How we build our collective power as justice communicators
Introducing the Senior Academy
Many Oregon nonprofits are bracing for a turbulent next four years under the incoming federal administration. This administration has indicated it will dramatically reduce safety-net programs such as food stamps and health care, seek to deport millions of immigrants, reduce protections for transgender kids, dramatically cut education funding, water down labor regulations, and more. The administration has also suggested that it may revoke the nonprofit status of organizations that disagree with it.
As Oregon nonprofits grapple with the uncertainty, they should plan for and how the communities they serve will be affected, particularly those that serve and support immigrant, transgender, and queer communities or those which rely on federal support for health care, food stamps, or education.
I can imagine how daunting that responsibility must feel. In my early roles as a communications professional, I often found myself in rooms full of brilliant policy minds, but I rarely got the chance to work with other communicators.
Without peer support, it is difficult to be as effective as we want to be, especially as we face such a challenging moment. We are stronger when we are all in this together—and that’s why offer training, support and networking to communications staff. Communicators play pivotal roles in helping their communities navigate the shifting landscape by communicating how to access new resources, where to get support services, and how to protect and defend their families.
Our goal with the Oregon Communications Academy is to support and prepare staff to be nimble for their organizations and communities.
As communicators, we don’t often have the time or space to collaborate and strategize with peers in our field. Sometimes, we haven’t even met each other.
Megen Ickler is a principal at Movement Communications Academy, a communications training and consultancy.
