Communities Working in Partnership: Building Capacity for Policy Change Sonya Grant-White, MSW Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center Kent Key, MPH Flint Odyssey House Health Awareness Center Chris Coombe, MPH PHD Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center Renee Bayer, MHSA Community Health Scholars Program Community Based Public Health Conference Flint, MI April 3, 2012 With acknowledgement to The Skillman Foundation, the University of Michigan, PolicyLink, the Community Health Scholars Program, and our colleagues in the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center
Transcript
Communities Working in Partnership: Building Capacity for Policy Change
Sonya Grant-White, MSWDetroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center
Kent Key, MPHFlint Odyssey House Health Awareness Center
Chris Coombe, MPH PHDDetroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center
Renee Bayer, MHSACommunity Health Scholars Program
Community Based Public Health ConferenceFlint, MI April 3, 2012
With acknowledgement to The Skillman Foundation, the University of Michigan, PolicyLink, the Community Health Scholars Program, and our colleagues in the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center
Agenda
Why Build Community Capacity for Policy
Change?
NWP to CWP: Adapting a local neighborhood
training to other communities
Programs or Policies?
Putting it in Action in Flint & Genesee County
Q & A, Lessons Learned
Why Build Community Capacity for Policy Change?
Policy change can have widespread and lasting impact on health for those most impacted by inequities.
Community participation is essential!
Communities most affected-including youth-need opportunities to gain policy advocacy skills.
Most policy training is aimed at professionals, and focuses on “big P policies.”
Community-academic partnerships can facilitate building community capacity to engage in policy advocacy.
Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (URC)
Partner Organizations:Community Health and Social Services Center, Inc., (CHASS)Communities In SchoolsDetroit Department of Health and Wellness PromotionDetroit Hispanic Development CorporationDetroiters Working for Environmental JusticeFriends of ParksideHenry Ford Health SystemLatino Family ServicesNeighborhood Service OrganizationRebuilding Communities, Inc./Warren-Conner Development CoalitionUniversity of Michigan Schools of Public Health, Nursing & Social Work
Neighborhoods Working in Partnership: Building Capacity for Policy Change
Program Goals and Objectives:
1. To strengthen policy advocacy skills among neighborhood residents within Detroit
2. To extend voices within the policy-making arena
3. To have an impact on policies aimed at creating healthy neighborhoods
Neighborhoods Working in Partnership: for Detroit Residents
Train-the-Trainers:Series of 3 Workshops
by PolicyLink
• 15 NWP Trainers• URC partners• Other community leaders
Training of Neighborhood Residents:
Series of 4 Workshops
1-3 in each local neighborhood 4th citywide
• 228 participants• Youth and Adults
Ongoing Support to Participants
Policy Training Components
Program or Policy?
Power Mapping
Choosing Strategies for Policy Change
Policy Advocacy Campaign
Talking with Policymakers
Communicating for Policy Change
NWP Curriculum is effective because participants…
Address real and relevant issues Gain knowledge and then apply it Reflect on their experiences Learn with and from each other
NWP Curriculum DevelopmentPartnership Approach
CBPR Principles guided the process, including:
Build on community strengths and resources Promote collaborative, equitable partnership Foster co-learning and capacity building Focus on multiple determinants of health Promote long-term engagement
NWP Participants
228 people participated in the initial workshop series
63% Female, 37% Male
Youth and Adults 48% Under 18 years old 52% 18 years or older
NWP has trained an additional 250 people from neighborhoods, organizations, schools
Evaluation Results
94% I found the training useful.
86% I will be able to use
what I learned to bring about
change in my neighborhood.
87% Because of what I learned, I plan to do more work to change policies.
Communities Working in Partnership: Training-of-Trainers
NWPCurriculum & materials,
Trainers & Staff+
CHSP Cross-site Planning Committee
=Redesign into training-
of-trainers
CWPTraining-of-Trainers:
At each of 3 sites
NWP Trainer - Staff TeamsCHSP Site Planning Committee
• 2 day intensive training • Adapted to each local community• 88 participants
(2/3 community)
$5,000 Mini-grant to each site for new trainers to adapt and conduct a training for local community members
CWP Results
99% I found the training useful.
99% Working with others I can change policies that affect my community
89% I intend to work with others for policy change.
CWP: Moving to Local Action
CWP trainers conducted workshops in their own community.
Training components incorporated into initiatives, campaigns, conferences, planning meetings.
Adapted into a youth advocacy program by a Kellogg Health Scholar.
What is Policy?Going from Community Issues to
Policy Solutions
What do we mean by “Policy?”
Programs Policies
PolicyA policy is a plan or a course of action that
helps guide decisions
Policies are the guidelines that our governments, organizations, institutions use to respond to issues and situations
Policies can take different forms:Rules, procedures, regulations, codesWritten or unwrittenOfficial or unofficialNational, state, city, organization, family
Approaches to Solving Community IssuesPrograms, ActivitiesAddresses small piece
of problem Day-to-day issues Meets an immediate
need Changes individuals
Short term change
Policy SolutionsAddresses entire
problem Big picture issues Moves us toward
broader goals Changes institutions
and communitiesLasting change
CommunitiesTaking Action!
Programs or Policies?
Small Group Activity
Action Areas:Community Development & Transformation – Our community provides a safe and healthy environment that ensures the economic and social well-being of all its residents and their families.
Youth Advancement - All youth have opportunities to engage in positive school, work, and recreational experiences that promote their future success.
Policy Change is One Step on the Road to Improved Communities
Communities Working in Partnership:Taking action locally to impact
Social Determinants of Health in Flint and Genesee County
Community-Based Organization Partners (CBOP)Lead partners: Flint Neighborhood Roundtable, Flint Odyssey House Inc., Genesee County Community Action Resource Department, Mid Michigan District Women’s Missionary Society
Genesee County Health Department
University of Michigan School of Public Health: Community Health Scholars Program, Michigan Prevention Research Center, Office of Public Health Practice
A case study presented by the SMART Coalition to illustrate a successful local example of policy change
Policy Advocacy Workshop Adapted the training to a 1-
day workshopInvited a broad representation
from local groups/coalitions 24 participants completed
workshopSubset of topics from the
original training: policy vs. program, power-mapping and advocacy strategies.
CWP materials were adapted for local relevance.
Follow-up activities :A policy panel of local officials – 50 attendeesA Powermapping training at the invitation of the
Neighborhood Roundtable – 40 attendeesBoth activities were taped and shown on community
access TV
Flint/Genesee Co. CWP Lessons Learned
Flint/Genesee Co. CWP contributes to on-going work and new policy efforts.increased efficacy to create policy change;broad participation in subsequent policy activities; and catalyzed policy change in education (e.g. electing a
CBOP member to the Flint school board and changing nutrition/physical activity policies in Clio schools).
Next steps
to conduct additional workshops by invitation and
collective advocacy for changes in social determinants of health
Summary
Facilitating Factors
Curriculum adaptable to multiple audiences and communities
“Iterative”—evolving
Diverse trainers with diverse expertise
Widespread enthusiasm and desire for this training!!
Having a strong partnership in place, and a diverse set of partners is invaluable.
Both academic and community partners benefit from policy advocacy training.
Evaluate and make changes as you go along.
CWP: Lessons Learned
Detroit URC www.detroiturc.org
For more information about workshops and activities in Flint/Genesee County: Suzanne Cupal, Genesee County Health Department,
