130 likes | 316 Views
Texas Well and Healthy. Mimi Garcia Organizing Director Cheasty Anderson Education and Outreach Coordinator. Who are we?. Organizing Lead. Public Education, Policy Lead. Communications Lead. Story collection & “ grasstops ” organizing . What are we doing?. Organizing: The Big Idea.
E N D
Texas Well and Healthy Mimi Garcia Organizing Director Cheasty Anderson Education and Outreach Coordinator
Who are we? Organizing Lead Public Education, Policy Lead Communications Lead Story collection & “grasstops” organizing
Organizing: The Big Idea • GOALS: Engage Texans in the fight for better policies for health access in Texas • TASKS: Identify and Create opportunities to mobilize our base of supporters. Work with other networks to build our base of support. • TOOLS: Voter Activation Network (VAN), Online Actions/Petitions, Text alert, Advocacy pamphlet, Organizational supporter network • STRATEGIES: Building support through educational workshops, working with allied organizations, becoming a communications resource.
Challenges and Solutions • Challenge: Scope and capacity for a HUGE state • Solution: Managing complex coalitions across the state, within cities and regions • Challenge: Managing complex coalitions* • Solution: Maintaining data and records on constituent organizations and their interest/politics • *Sometimes solutions can be their own challenges • Challenge: Too much work, too few staff • Solution: prioritize. Know where to give things up, where to push. • Experimenting with volunteers, interns, & trainers
Education: The Big Idea • GOALS: Educate Texans about the ACA, and open discourse about health reform in general • TASKS: Connect with disparate groups across the state (politically active or not), keep curriculum flexible and adaptable • TOOLS: Education and organizing pamphlet, blog, Train the Trainer • STRATEGIES: Travel. All. The. Time.
Challenges and Solutions • Challenge: varied literacy levels, low health literacy • Solution: Develop materials that are especially flexible, a program that can be simplified or complicated, and bilingual materials • Challenge: HUGE state, one person • Solution: Train the Trainers, Skype, health action calls, video “one-pagers,” webinars, etc. • Challenge: Staying strategic vs. responding to demand • Solution: Targeted outreach based on organizer’s power analysis. Getting easier now that we have greater name recognition.
Case Study: SCOTUS reaction • Rapid response plan • Communications • Public Mobilization • Public Education • Challenges: • Rally without a date, lots of work means need for clear roles, uncertainty • Solutions: • Utilizing groups with mobilizable base, new technology of text messaging, clearly prepared plan and roles, multiple contingency plans
Outcomes • Building our List • Creating New Coalitions/Alliances • Social Media and Technology • Multiple Avenues of Engagement • Media attention: State, regional, and now national • Medical Loss Ratio • Rate Review • Train the Trainer
New Challenges • How to build avenues of messaging on health care reform for new (not necessarily enthusiastic) audiences • Now even Republicans are getting interested, post-SCOTUS • Large number of Freshman Tea Partiers in TX Lege. • 2013 Legislative session – Gov wants even more budget cuts, lots of educating to do for members re: Medicaid/Medicare, health care in Texas • Galvanizing constituent activism in key district for Legew/limited lead time between elections and state of session.
Thank you! Mimi Garcia mimi@engagetexas.org Cheasty Anderson anderson@cppp.org www.texaswellandhealthy.org On Twitter: @TXWellHealthy On Facebook: www.facebook.com/KidsWellTexas