VISION VALUES

& VOICE

Moving Hearts, Minds, & Policy to AExpand Social JusticeOpportunity Communications Toolkit for All

Working Families Success Network — March 28, 2014 For Audio, please dial 1-866-740-1260, code 4559883.

THE OPPORTUNITY AGENDA

BUILDING THE NATIONAL WILL TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA

ANALYZING

SHARING

BUILDING

Opinion & Media Research

Strategy

Public Support

Culture and Entertainment

Tools

& Public Policies to

Law and Policy

Training

Expand Opportunity

www.OpportunityAgenda.org

THE OPPORTUNITY AGENDA BUILDING THE NATIONAL WILL TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA

Alan Jenkins Executive Director

OUR NEWEST TOOL!

Toolkit.OpportunityAgenda.org

CREATE YOUR OWN MESSAGING ONLINE!

A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITY

SEISMIC CHANGES!

 Demographic change  Values shift  Evolving public opinion  A New American Story

HISTORIC DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE  Majority of children born today are of color.  A “majority minority” America by around 2035.  A changing electorate:  The 2012 electorate was 28% nonwhite, which is more than twice the proportion from the early nineties.  The Latino share of the electorate rose in 2012 to 10%, and the Asian American proportion rose to 3%  Nearly a quarter of 2012 voters were unmarried women.  Younger voters and African Americans defied predictions by increasing their turnout over 2008.

A RISE IN OPPORTUNITY VALUES Opportunity means that everyone should have a fair chance to achieve his or her full potential. Ensuring that fair chance requires:  Equality — the benefits and burdens of society should not depend on what we look like or where we come from;  Security — we should all have the tools to meet our and our families’ basic needs;  Mobility — where we start out should not determine where we end up;  Voice — we should all have a say in the decisions that affect us;  Redemption — people grow and change over time and deserve a chance to start over when things go wrong;  Community — we share responsibility for each other, and the strength of our nation depends on the vibrancy and cohesiveness of our diverse population. 8

PUBLIC OPINION ON THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN TRANSITION

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PUBLIC OPINION ON DEFICITS AND SOCIAL SERVICES IN TRANSITION

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DUELING ATTITUDES ON POVERTY Causes of Poverty

Pew (April 2012)

In your opinion, which is generally more often to blame if a person is poor: Lack of effort on his or her own part, or circumstances beyond his or her control? (Pew).

Challenging Attitudes  Opportunity is everywhere—you just have to work for it.  People are poor because they make bad choices.  Social services build dependency.  Government is ill-suited to address poverty.  We can’t afford it!  America is “post-racial;” discussing racial inequity is divisive and a crutch.

COMMUNICATIONS

WHY DO WE NEED^SUPER POWERS?

TELLING OUR STORY  UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCES  LEAD WITH SHARED VALUES  TELL A SYSTEMIC STORY  OVER-DOCUMENT BARRIERS  IT’S ABOUT ALL OF US  EMPHASIZE SOLUTIONS TELL YOUR STORY, NOT THEIRS  VPSA!

The General Public

UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCES

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3

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 Mobilize/Energize 1-2’s  ID Themes, messages and spokespeople to move 3’s and 4’s.  Neutralize the opposition’s effect on the rest.

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Equality Community Opportunity Fairness Voice Immigration Criminal Justice Affordable Housing

Education

DACA

Title I

Civil Rights

Poverty

S-CHIP

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

ISSUES

SNAP

POLICIES

WHY VALUES?

OPPORTUNITY VALUES Opportunity:

Everyone should have a fair chance to achieve his or her full potential. Ensuring that fair chance requires:

 Equality — the benefits and burdens of society should not depend on what we look like or where we come from;  Security—we should all have the tools to meet our and our families basic needs;

 Mobility—where we start out should not determine where we end up;  Voice—we should all have a say in the decisions that affect us;  Redemption—people grow and change over time and deserve a chance to start over when things go wrong;  Community—we share responsibility for each other, and the strength of our nation depends on the vibrancy and cohesiveness of our diverse population. 18

SYSTEMIC CAUSES… WITH A HUMAN FACE

EXPLAIN and OVER-DOCUMENT BARRIERS to EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

“That’s terrible, especially in these times.”

“I seriously question those facts.”

“I’m worried about my own health and health care”

“The health of different groups of people has been compromised due to gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, disability, living in rural localities, and/or your sexual orientation.” -- What would you say, think, and feel about this statement?

OVER-DOCUMENT BARRIERS TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY  Not just this:

“The unemployment rate among

Blacks is about double that among whites.”

 But also this:

“Research shows that resumes with names like Jamal and Lakisha get fewer call-backs from employers than identical resumes with names like John and Jane.” “That job bias contributes to a Black unemployment rate that is twice that of whites.” 21

IT’S ABOUT ALL OF US: USE A CONTRIBUTION MODEL  A 2009 McKinsey study found that by toppling the unequal racial, income, and regional obstacles to educational achievement, we could add an additional 2-5% to America’s Gross Domestic Product over the next decade.

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POSITIVE VISION: PROMOTE SOLUTIONS  Avoid issue fatigue.  Be FOR something, not just against.  Pragmatic ingenuity.

 Intuitive connection to the value and problem.

AVOID MYTH-BUSTING

TELL YOUR STORY!

VPSA!

BUILDING A MESSAGE

MESSAGE EXAMPLE Value Problem

Solution Action

The future of our nation depends on safe, prosperous communities where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and everyone’s life matters. But too many people in our city don’t have that opportunity. Violence is devastating young lives, and Black men and boys are by far the most likely to fall victim to that violence. We have it in our power to prevent violence and expand opportunity for everyone in our city, with a focus on the Black men and boys who are most affected. Tested solutions like expanded education and job training prevent violence and spark prosperity. We need your participation! Sign up today to make communities safer and more prosperous through proven strategies that work.

LEARN MORE ONLINE!

www.opportunityagenda.org toolkit.opportunityagenda.org Follow Us! @oppagenda @Opportunity1 facebook.com/opportunityagenda

Thanks!