Tennessee Tobacco Prevention Training

1. September 29, 2014 – Murfreesboro October 2, 2014 – Knoxville October 8, 2014 – Jackson Tennessee Tobacco Prevention Training

2. Policy Change Works—Grassroots policy change • National Partners: ACS, ALA, AHA • QuitLine update • Community Project Sharing • Mini Grant announcement Agenda

3. Housekeeping

4. Funded by Tennessee Department of Health • Website www.tnantitobacco.org • Annual Training • Advocacy • Public Relations Campaign • Promoting the TN QuitLine 1-800-QUITNOW • Technical assistance Services

5. Dr. Jo Edwards - Director • Gail Hardin, MS, MCHES– Program Manager • Regina Hendon, CPS—West TN • Emmalene Palmer, BS – Middle TN • Keith Shultz, BS, CPS – East TN Staff

6. MTSU’s Center for Health & Human Services

7. www.tnantitobacco.org

8. Describe the steps in developing a strategy for policy change • Apply the steps to create a plan for policy change • Identify some key national partners for tobacco control • Describe how the TN Tobacco QuitLine works • List some examples of successful local tobacco prevention and cessation projects Learning Objectives

9. We know what works Sustained funding of comprehensive programs Excise tax increases 100% smoke-free policies Aggressive media campaigns Cessation access Comprehensive advertising restrictions We know what works Source: CDC “Tobacco Control: A Winnable Battle”

10. When cigarette prices increase, cigarette sales decrease Source: ImpacTeenChartbook: Cigarette Smoking Prevalence and Policies in the 50 States.

11. Increasing excise taxes increasesprice • 10% increase in cigarette prices  4% drop in adult cigarette consumption • Youth much less likely to start smoking when prices are high • Adjust taxes to offset inflation and tobacco industry attempts to control retail prices • E.g., promotional discounts for retailers who reduce cigarette prices • Tobacco taxes are the single most effective component of a comprehensive tobacco control program Source: CDC “Tobacco Control: A Winnable Battle”

12. CDC: Smoke-free Policies Save Lives • Prevent heart attacks • Help motivate smokers to quit • Worker safety issue – not “personal nuisance” • All workers deserve equal protection • Only way to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke • Smoke-free workplace laws don’t hurt business • No trade-off between health and economics Why policy change? Source: CDC “Tobacco Control: A Winnable Battle”

13. “We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.” ― Margaret Mead

14. Policy: any plan or course of action adopted by a government, political party, business, business organization , non-govt org, private group, etc. • Is designed to guide, influence and determine decisions and actions. • Policy Advocacy: the act of generating, influencing, and implementing policy Policy Advocacy vs. Lobbying Source: http://learningcenter.ttac.org/learning/comp02/02_comp.asp

15. Direct Lobbying happens when you communicate with legislators or government officials involved in legislation and you try to have an impact of the way they act with regards to a specific piece of legislation or ballot initiative • Indirect Lobbying, also called grassroots lobbying is any attempt to influence legislation or impact the results of a ballot initiative by affecting public opinion and calling people to action. Policy Advocacy vs. Lobbying Source: http://learningcenter.ttac.org/learning/comp02/02_comp.asp

16. Voluntary Policy • Regulatory Policy • Administrative Policy • Legislative Policy Policy

17. Ask local grocery store and gas station owners to voluntarily remove self-service tobacco machines. • Advocating? • Lobbying? Call community members to ask the to vote “yes” on a new clean indoor policy act recently placed on the ballot. • Advocating? • Lobbying? Advocating or Lobbying? Source: http://learningcenter.ttac.org/learning/comp02/02_comp.asp

18. Place an ad on a local newspaper’s online site informing the public about the dangers of secondhand smoke • Advocating? • Lobbying? Contact legislators or other government employees to influence votes on pending clean air ordinance. • Advocating? • Lobbying? Advocating or Lobbying? Source: http://learningcenter.ttac.org/learning/comp02/02_comp.asp

19. Make presentations to community organizations to garner support and endorsements for smoke-free public places. • Advocating? • Lobbying? Send a newsletter on anti-tobacco issues to community members, city councils members & local restaurant owners. • Advocating? • Lobbying? Advocating or Lobbying? Source: http://learningcenter.ttac.org/learning/comp02/02_comp.asp

20. Midwest Academy www.midwestacademy.com All information that follows is taken from this resource Direct Action Organizing

21. Based on Self Interest & Relationships • Win real, immediate concrete improvement • Give people a sense of their own power • Alter the relations of power The Basics of DAO

22. Self-Interest

23. Caring about others • Treating everyone respectfully regardless of status or lack thereof. • Judging not—refuse to talk negatively about others (except for target of your campaign!) Relationships

