7. amplifying the community voice
TRANSCRIPT
AMPLIFYING CommunityCollaborating to Achieve Health Equity &
Community Capacity
Panelists:Victoria Breckwich Vásquez, Assistant Professor, University of Washington-BothellSophia Beltrán, Family Support Program Manager, Lutheran Community Services NWMaria Peña, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer, Everett Community CollegeDiane Douglas, Executive Director, Seattle City Club
Moderated by:Jody Early, Associate Professor, University of Washington- Bothell
Introducing the Panelists
Guiding Questions• What are we, as a community, doing to amplify the voices
of residents of Snohomish County—especially those often “not at the table”?
• What are we currently doing to improve:
• Health Equity ?
• Community Capacity?
• What /where are the gaps and how do we address them?
Amplify YOUR Voice!• Tweet your comments, thoughts,
or examples to #AMPVOICES2015 OR write them down on the comment card provided. Submit your card to Jody or Vicky at the end of the session.
What does it mean to “Amplify Community Voice”?
• Strengthening community impact through representation and engagement
• Begin with the community’s perceived needs—listen!
• Use an asset-based approach vs. deficit approach
*”Start where the people are.” (Nyswander, 1956)
• Research shows that community participation can be significant in improving:
• Health behaviors and health status
• Perceived control• Empowerment• Individual coping• Building community
capacity• Lasting change
Sources: Marmot, 2009; Kegler et al, 2009; Wallerstein, 2006
A Starting Point : Amplifying Community Voice Efforts
• PIHC efforts: community conversations with Sno.Co residents across the county (119 people; and 11 groups thus far)
• Additional Efforts: *”Picture Health” -community photo contest *Interviews
*Quantitative surveys *Synthesis of existing data
• Intent is to let people discuss these issues from their vantage points
• Hear voices often excluded
• Deepen our understanding of health through the eyes of residents
• Ground models of understanding in here and now
• Determine ways in which to address gaps and leverage community resources
Amplifying Community Voice to Achieve Health & Well-Being in Snohomish County:
Health Equity in Snohomish County
Victoria Breckwich Vásquez, DrPH, MPH, MAAssistant Professor/Director, Community Engagement & Education
University of Washington Bothell/ [email protected]
How does EQUITY affect HEALTH?
http://resources.iom.edu/Infographics/VitalSigns/index.html
Institute of Medicine
(IOM)
“Engaged People”
Using an Asset-Based Approachto Community Transformation
• “Our institutions and agencies cannot solve all of our social ills. Most are at max capacity. Only people can create community…. Change relies largely on those living in the community.”
• --John Kretzman and John McKnight (1993).
Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path to Mobilizing Community Assets.
ABCD Approach to Healthy Community Building
• Asset-Based Community Development Includes:• Identifying resources, strengths and
talents of the community• Involve community members• Focus on what they care about• Build relationships and grow
collaborations• Develop strategies for groups to act• Help to increase community capacity
and mobilization
Examples of Building Community
Capacity and Amplifying
Community Voices
Presented by Sophia Beltrán, Family Support Program Manager, Everett & South Snohomish
”I’m going to introduce you to..”
Malcolm Gladwell explains:
Connectors are people who link us up with the world.
People with a special gift for bringing the world together.
Social capital works through multiple channels:Information flows (e.g. learning about jobs, learning about candidates running for office, exchanging ideas at college, etc.) depend on social capital.Norms of reciprocity (mutual aid) rely on social networks. Bonding networks that connect folks who are similar sustain particularized (in-group) reciprocity. Bridging networks that connect individuals who are diverse sustain generalized reciprocity.Collective action depends upon social networks (e.g., the role that the black church played in the Civil Rights movement), although collective action also can foster new networks.Broader identities and solidarity are encouraged by social networks that help translate an "I" mentality into a "we" mentality.http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/2010/08/23/connectors-mavens-and-salesmen-the-secret-to-your-success/
I know a guy, who knows a
guy, who knows a gal…
Everett Community Collegethe DREAMERs Success Project:Serving Undocumented Students
• Presented by Maria Peña, Chief Diversity & Equity Officer/Title IX Coordinator, Everett Community College
Quick Overview•Review federal and state legislation
•Undocumented students: Who are they?
•DREAMERs Success Project: How is EVCC helping undocumented students?
Federal Policy: Undocumented Students
1982: Plyler vs. Doe: U.S.
Supreme Court decision that
granted undocumented students
the right to a public school
education from K-12 grade in the
U.S.
Federal InitiativesDACA
(Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)
Expanded DACA & DAPA(Deferred Action for Parents of Americans &
Lawful Permanent Residents)
DREAM ACT (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien
Minors Act)
2012• Grants a 2 year renewable
working permit
Eligibility requirements:• Entered U.S. before 16• Continuously lived in the U.S.
for 5 years• Are currently in school,
graduated from high school, earned a GED, or served in the military.
• Be of good moral character• Are under the age of 31
2014• Grants 3 year renewable
working permit
Eligibility requirements:• No Age limit
• Continuously lived in the U.S. since January 1, 2010
2001• Still developing• Could provide a pathway to
citizenship
HB 1079(House Bill 1079)
SB 6523(The Real Hope Act)
May 2003• Grants in-state tuition to Washington State
undocumented students who meet specific eligibility requirements
April 2014• Grants some WA undocumented students
eligibility to apply for Washington State Need Grant
Eligibility requirements:• Earned a high school diploma or GED from a
Washington State high school• Lived in Washington at least three years prior
to receiving a diploma or GED• Signs an affidavit state he or she will apply
for U.S. residency as soon as possible.
