Aligning Civic Health Strategies with Census 2020
Community Indicators Consortium SummitDenver, ColoradoOctober 10, 2019
Rebecca Rice, Georgia Family Connection PartnershipRebekah Hudgins, AnthroEval Consulting
Michael Scuello, Metis AssociatesJill Vanderhoek, Macon-Bibb Community Partnership
Collaboration in Georgia
• A state and national effort to track the well-being of children and families
• Assigns each state an annual well-being rank
In 1990Georgia Ranked
48th
in the nation in child
well-being
Silo Slide
Private and Public sectors busy working, but just not working together
Public and private sectors were busy working to improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens, but they weren’t working together.
Georgia Before 1990
In 2019Georgia Ranks
38th
in the nation in child
well-being
Because Georgia Family Connection was born out of data, we have developed a network of
local data users in every county in Georgia.
Our Unique Vantage Point
Georgia KIDS COUNT Data Tools
We see the big picture, while operating effectively
at the local level.
Our Unique Vantage Point
Civic Health in Georgia
• Civic Health Index (2013, 2019)
• Civic Health Cohort
• iCivics
• 2020 Census
Civic Health Work
Civic Health Index
GaFCP co-authored two editions of the Georgia Civic
Health Index, first in 2013 and again in 2019.
Civic Health Index
Civic Health Index
Overall, Georgia’s civic health is not strong, and the state is below the
national average for most measures of civic health, according to both the
2013 and 2019 reports.
Georgia Civic Health DataGeorgia Rank
40th
44th
49th
Georgia Civic Health Data
44th
45th
13th
Civic Health Index
When looking at differences among different groups, across most measures of
civic health,higher income and
higher educational attainment strongly correlate with
higher levels of civic health.
Georgia Civic Health Data
• Rural residents reported frequently talking or spending time with neighbors at a higher rate than the state or national averages
• Residents with annual incomes of less than $35,000 reported talking or spending time with neighbors at a higher rate than residents with higher incomes
Census 2020:Getting a Complete Count
“All ya’ll count!”
2020 Census
Low-Birthweight Babies
• Children, especially those ages 0-5, children of color,and children who live in poverty
• People living in poverty
• Immigrants
• People in dense neighborhoods that have high rental rates and fewer single-family homes
• People who live in rural and geographically challenging areas
Who is hard to count?
Why an Undercount Matters
The decennial census count dictates how hundreds of millions of federal dollars are
spent in each state.
• Medicaid• Medicare• SNAP• Highway Planning and Construction• Pell Grant Program
What We Can Do
• GaFCP is leveraging partnerships and funding to support Census 2020 outreach, with a focus in hard-to-count areas.
• Formal and informal partners include: • Voices for Georgia’s Children• Georgia Municipal Association,• Association County Commissioners of Georgia• Latino Community Fund Georgia
Census 2020 Partner Organizations
• Use our local knowledge, expertise, and influence todesign and implement a census awareness campaign targeted to OUR community.
• Bring together a variety of community members all with the common goal of obtaining an accurate a census count as possible.
What We Can Do
What Counties Can Do
• Form a local Complete Count Committee (CCC)
• Promote and participate in free Complete Count trainings by the Census Bureau’s regional staff
• Sponsor a Census booth or information table at local festivals, fairs and other events
• Distribute Census promotion materials through partner offices and events – ensure people know where they can go to answer Census online
• Have a “March to the Mailbox” campaign for late April
Leading a Civic Health Cohort in Georgia
Why Civic Health?
• Lower crime rates
• Better public health outcomes
• Stronger workforce development
• Economic resiliency during downturns
Why Civic Health?
• Improved mental health in both adolescents and adults
• Improved adolescent well-being
• Reduced mortality
• Reduced unemployment
Multi-Collaborative Strategies
Identification
CommunicationPartner Engagement
E V A L U A T I O N
E V A L U A T I O N
Research
Strategic Planning
Strategy Implementation
31
• Interest• Need• Readiness• Geographical location
Cohort Criteria
32
• State Partner Investment
• Civic Health Measurement and Analyses
• Specialized TA for Strategy Development
• Intensive Evaluation Support
• Link to Statewide Efforts
• Peer-to-Peer Learning
• Increased likelihood to improve indicators
Opportunities for Cohort Counties
33
Civic Health Cohort
• Camden• Cook• Fayette• Bibb• Stephens• Washington
County Methodology
• Effort led by Family Connection Collaborative and key partners
• Survey was distributed via hard copy at numerous community events, school system, local Health Department and other key locations
• Link to survey was also distributed through Collaborative partners via Survey Monkey link
• Bibb County survey was conducted via random digit dialing
35
Emerging Civic Health Cohort: Proven Practices*
• Improve overall educational attainment
• Implement high-quality civics education
• Increase opportunities for volunteerism among youth and adult
• Encourage student participation in school governance.
*Excerpted from: National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement
Emerging Civic Health Cohort:Promising Practices
• Ensure opportunities for civic participation among all populations
• Modify built-environments to encourage face-to-face engagement among residents
• Support and promote voting in local and national elections
• Support and encourage national service opportunities (Americorps, Military, Teach for America, etc.).
Why Civics Education?
High-Quality Civics Education
↓Increased Civic Engagement
↓Positive Community Outcomes
Why Civics Education?
• Only 23% of United States 8th graders are proficient in civics
• Increased civics content knowledge correlates with improved reading comprehension in struggling readers
• Civics education helps narrow the civic-participation gap for socially-disadvantaged youth, which can lead to improved outcomes overall
Free, online, evidence-based civics curriculum, founded by
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009
Bibb County Civic Health Strategy
Respondents vs ACS Estimates
42
Respondents
ACS Estimates
2.1
%
6.3
%
6.8
%
7.8
% 15
.1%
61
.9%
8.8
%
9.5
% 16
.9%
11
.8%
16
.1%
33
.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
15-19 20-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56 or older
Age Range (N=383)
38.3%
61.2%
47.2%52.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Male Female
Sex/Gender (N=399)
45.8%50.3%
53.6%
39.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Black/African American White
Ethnicity (N=378)
ACS 5-year estimate 2012-2016
*survey responses
Bibb County vs. State*Frequently discussing political, societal or local issues with family or friends
Bibb 44.0%
Georgia 37.4%
43
Volunteered in the last 12 months
Bibb 37.2%
Georgia 26.5%
Attended a public meeting in which there was a discussion of community affairs in the last 12 months
Bibb 26.3%
Georgia 10.1%
Community Partnership’s Civic Health Goals
44
• Civic health strategy team
• Civic health survey 2.0
• Creation of Civic Ambassador program
Civic Health In the Community
45
• iCivics
• Youth Involvement
• ID and Voter Registration
• On the Table
• Building civic engagement capacity
• Complete Count Committee
Complete Count Committee Local Level
46
• Community Awareness Events
• Embedding Census into Organization’s DNA
• Youth Education
• Sundaes on Sunday Census Event
What Can We All Do?
Civic Health and 2020 Census
• Build local and state partnerships to promote civic engagement and being counted in 2020 Census.
• Develop materials and methods to reach the “hard to count” populations.
• Engage partners in promoting civic education, especially among youth.
Contact
Rebecca [email protected]
Rebekah [email protected]
Michael [email protected]
Jill [email protected]