24. Forms of Community Organizing Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy Accepts Existing Power Relationship Challenges Existing Power Relationship Direct Service Self-Help Education Advocacy Direct Action

25. Win real, immediate concrete improvement • Give people a sense of their own power • Alter the relations of power Three Principles of DAO Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

26. To win a victory on a specific issue • Issue = specific solution to a problem • Power: • Deprive the other side of something it wants • Give the other side something it wants • Elect someone who supports your issues Issue Campaign Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

27. Often people believe they will win because: • They are right • Truth is on their side • They have the moral high ground • They have the best info & it is spelled correctly • They speak for large numbers of people Illusions about Power Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

28. “Let’s negotiate” • Invitation to “Stakeholders Meeting” • “I can get you on the Expert Panel” • “Just work it out among yourselves” • “I’m the wrong person” • “This could affect your funding” • “You’re reasonable, but your allies aren’t, can’t we just work with you?” • “I agree with you, but there just isn’t any $” Tricks the other side uses Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

29. Getting Started

30. Choose issue and develop strategy • Open communication with the Decision Maker • Announce the campaign • Begin Outreach Activities • Stage Direct encounters with Decision Makers • Build your organization Stages of an Issue Campaign Source: Organizing for Social Change by Midwest Academy

31. Problem= broad area of concern • Issue = define a solution or partial solution to the problem Analyze the Problem

32. Result in a real improvement in people’s lives • Make people aware of their own organized power • Alter the relations of power • Be worthwhile • Be winnable • Be widely felt A good issue should…

33. Be easy to understand • Have a clear decision maker • Have a clear time frame that works for you • Be non-divisive • Build leadership within your organization • Set up your organization for the next campaign • Pocketbook Angle (get people $, save people $) • Be consistent with your org’s values & vision A good issue should… Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

34. “The best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing.” - Theodore Roosevelt

35. Strategy • A method of gaining enough power to make a government or corporate official do something in the public’s interest that he or she does not otherwise wish to do Developing a Strategy Source: Organizing for Social Change, p. 30

36. It’s always better if the decision-maker voluntarily agrees • Therefore, start with • A contact by phone, email, letter • Meeting & conversation • Explain the facts on your side, how much people need the change, how the change will advance the target’s career Strategy

37. Midwest Academy’s Strategy Chart

38. Long-Term Goals—a vision of what can be accomplished • Intermediate Issue Goals—what you hope to win in this campaign—a solution to the problem • Short-Term Issue Goals—steps toward your Intermediate goals Goals

40. What resources can your organization contribute? Staff time, Money, etc. • What do you want to get out of the campaign in addition to winning the issue • Visibility? • More partners? • Fundraising? • An organization should come out stronger than before the campaign even if it loses the issue Organizational Considerations Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

42. Who cares about this? • What could they win or lose? • What power do they have? • How are they organized? Constituents & Allies

43. Groups, individuals, institutions that stand to lose or be upset if you win • What will your victory cost them? • How actively will they oppose you? • Avoid engaging opponents during the campaign • Don’t hold debates with them unless you expect to win over larger numbers of their base • Put more emphasis on researching opponents’ weaknesses and developing strategies that maximize your strengths Opponents

44. Always a PERSON • Who can make the decision or strongly influence it? • List all possible people who can give you what you want • List reasons each target has to oppose you as well as to agree with you Targets Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

45. This column always filled out LAST • Always be connected to the larger strategy • Should be fun! • Should be within the experience of your members, but outside the experience of your targets Tactics

46. Media Events • Meetings with Elected Officials • Public Hearings • Accountability Sessions • Elections • Negotiations Tactics--Examples Source: Organizing for Social Change, by Midwest Academy

47. Focused on the Decision-Maker or Secondary Target • Puts power behind a specific demand • Meets your organizational goals as well as your issuegoals • Outside the experience of the target—something they do not expect • Your organization members are comfortable doingthe tactic Criteria for Tactics

48. Petitions – online or on paper • Letterwriting—send in half to the target, bring the rest with you to present him/her with a big stack of letters • Media Events • TurnoutEvents—the groups that get people coming out are the ones that get attention • 7 calls = 1 “yes” • Get the message to people in at least 3 ways • Face-to-Face Meetings • Come with specific demand • Have 1 back up demand Tactics

49. Bring 15-25 people • Usually better to meet with elected officials than appointed ones • Geographic & political considerations • DON’T recruit people you don’t really know! • One spokesperson, but introduce everyone and their connection to the issue or to the official • Have a specific demand and a fall back demand Visits with public officials

50. Attending an Official Hearing • Your OWN public hearing Hearings