This policy workshop provides advocates, activists & movements the knowledge and tools to increase their capacity to effectively engage in policy advocacy with a lens toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. Over the course of this series, participants will be provided an actionable framework to define opportunities for change, identify policy levers, engage community stakeholders, and influence policymakers. Each interactive session will allow space for participants to examine how the provided concepts are relevant to their work and can be applied at the local level. This learning experience will impart knowledge and processes to use policy advocacy to build resilient, thriving communities.
- Session 1. Advocacy 101 – Wednesday August 10th
Advocating for policy changes can be intimidating, but it does not have to be. There are accessible ways to build power and elevate the voices of community members to work towards a desired outcome. This session will discuss the importance of educating and engaging community members, stakeholders, the media, and policymakers in advocacy efforts. Participants will learn effective strategies for grassroots organizing, communications, and lobbying campaigns and how to develop persuasive messages. Get tickets HERE. - Session 2. Storytelling Strategies – Wednesday August 17th
People with lived experiences are experts in the problems facing their communities and often have valuable insights into the best solutions because of their proximity to the problems. This session will explore the role of storytelling in policy work and how storytellers can be powerful advocates. Participants will learn strategies for identifying storytellers, building (or borrowing) trust, supporting them to share their stories in compelling ways, and framing individual stories to move systems change. Get tickets HERE. - Session 3. Centering DEI in Policy Work – Wednesday August 24th
Recent events have highlighted longstanding disparities in our country and elevated the need to be intentional about diversity, equity, and inclusion when meaningful change is the goal. This session will examine the historical context for current adverse community environments, what is necessary to create anti-racist policies, and why structural barriers must be removed. Participants will learn the difference between disparities and inequities; key considerations for developing equitable policies; and how to move from adversity to resilience through policymaking. Get tickets HERE.
Cost: Tickets $50.00
If you have any questions, contact icockhren@pacesconnection.com
About the Consultant
Kinika Young is a lawyer and health policy advocate who frequently speaks on issues concerning access to healthcare, focusing on the role of public benefit programs to help people who lack adequate resources to meet their needs. As the senior director of health policy and equity at the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC), she leads efforts to build a movement across the state to protect and strengthen the safety net for children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities and move towards the equitable allocation of resources to all Tennesseans.
Since joining TJC in 2017, Young's work has helped Tennesseans understand their role in ensuring that every child has a healthy start and that every person has a pathway to reach their full potential. She is a certified Building Strong Brains trainer and a member of the Leadership Team of ACE Nashville. Young also serves on the Healthy Nashville Leadership Council, Tennessee’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, and SHADAC Medicaid Equity Dashboard Project Advisory Committee.
She began her legal practice in 2006 with Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC and became a member of the firm in 2015. Her practice focused on healthcare disputes, in which she represented hospitals and healthcare providers facing managed care payment disputes with third-party payers. Young is a native of Montgomery, Alabama. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a degree in political science and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School. Young was a member of the Nashville Emerging Leaders Class of 2010, Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law Class of 2013, Lawyers of Color, Inc. Inaugural Hot List of 2013, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellowship Class of 2016, Nashville Medical News Women to Watch Class of 2018, Families USA Health Equity Academy in System Transformation Fellow Class of 2019, and Nashville Bar Foundation Fellows Class of 2021. She was also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association Delegation to Cuba in 2014. Details about the work that Young leads at TJC are available at Health Equity – Tennessee Justice Center. You can reach Young at kyoung@tnjustice.org
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