or collaborating stakeholders.
Create an ongoing network for information sharing with stakeholders and community groups.
Look for ways to support or connect with stakeholders during the periods between major engagement efforts.

To learn more about measuring public engagement success, visit the Institute for Local Government’s public engagement resources at (www.cailg.org/public-engagement).

About the Institute for Local Government
The Institute for Local Government is the nonprofit research education affiliate of the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties. Its mission is to promote good government at the local level with practical, impartial and easy-to-use resources for California communities. The Institute’s goal is to be the leading provider of information that enables local officials and their communities to make good decisions. Founded in 1955, the Institute has been serving local officials’ information needs for 55-plus years. Some of the highlights of that history are detailed in the story below. While respecting and honoring its past, the Institute is also intently focused on the present and future. In these difficult economic times, the need for the Institute’s materials for local officials is even greater. Follow on Twitter: @InstLocGov.

Resource Link: www.ca-ilg.org/EffectivePE-Strategic-Communication

Global Outreach in Local Communities…Bringing Worlds Together One Tip at a Time

Posted on November 3, 2015 by NCDD Community

The online guide, Global Outreach in Local Communities…Bringing Worlds Together One Tip at a Time (2015), is a collaborative effort from across sectors that began out of the Diversity Outreach Workshops in Multnomah County, Oregon. Read the preface below and access the guide online here.

More about the guide…

The volunteer Multnomah County Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC) with staff support from the Office of Citizen Involvement (OCI) began the Diversity Outreach Workshops in 2008. The CIC’s mission is to increase engagement and input by the public into county policy decision-making. The workshops seek to improve the strategies and tools that county staff and volunteers use to conduct outreach to diverse communities by inviting those doing the work to share their best practices and lessons learned. This, in turn, enhances public engagement and input while broadening the community perspectives guiding policy decisions.

Over the years, the workshops have grown to include attendees from several government entities, non-profit organizations, and the public at large. During the workshops, as many as three organizations that have worked extensively with a variety of diverse communities present their “nuts and bolts” outreach tips and insights. They typically cover:

• How they evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the organization.
• How they discover and adopt new strategies for earning greater public trust.
• What has and hasn’t worked when conducting outreach.

Beginning in 2010, we began summarizing the tips offered by the presenters during the workshops and sending them to attendees. Since then, 23 government and non-profit organizations have presented. In an effort to make the tips even more accessible, we have assembled this compilation guide.

Please note that this guide is not meant to be an exhaustive list of everything that can be done to improve outreach to diverse communities. Rather, it is an anthology of the key tips that presenters chose to emphasize. Most presenters focused on tips that apply to conducting outreach across the board as well as building partnerships. Some presenters offered tips that apply to specific organizations or focus on specific populations. Additionally, this is an evolving document that will be updated as future workshops take place. Please contact us if your organization is interested in presenting (citizen.involvement[at]multco[dot]us).

We are excited to provide this treasury of tips from our many outstanding presenters, and encourage you to go forth and utilize them to better involve diverse communities in your work!

You can learn more about our programs and initiatives, including the Diversity Outreach Workshops, as well as the Office of Citizen Involvement, which supports our work. Additionally, you can find out about our events and activities by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow on Twitter: @MultcoCitizens

Resource Link: https://multco.us/oci/global-outreach-local-comunities

This resource was submitted by Gary Marschke, Executive Director at Multnomah County Office of Citizen Involvement via the Add-a-Resource form.

7 Tips For Facilitating Discussions On Community-Police Relations

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Keiva Hummel

The article from Everyday Democracy, 7 Tips For Facilitating Discussions On Community-Police Relations, offers seven guidelines for creating a more comfortable space when facilitating dialogue between the community and police. Below are the seven tips and on Everyday Democracy’s site, you can find the full tip guidelines with examples. Check out it on their site here.

From Everyday Democracy…

Having conversations about community-police relations can sometimes be uncomfortable. To help dialogue participants feel at ease, facilitators should come prepared to explain certain points at the beginning of the discussion and examine their own biases as well.

Here are seven tips to help facilitators of conversations about community-police relations to help you have a successful, trust-building dialogue:

Address the issue of race/racism at the beginning
Explain racial overtones in the discussion guide
Acknowledge the differences in authority/generation gap among dialogue participants
Provide an informational sheet for dialogue participants
Explain why officer are in uniform- or allow officers themselves to explain
Stress confidentiality
Be aware of bias

These are just the basic guidelines, the more robust version can be found on Everyday Democracy’s site. Highly recommended to check it out here.

Follow on Twitter: @EvDem

Resource Link: http://everyday-democracy.org/tips/7-tips-facilitating-discussions-community-police-relations?

The Social Justice Phrase Guide

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Keiva Hummel

The Social Justice Phrase Guide is two-page guide created by Advancement Project, in collaboration with The Opportunity Agenda. This guide puts forth five guidelines for conscientious communication, that give examples of alternative phrases and metaphors to replace out-dated ones that are offensive and/or discriminatory. View the guide below or download it here.

From Advancement Project…

Advancing a social justice agenda starts with being smart and deliberate in how we frame our discourse. The Social Justice Phrase Guide is your go-to tool to craft inclusive messages. Whether developing language for your organization, communicating through media platforms or engaging in personal discussions, follow these guidelines to successfully communicate across communities. A collaboration of Advancement Project, a multi-racial civil rights organization, and The Opportunity Agenda, a social justice communication lab, download the printable pamphlet here.

The guide…

About Advancement Project
Advancement Project is a multi-racial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras. From Advancement Project’s inception, we have worked “on-the-ground,” helping organized communities of color dismantle and reform the unjust and inequitable policies that undermine the promise of democracy. Simultaneously, we have aggressively sought and seized opportunities to promote this approach to racial justice. Follow on Twitter: @adv_project

About The Opportunity Agenda
The Opportunity Agenda is a social justice communication lab. We collaborate with social justice leaders to move hearts and minds, driving lasting policy and culture change. We bring the inspirational voices of opportunity and possibility to social justice issues through communication expertise, and creative engagement. Follow on Twitter: @oppagenda

Resource Link: www.advancementproject.org/resources/entry/the-social-justice-phrase-guide

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Category Archives: Tools & Handouts

Leadership Compass Activity

Effective Public Engagement through Strategic Communication (ILG)

Global Outreach in Local Communities…Bringing Worlds Together One Tip at a Time