Community OrganizingThe Key To Successful Outreach &

Engagement for the Addiction & Recovery Community

Who is Facing Addiction with NCADD? Since it’s history making launch on the National Mall in 2015, Facing Addiction has become the leading voice among the nearly 45 million people and their families whose lives have been directly impacted by addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

For over 70 years, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) has been a valuable resource for millions of people struggling with addiction and its related issues, and its 83 Affiliates represent the largest national network in the addiction advocacy space.

What Have We Done

Launched in October 2015 with the UNITE to Face Addiction Concert

Organized over 500 advocacy visits to Capitol Hill in support of the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA)

Hosted Caucuses for Addiction Solutions at 2016 National Political Conventions

Hosted the launch of Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health

Built a national coalition, the Action Network, of over 750 organizations reaching over 35 million Americans

Continue working with 15 communities as part of our 2017 Pilot Community Project

What does the country think?In October 2017, a PBS Newshour & Marist Poll determind

that while they thought addiction was a serious problem, 58% did not believe it was a national emergency

SOURCE: “Poll: Most Americans Think Trump Hasn’t Done Enough to Fix Opioid Cris,” 10/3/17 (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/poll-americans-think-trump-hasnt-done-enough-fix-opioid-crisis)

This comes despite the following reality…

The RealityEvery 4 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from drug

or alcohol addiction

• Over 20 million Americans are suffering• 23 million more are in recovery• 1 in 3 households are personally impacted

The time to organize is NOW

Origins: Pilot Community Project

In 2017, Facing Addiction, launched our pilot community project in 15 communities across the country.

In this project, Facing Addiction has worked with these communities to:  •  Train organizers on proper development of goals, strategies & tactics

•  Provided ongoing guidance and consultation on community needs

•  Trained organizers on advocacy & messaging

As

In 2017, Facing Addiction trained over 500 individuals on community organizing, advocacy,

and messaging.

2018 – Communities Facing Addiction

In 2018, Facing Addiction has set a goal of training 1,000 organizers in 25 communities across the country.

These Community Organizers & their communities:•  Will be trained on community organizing skills•  Will develop goals aimed at raising community awareness •  Will identify additional goals necessary in their communities•  Will be provided ongoing consultation from Facing Addiction•  Will see the impact of community organizing on

countless lives

What is community organizing?

The coordination of cooperative efforts and campaigning carried out by local residents to

promote the interests of their community. SOURCE: Oxford Living Dictionaries, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/community_organizing)

SOURCE: C.S. Mott Foundation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flXHRxc9q1k)

What does a Community Organizer do?•  Develops and builds local coalitions of support in order to

reach specific goals

•  Speaks out publicly on behalf of the issue for which they are organizing

•  Identifies and empowers new individuals to speak out on behalf of their issue

•  Raises the profile of their issue in the community in order to generate changes in attitude, and in turn changes in policy

“I spend half my time comforting the afflicted, and the other half afflicting the comfortable.”

-Wess Stafford

Examples of Community Organizing•  Communities rallying together to protest British laws ahead of

the American Revolution

•  Immigrant neighborhoods rallying together in the 1880’s and 1890’s to stand together in times of dramatic economic change

•  The Civil-Rights marches and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s

•  The HIV/Aids movement coming together in the 1980’s and beyond to combat stigma

Common characteristics of an organizer• People person

• Willing to learn

• Willing to find consensus

• Strategic

• Persistent

• Passionate

• Committed

• Organized

• Hard Working

• Determined

Keys To Successful Organizing• Use confident language and tone• Always make an ASK • Actively Listen• Be humble• Acknowledge all sides• Be flexible in approach• Plan your work & work your plan - if it’s not written down, it’s not a plan• Emails & Texts NEVER replace PHONE CALLS• “Some” is not a number and “Soon” is not a time• Be consistent & stay on message (don’t get distracted!)• Delegate – Organize yourself out of the job

Community OrganizingA Framework to Develop Goals

#1 Know Who you Are •  Know what drives you•  Know the issues you are passionate about•  Know your strengths/weaknesses•  Know your story can inspire others

We all become organizers for a reason.

Why do YOU want to organize your community?

#2 Know Your Community• Who are your Community Decision Makers?

• Who are your Community Leaders?

• Do they know about your issue?

• Are they supportive?

• Who are the people that know people?

Who are the Community Decision Makers and Leaders in your community?

#3 Know what you have VS what you need

Make two lists:

WHAT YOU HAVE - ExamplesRecovery High SchoolSupportive Local MayorSympathetic Chief of Police

WHAT YOU NEED - ExamplesLeadership of EducatorsRecovery Community CenterLegislative Champion

Go to www.FacingAddiction.org and visit the Addiction Resource Hub

#4 Know what you want

By building a list of what your community has and doesn’t have, you can determine precisely what the right

goals are moving forward for your community

• What is your message?

• Most effective way to deliver that message?

• Who is the message meant for, and who will hear it?

• Is your message consistent?

• Are you willing to take small steps/compromise?

Understanding the difference between Goals, Strategies, and Tactics

A goal is a broad primary outcome.

A strategy is the approach you take to achieve a goal.

A tactic is a tool you use in pursuing an objective associated with a strategy.

Sample Goal, Strategy, and Tactics

GOAL: Open Recovery Home in Community

 

STRATEGY: Enlist backing of local housing authority

 

TACTIC: Develop funding petition to authority 

TACTIC: Craft letter of support from elected leaders 

TACTIC: Line up individuals in recovery to testify at next authority meeting

  

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Community OrganizingStrategies & Tactics

Strategies – Building Community Coalitions

Who are some common partners?

Who are some potential new partners?

Common Partners• Organized Recovery Community

• Family Support Groups

• Prevention Groups

• Treatment Providers

• Public Health Organizations

• Social Justice/Non Profit Organizations

Potential New Partners• Faith Based Groups

• Veterans

• LGTBQ Community

• Business Community

• Health Workers

• Criminal Justice (Corrections, Officers, Prosecutors, Judges)

Advocacy is a strategy!

What is the difference between advocacy & organizing?Advocates generally speak for others who are unable to represent their own interest due to disability, inherent complexity of the venue such as courts and hospitals, or other factors.

Community organizing emphasizes the virtue of trying to get those affected to speak for themselves.

SOURCE: California Public Policy and Citizen Participation (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/California_Public_Policy_and_Citizen_Participation/Introduction)

Tactics Used in Organizing & Advocacy • Advocacy days - face to face meetings in legislative offices

• Letter writing campaigns to elected officials

• Letter to the editor Campaign

• Action Alerts and/or emails

• Town Hall Meetings, community forums, protests, etc.

• Visiblity Events

• Canvassing targeted neighborhoods

• Organized phone banking

Other Common Organizing Tactics

• Visibility Events (Sign Waving, etc)

• When applicable, protests targeting specific audiences

• Letter-to-the-editor campaigns

• Community listening & educational sessions

• Canvassing neighborhoods to raise awareness

• Hosting phone banks to call community members

WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

Helpusbuildanationalmovementtoforeverchangehowwefaceaddiction.Together,wecansavelives–startingnow.