CHAPTER 14: PREPARING AN ACTION PLAN

To be effective in doing social justice programming it helps to take the time to develop an issue and see it through. Too often religious social activists set out to do something without really defining the problem or thinking through the most effective strategies. People go into action without defining the issue, identifying alternative solutions, stating the goals, and thinking through strategies. And then they wonder why they were ineffective.

This is a step by step process which provides a method for developing an understanding of an issue and creating an action plan. This process usually can't be done in one two-hour meeting. It may take five or six meetings lasting over several months. Some groups have taken a year or two to develop an in-depth project.

1. CHOOSE AN ISSUE

There are innumerable social justice issues we can work on. Our challenge as people doing social justice within the framework of congregational life is to identify those issues which our people feel strongly enough about that they will make a commitment to become involved in some kind of action.

There are two sections in this manual on how to involve the congregation in setting priorities for task group issues. One section is called "Structures for Democratic Decision-Making About Social Justice Issues" and the other is called "Voting Methods for Setting Priorities for Social Action Projects."

Presently, the most popular issues which Unitarian Universalists are organizing around are hunger, the environment, homelessness, reproductive rights, peace, children's issues, and AIDS.

Dieter Hessel in his book Social Ministry suggests the following criteria for picking issues to work on:

1. Serious and pervasive condition
2. Demands ethical action
3. Neglected by powers and authorities
4. Most urgent to poor and vulnerable
5. Also middle class interest
6. An opportunity for empowerment
7. Arouses broad community concern
8. Has both global and local dimensions
9. Has concrete and manageable handles
10. A denominational or ecumenical priority
11. Chance to make a systematic difference as well as to meet a service need
12. Will elicit resources of the congregation: talent, money, leaders' support, members' energies
13. Available models for response
14. An issue the group can do something about with a reasonable amount of success
15. An issue which interested people and which, by getting involved, folks will derive a sense of satisfaction from
16. Group's response be unique not the duplication of another organization's work

1. CREATE A TASK GROUP

Once you have identified an issue, you need to develop a group to work on it. There are a number of ways to gather people together in a meeting. Examples include writing an article for the newsletter, making announcements at Sunday services, putting flyers in the order of service, and phoning people whom you think might be interested. The more of these methods that you use the more successful you will be in organizing the meeting.

Once you have assembled a group it helps if people take the time to do a group building process before they begin to work on the project. Below are some suggested guidelines for building the team.

A. Define how people in the group will work together

• Determine who will facilitate the meeting.
• Make sure people are sitting in a way that works for the group.
• Determine how decisions will be made. Will the group vote on decisions or use consensus methods?
• How will the group evaluate its work as it goes along?
• Use brainstorming and priority setting techniques when they are applicable.

B. Help people to understand who they are in the group

• What are the hopes and fears each person has about being a member of the group?
• What are the hopes and fears each person has about the task?
• What personal resources does each person bring to the group?
• What other resource people are known who are in the community?
• What does each person want to learn while they are on the team?

C. Define what the group will try to accomplish

• Compile on newsprint a list of the tasks, problems, items of business, etc. which group members think the team should deal with. Prioritize the list, ranking the items according to their importance.
• Assign an anticipated time parameter for each task. Note these time parameters are not frozen but may be changed by the group members as they do their work.

1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM TO BE WORKED ON

This step involves understanding why the issue you have picked is a problem. A problem is a situation or condition of individuals or a group that is considered undesirable for certain reasons. Often people go into action without understanding the issue they are responding to. That is why taking the time to define the problem may be the most important step in the process.

The members of the group need to educate themselves about all the dimensions of the issue. You can read books and pamphlets to familiarize yourselves with the important points. You can meet with experts in the field who are members of your congregation. You can contact political leaders, grass roots organizers, university teachers, and other resource people. Making visits to community centers where people are working on issues is also a good way of becoming informed.

Here are some questions you can ask as you go through this process:

1. Why is this a problem?
2. How serious a problem is it?
3. How many people suffer from the problem?
4. How are people affected by the problem?
5. What are the economic, political and social factors that make this a problem?
6. What are the conflicting values that make this a problem?
7. What are the power dimensions of the situation? Who is using their power in negative or destructive ways? Who has the power to make a change?
8. What is the potential for change?
9. What are some alternative solutions to the problem? Hear the study of what other people are doing in other parts of the country that is important. Where do people have programs that are working effectively? How can these successful models be duplicated?
10. What are the religious assumptions that the group is operating out of? These would be affirmations, theological and ethical in nature, which describe the motivation of the group attacking a problem. They should state why the problem represents injustice and why achievement of the goal is a step toward justice.

1. STATE THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The problem states the situation in negative, undesirable terms, while the goal states a positive, desirable situation. A goal is a declarative statement indicating a desirable procedure, process, or relationship. It indicates what the group plans to accomplish and gives direction in moving toward the fulfillment of your purpose.

The objectives are the way you plan to reach the goal. Problems can rarely be completely eliminated so the size of the situation or condition is smaller in the statement of the objective. Use the following questions to ensure your objective is clear:

1. Is the objective stated as a declarative statement?
2. Does the objective cover all essential aspects indicated in the problem?
3. Have you limited the scope of your objective so that it is realistic?

For example, if the problem is homelessness, the goal can be stated as helping the homeless. The objectives for achieving this goal might be: open a shelter for homeless people at the church, run a series of community forums on homelessness, advocate with local politicians about new services for the homeless.

Check to be sure that you know what others are doing in the local community. Be sure you are not planning to do what someone else is already doing effectively. You may also help an ongoing program be more effective by forming an alliance with them.

Before moving on to the next stage, re-check the problem statement, goal, and objective to see if there is a natural flow from one to the other.
 

1. DEVELOP STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

A strategy is a series of group activities that are carried out to reach the desired objective(s).

Brainstorming is a good way to develop a strategy. When developing a strategy, consider some of these:

1. List the tasks to be done and think of a time frame for each task.
2. Who are the persons you need to network with for information or support?
3. Who are the people you need to help you or whom you think may want to be involved? Make a special effort to establish personal contact with them.
4. What are the financial costs you need to plan for? Work out a budget.
5. Are there any information handouts or brochures you need to purchase or prepare?
6. What publicity do you need?
7. Is there any additional research and writing you need to do?
8. If you are going to have a public event, arrange for a time and meeting place.

Tactics are specific actions that make up a strategy. They indicate assignments of action to particular people, the details of what they are to do and a time line for reporting on and completing tasks.

1. GO INTO ACTION

 

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Now you are ready to go into action, Do something!
 
 

2. CELEBRATE AND EVALUATE THE ACTION

 

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Holding a social gathering after an action is a wonderful way of boosting morale and enhancing the energy in the group. Plan a party where you can bring people together to celebrate what you have achieved. Sometimes people do the evaluation at the social gathering.

As soon as possible after you do a specific action, bring the participants together to evaluate what happened. What did you learn from the experience? What went as you planned? What didn't go as you expected? Did the action help you move toward achieving you goals and objectives? What would you do differently next time? How is the group functioning in terms of morale, efficiency, and meaning of the task?
 
 

3. PLAN FOR THE NEXT STEP

You have completed one action step. Now it is time to start planning the next one. Watch how you build on your success and learn from your failures.

 

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