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Advocacy 101Being a Voice of the
PoorMike Clark
Germantown Systemic Change Initiative, Executive Director Tom Dwyer
Northeast Region SVdP VOP CoordinatorJack Murphy
Southeast Voice of the Poor RepresentativeNational VOP Chair
Voice of the Poor PrayerLord of all people,During your time on earth you identified with the poor and instructed us to care for one another, for our neighbor and especially for the least of our brothers and sisters.Be with us as we advocate for the poor.Help us to persevere in joy and love on their behalf.Add your voice to ours as we speak out for those who are not heard in our communities.Guide us as we work, comfortable in the knowledge that we are doing your will for this day and time and place, and that you will take care of tomorrow.We ask this in the name of Jesus, his Blessed Mother, our patron St. Vincent and our founder Blessed Frederic. Amen Ruth Zemek, Phoenix Council
Workshop Objectives
•Review SVdP Advocacy•Share examples of effective local advocacy•Small group activity to plan local next steps. •Attendees will leave the session understanding the Society's position on the topic, and have access to contacts and resources to plan local advocacy efforts.
Agenda
• Introduction & Review VOP Mission-Jack•Advocacy at the Grassroots Level-Tom•Advocacy at the Community Level-Mike•Small Group Discussion-Taking this to my conference•Wrap-up-Jack
Voice of the Poor Mission StatementIn the spirit of Christian love and justice, the Voice of the Poor Committee upholds Catholic values by • researching• validating• documenting• advocating and • promulgating issues related to the condition of the poor and disenfranchised
for the purpose of helping Vincentians to live their faith by acting knowledgeably and credibly as a unified body speaking with one voice for the purpose of building up the Kingdom of God.
Roles of the Voice of the Poor
Vincentian Civil Discourse
“Let us learn, first of all, to defend our belief without hating our adversaries, to appreciate those who do not think as we do, to recognize that there are Christians in every camp, and that God can be served now as always! Let us complain less of our times and more of ourselves. Let us not be discouraged, let us be better.” Blessed Frederic
(Baunard, Correspondence, p.304)
How Vincentians & Catholics have been advocates
Vincent & Louise lobbied to change unjust systems • changed conditions for galley slaves • housing of the army• stop the civil war• treatment of children
•Elizabeth Seton established schools for poor children in Maryland•Catholic Hospitals-600 hospitals and 1,400 other health facilities in all 50 states•Catholic Charities •Vincent found himself in positions of influence
not for power but as a way of influencing for the good
•Empowerment
•Mentoring
•Collaboration
•Advocacy
Cornerstones for the Society’s Systemic Change Effort
Foundations the Society’s Systemic Change Effort
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Catholic
Social Teachi
ng
Empowerment
Mentoring
Advocacy
Collaboration
Advocacy at the Grass Roots Level SVDP Conferences, Districts and Councils
Where Does Our Work as Vincentians Lead?
Awareness of a Need
“Traditional” Vincentian
Charity (Direct Aid)
“Not So Traditional”
Social Justice (Advocacy)
How Do We Engage Our Fellow Vincentians in Advocacy?
1) Rally Around Familiar and Vivid Images. . . Traditional Vincentian Response to Heed the Cry of
the Poor Pope Francis’s Model and Message Jesus as the Ultimate Community Organizer
How Do We Engage Our Fellow Vincentians in Advocacy?2) Emphasize Catholic Social Teaching
24 Documents from 1891 to “Present”1891 – The Condition of Labor1931 – Reconstruction of the
Social Order1961 – Christianity and Social
Progress1963 to 2009 – 21 More
Documents
Joy of the Gospel (2014) – Pope FrancisChap. Four – The Social
Dimension of Evangelization
Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility (2003)
Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope
(2003)
A Call to Action (1971)
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2004)
Economic Justice for All
(1986)
Catholic Social
Teaching Titles
The Church in the Modern World
(1965)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Second Edition (1992)
What are the Obstacles to Advocacy Engagement? Tradition! “Vincentians Don’t Do Politics” Building Consensus on Advocacy Projects
and Positions Lack of Time from Vincentian Volunteers
Tradition: “Vincentians Don’t Do Politics”Education, Education, Education…
Rule 7.2 of Society of St. Vincent de Paul“Where injustice, inequality, poverty or exclusion are due to unjust economic, political, or social structures or to inadequate or unjust legislation, the Society should speak out clearly against the situation, always with charity, with the aim of contributing to and demanding improvements.”
US Conference of Catholic Bishops“Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.”
Pope Francis“Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity inasmuch as it seeks the common good.”