Washington State laws
Undocumented Students:Who Are They?
Similar to peers:• Low-income• Poor academic preparation• First gen college students• English is frequently their second language• Limited access to college information and
support• Desire the real college experience• Highly involved in school extracurricular
activities• Active in their community• Most work to pay for college
Differ from peers:• Difficulty gaining employment• Cannot acquire a drivers license in most
states* (WA does offer license/ID)• Most must pay out of state tuition to attend
college in other states* (HB 1079)• Not eligible for most forms of government-
sponsored financial aid• Challenge finding scholarships• Limited in fields of study/majors• Live in fear of their status being discovered
and face possible deportation• Face marginalization & prejudice
PURPOSE:
• Help Dreamers make gains in their educational and career pathways
• Identify inequities and address barriers to access
• Focus on dignity and fair treatment of immigrant youth and families, regardless of immigration status.
Everett Community College Dreamers success project
PROJECT:
Serve a cohort of WASFA-eligible students (46 W15)
GOALS: Build communityDevelop a network of supportCommunity engagementIdentity developmentLeadership development
Everett Community College DREAMERS SUCCESS PROJECT
Task Force:• Campus-wide representation,
participation and support
State Partnerships:• Beyond HB 1079 Conference
• Washington State Dreamers Coalition
• Northwest Immigrant Right’s Project
National Recognition:• United We Dream• Commitments
Student Data:• 100% retention Winter to
Spring Quarter
Dreamers Success Project: Outcomes
Presented by:
Diane Douglas, Executive Director
Seattle City Club’s mission is
to inform, connect and engage the public
to strengthen the civic health of our region.
Organizational Mission
In school, they don’t tell us
we can change the world.
“Too often, young people come to believe they cannot make a difference in their
own lives or in the life of their community.
(by engaging) students in learning experiences that give them a sense of
their own power and ability to effect change for themselves and others
around them.”--Sheldon Berman, Citizenship Matters
One central element in (closing) the achievement gap…
is (closing) the empowerment gap
Skills Values Attitudes
for
Active Citizenship
Educational attainment is the single most important
predictor
of strong civic agency.
Make education our most important
civic health investment.
Voices from our Communities
on Health Equity in Snohomish County
“I go to the food bank twice a month in order to eat. I can’t afford to go and buy a lot of groceries or anything…But it’s hard to eat properly. They’re very generous but it’s hard sometimes to eat the proper foods to help myself feel good or feel well.”
“…If you have a community that has a very high unemployment rate, that’s an unhealthy environment. You have a higher crime rate, and people with lower self-worth.”
“If people didn't have long commutes and as many cars polluting the environment, you'd be healthier with less pollution. You'd be healthier if you didn't arrive everywhere stressed all the time..”
“This county has a severe heroine problem.4 youth this year alone have died fromheroine overdoses.”
“There are a large number of homelesswith drug and alcohol problems. They arenot getting the help they need.”
“Well, I feel like doctors should probably be one of our first resorts, but since they are not as accessible as we wish they would be, Google, Facebook [and] friends become our first resorts...”
“Are there good schools?”
“I work three jobs to get through school!”
“There are not enough housing options for the homeless. I have people camping in the woods near my house.”
“Most people in this County are Caucasian. I am Columbian. When I go to school, I don’t see people like me. I have been discriminated against because I speak Spanish. I have had to form my own sense of community and find people who accept me. When people say, “Go back to your country, I’m like… ‘Where would you like me to go? This is my country!’ ”
Achieving Health Equity: Promising Practices
From Around the Nation
PolicyLink
• Promise Neighborhoods• Healthy Communities of
Opportunity• Corner Store Conversions• Equitable Food Hubs• Local Food Procurement• Urban Agriculture & Community
Gardens• Health Impact Assessment
http://www.policylink.org
Alliance for Boys & Men of Color (CA)“By almost every measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st Century in this country are boys and young men of color.”
President Barack Obama, announcing the My Brother's Keeper initiativeFebruary 27, 2014
http://www.allianceforbmoc.org
The California
Endowment (TCE)
http://www.calendow.org/building-healthy-communities/
TCE Building Healthy Communities: Roots of Success
• Invested in grassroots community organizing• Established long-term relationships with state-level advocates and
policymakers• Supports both local and statewide advocacy infrastructure• Approached its place-based work with humility and with authentic
desire to let communities make decisions. • Focusing on youth leadership and organizing infused site and state-
level work with passion and energy.• Embedded program managers in each of the 14 sites to enable better
understanding of how to support local work.
Your Zip Code Matters!
• Seattle-King County Public Health Department
• City of Berkeley Public Health Division
• Intersectoral (health, transportation, employment) planning
• Place-based resource allocation in selected neighborhoods
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
(2008)
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/programs/healthycommunitiesprogram/tools/pdf/sdoh-workbook.pdf
Key Take-Aways
In the context of the discussion
we just had, what are 2-3 key
priorities as we look to improve
the health of our community?
• PIHC can serve as a conduit for collaboration• Continue this conversation: How can we leverage
Sno.Co resources and community assets? • Who else needs to be heard? • Tweet your thoughts to #AMPVOICES2015 or
submit comment card to Jody or Vicky as you leave.
Extend the Conversation!
AMPLIFYING CommunityTHANK YOU FOR COMING!
Panelists:Victoria Breckwich Vásquez: [email protected] Beltrán: [email protected] Peña: [email protected] Douglas: [email protected]