Our Approach

Skill Building

Greenlining views the world through a racial equity perspective, taking into account institutional racism and the current state of communities to inform future policy advocacy efforts. Based on our Racial Equity Toolkit, our approach begins with community engagement and progresses into policy research and advocacy, sustainability, and program evaluation. The Academy trains participants to utilize this model and apply the framework through series of trainings by Greenlining staff and other leaders in the policy field.

Racial Equity Framework

These sessions lay the groundwork for Greenlining’s racial equity model by discussing the structural, institutional, and interpersonal causes of racial inequities. We attempt to answer the questions: How do we apply a racial equity analysis to our policy efforts at different levels? What role does an advocate's personal identity, history, and privilege play in leadership and efficacy? From here, we begin discussions of how advocacy fits into the race equity perspective. Trainings from previous years include:

• Introduction to Greenlining’s Racial Equity Framework
• Interpersonal racism and implicit bias
• Deconstructing interpersonal racism via mindfulness
• Institutional racism: Introduction and advocacy strategies
• Structural racism: Introduction and advocacy strategies

Community Engagement

Greenlining’s advocacy starts with engaging the community in order to survey the resources and materials currently available and gather existing information and data about the communities, projects, and stakeholders. Additionally, we invite community members to share their perspectives and expertise. Trainings from previous years include:

• Relationship building, networking, and coalition building
• Power mapping the stakeholder landscape
• Preparing, conducting, and recording interviews and focus groups
• Meeting facilitation and group dynamics
• Conducting a community needs assessment
• Introduction to community organizing

Researching, Creating, and Advocating policy

After gathering information from the community, Greenlining identifies opportunities to strengthen and/or create new policy, and then begins a process of strategizing, developing, and implementing policy and advocacy efforts. These efforts may express themselves in writing, testimonies and presentations, discussions with decision-makers, and several other avenues. Trainings from previous years include:

• Ins and outs of Sacramento, lobbying, and the legislative processes
• Research methods and sources
• How different forms of writing work together to advance policy
• How to write to persuade the general public
• How to write a policy brief and technical documents
• Using social media as an advocacy tool
• Media spokesperson training
• Public speaking
• Negotiations

Examining Sustainability

Policy changes require systems and mechanisms to ensure success and avoid creating further disparities. In this phase, Greenlining considers the political, social, and economic conditions that support or impede the growth and development of the initiative. This includes continued stakeholder input, adequate processes, and funding for implementation and enforcement. Trainings from previous years include:

• Advanced meeting facilitation for stakeholder input
• Introduction to public funding, philanthropy, and fundraising
• Creating a budget and financial plan

Evaluation

This process should consider the outcomes and results, in addition to lessons learned, skills, knowledge, and perspectives developed by the individuals involved in the reflection process. The evaluation process should adapt and adjust to the needs of the project and goals in mind. Trainings from previous years include:

• Creating metrics of success and data collection mechanisms
• Demonstrating impact
• Creating qualitative surveys and feedback forms
• How to use statistics and data analysis in evaluation reports
• Facilitating discussions for reflection and dialogue