Building Consensus on Advocacy Projects and Positions? Start Small with Education Local Issues Identified by Vincentians’ Lived
Experiences SVdP Position Papers and Capwiz Action Alerts US Conference of Catholic Bishops Public
Policy Pronouncements and Resources Newsletters from Catholic Social Justice
Groups
Lack of Time from Vincentian Volunteers Voice of the Poor Representative in
Each Conference
Voice of the Poor Committees District-based Committees are Likely Best
An Advocacy Model for the Voice of the Poor Work
Advocacy and
Awareness Info
Advocacy and
Awareness Info
Does Social Justice Advocacy Make Us Act Differently as Vincentians?
YES! At Personal Level – On Home Visits and for Other Direct
Aid Look for Causes, Barriers for the Problems Being Encountered Identify Follow-up Systemic Change Opportunities
At Conference LevelDevote an Agenda Section to Voice of the Poor MattersEngage in Social Justice and Advocacy Activities
At District and Central Council LevelsPromote Systemic Change ThinkingSeek Broad Systemic Change Opportunities
Advocacy at the Community Level
Germantown Systemic Change Initiative (GSCI)
Germantown Snapshot• 21,000 Living in Poverty • 7,500 Unemployed• Reading/Math Proficiency < 40%• Highest Level of Housing Distress (CDFI Indicator)
Systemic Change Job
MoneyEducation
FoodHealth
Potential for Systemic Change in Germantown
Collective Impact Model
Common Agenda Shared Measurement
Mutually Reinforcing Activities
Continuous Communication Backbone Support
Preconditions for Collective Impact
Influential Champion(s
)
Financial Resources
Urgency for Change
IndividualImpact
Organizational Impact
Germantown Impact
( Community)
GSCI Impact Model
Direct Service
Impact Blueprint
Prioritize Outcomes
Select Measures (indicators)
Analyze Measures (Qualitative and Quantitative)
Systemic &
Structural
Impact
GSCI aims to…
• Improve education, health, housing, and employment outcomes for the poor of Germantown
• Move 2,000 people past the experience of poverty by 2020
• Build meaningful collaboration across sectors (non-profit, business, government, resident)
Lessons for Advocacy
• Creating a pro-poor agenda
• Engaging politicians in collective impact
• “All politics is local”
• Proving impact is a powerful tool in advocacy
Small Group Activity10 Min systemic investigation exercise• Each home visitor should think about the last couple of people
they’ve visited• What did they ask us for? What was their stated need?• What is the direct cause of the need?• What are the underlying causes or contributors to that need?• Do we think these root causes impact (or will impact) other
clients?• Is there anything we can do about those root causes?• Are there other organizations in our area that work on these root
causes?
Voice of the Poor Regional RepsNortheast Region Tom Dwyer [email protected]
Mideast RegionWarren [email protected]
East Region Lynne [email protected]
Lois [email protected]
North Central Region Mary Ann [email protected]
Midwest Region Joseph J. [email protected]
South Central RegionFrank [email protected]
National Chair & Southeast RegionJack [email protected]
West RegionGiulio [email protected]
Michael Stratton, [email protected]
Spiritual AdvisorRev. Louis Arceneaux, C.M. [email protected]
• 1. A Just Wage for Employees of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, April 2001
2. Affordable Housing for the Poor, February 2002 3. Health Care for the Poor, Feb. 2004 4. Immigration, Sept. 2004 5. Fair Wages, Sept. 2005 6. Restorative Justice, Sept. 2006 7. Predatory Lending, April 2007 8. Homelessness, Aug. 2007 9. Hunger, Sept. 2008 10. Education, Apr. 2010 11. Human Trafficking, Sept. 2010
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http://www.SVDPusa.org/Resources/VoiceofthePoor.aspx
Current Position Papers of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
For further information on Voice of the Poor, see pages on the National SVdP website: http://www.svdpusa.org/Resources/VoiceofthePoor.aspx
Or http://www.svdpusa.org/members/ProgramsandTools/VoiceofthePoor.aspx
For further information on Catholic participation in public life, see page on the USCCB website: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship-document.cfm
For further information on Collective Impact, see The Collective Impact Forum: http://collectiveimpactforum.org/what-collective-impact
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Prayer for Systemic Change
•We praise and thank you, O God, Creator of the Universe. You have made all things good and have given us the earth to cultivate. Grant that we may always use created things gratefully, and share them generously with those in need. Give us creativity in helping the poor meet their basic human needs. Open our minds and hearts so that we might stand at their side and assist them to change whatever unjust structures keep them poor. Enable us to be brothers and sisters to them, friends who walk with them in their struggle for fundamental human rights. We ask this through Christ our Lord. (from the Letter of Superior General on theme of annual Vincentian Day of Prayer 2008)
