Coalition Building

Public Policy

Healthy Kids Meal Bill

POLICY

• Sets direction for the coalition
• Evidence based policy
• Restorative justice
• Cost-benefit
• Preventive
• Equitable
• Inclusive

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh signed a new law on April 19, 2018, that ensures that water, milk, 100% fruit juice, sparkling water and flavored water without added sweeteners will become the default drink options for all restaurant kids’ meals in the city of Baltimore.

Dr Leana Wen, Health Commissioner

Dr John Bullock, city councilman

Sharon Middleton, city councilwoman

Brandon Scott, city councilman

Mayor Catherine Pugh

Organizing

ORGANIZING

• Collaborative
• Resourceful (of the time and talent of member orgs)
• Goal-directed
• Inclusive
• Focused on action catalysts:
• Urgency
• Hope
• Anger
• Solidarity
• You Can Make a Difference

Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative (organized by Vinny DeMarco, yellow tie) coalesced leaders from the medical, consumer rights, and faith communities to help pass SB 415 in 2017, prohibiting a manufacturer or distributor from price gouging in the sale of an essential generic drug, and giving Attorney General Brian Frosh (far right) the ability to sue a company for doing so.

Electoral Politics

POLITICS

• Working within existing power structures
• Working to change existing power structures

• Developing relationships with politicians/policymakers
• Leveraging the strength of the coalition to ensure their voice is heard

THE STORY

An interwoven narrative

"If you've come here to help me,

you're wasting your time.

But if you've come here because

your liberation is bound up with

mine, then let us work together."

Lila Watson

Building Solidarity

Personal Sharing

S

Deepening Commitment

Mutual Understanding

Issue-based Action

Building a coalition around an issue can sometimes mean finding common cause with non-traditional teammates

• Tapping into skillsets of partners
• Utilizing resources available
• Leveraging member organization

membership to volunteer

Baltimore Beyond Plastic (BBP), an environmental action group, was founded in December 2016 by local high school students Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson. BBP worked with several other environmental advocacy groups, including Hopkins Students for Environmental Action (SEA), to gather support for the ban and bring the bill to City Council. It was signed into law April 19, 2018.

THE GOALS

Developing a shared vision

In order to create:

• Joint principles
• Resolutions
• Legislation
• Sign-on Letters
• Public support

Baltimore County Ensures Vending Machines Serve 100% healthy items

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz (pink tie) signed order May 1, 2018 that all items in machines will meet American Heart Association-recommended nutrition standards for sugar, salt, fat, and other measures, and that every drink machine offer bottled water.

THE PLAN

Midwest Academy Strategy Chart

Forging synchronicity

• Goals
• Organizational Resources
• Allies & Opponents
• Targets
• Tactics

Spectrum of Allies

EARNED MEDIA

Jacqueline Allsup, NAACP

Akil Patterson, Sugar Free Kids Maryland

Ricarra Jones, SEIU1199

Shawn McIntosh, Sugar Free Kids Maryland

Nikki Highsmith-Vernick, Horizon Foundation

Michaeline Fedder, American Heart Assoc

Media exposure that is garnered without paying for it.

• Press conferences
• Op-eds
• Letters to the Editor
• Social media
• Other news mentions

HB 216 (2015) sponsored by Del Dan Morhaim, MD banned plastic microbeads in Maryland

PAID MEDIA

Traditional media advertising buys:

• TV
• Radio
• Newspaper
• Magazine
• Billboards
• Social media boosts

MEETING GOALS

• Delegating tasks appropriately
• Running meetings efficiently
• Holding people accountable

• Build in small wins to celebrate, build momentum, and energize

FEELING HEARD

• Encourage inclusiveness
• Champion a diversity of stakeholders
• Ask "Who is not in the room that should be?"
• Encourage awareness
• Group dynamics:
• "Step Up, Step Back"
• Develop a clear process for decisions
• Know members' self interest
• Respect members' structure
• Rotate meeting sites
• On-site childcare
• Public transport accessible
• ADA accessible

ASSESSMENTS

• Ongoing review of progress
• PDCA cycle
• Ensuring accountability
• Recap post-campaign
• SWOT analysis
• Celebrating wins
• Learning from losses
• Reshaping future efforts