2015
Equity Session II: Visioning,
Planning, and Taking Action
Sacrament City College
Veronica A. K. Neal, Ed.D.
Consultant, Trainer, and Coaching
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11/13/2015
WELCOME AND OVERVIEW
Workshop Goal:
Develop personal and institutional awareness as well as strategies for creating change that help equitize the
college.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
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Explain personal investment in the work of equity
Articulate more clearly the challenges to equitizing the institution
Describe a shared vision
Begin identifying allies and the institutional landscape
Describe a plan of action
Facilitator’s Starting Assumptions:
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There will be more questions than answers
This is an ongoing learning process
We are equals/peers in this learning space, working together for student success
Our values, cultural identities, and past experiences matter … They are in the room!
Conflict is always possible; expect intrapersonal discomfort.
We are all prejudiced; prejudice is learned and can be unlearned.
We are here to learn from each other
FOUR-FOLD WAY: PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE A LEARNING COMMUNITY
Summarized by Michael Welp, Ph.D., www.equalvoice.com
1. Show up, or choose to be present.
2. Pay attention to what has heart and meaning.
3. Tell the truth without blame or judgment.
4. Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.
The following workshop materials are adapted in part from The New Tactics Strategic Effectiveness Method,
which was designed to help move forward critical change for human rights. The New Tactics in Human
Rights organization curriculum toolkit provides a conceptual framework, tools, and processes that
organizations can use to develop a strategic plan for engaging in transformational change. Their curriculum
is based on the work of Sun Tzu’s (the ancient Chinese strategist) three sources of knowledge: Know
Yourself, Know Your Opponent and Know the Terrain which are essential in developing a more effective
action plan. This material is offered to the public as a means to support social transformation and provide a
flexible framework for organizations to assist with planning, implementing, and assessing each of these three
critical areas. For our purposes we refer to the three sources of knowledge as follows: Know Yourself, Know
Your Allies, and Know your Institution.
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YOUR PERSONAL SOCIAL JUSTICE STORY
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DEVELOP A PROBLEM STATEMENT
Identify the Problem - This is a key aspect of Sun Tzu’s strategy development regarding “Know Yourself”.
What problem or issue is important for you to address in achieving equity?
It is very important to define as clearly as possible the problem on which YOU want to focus. It is difficult
to create a plan to take action to address a broad overarching issue. It is necessary to narrow the focus and
choose a place to begin an effort.
Example to reach a clear and specific problem statement:
1. Discrimination is a problem but this is not a clear or specific statement of a problem that can be
addressed.
If an issue of discrimination is one of your issues, how might you make your problem statement more
specific?
2. This problem statement helps us to understand who is being discriminated against – people with
disabilities, but we need to be more specific.
3. This problem helps us to understand who is being discriminated against – people with disabilities –
and in what way, not able to vote. But we still need to be more specific.
4. This problem statement helps us to understand:
 who is being discriminated against: people with disabilities
 what right is being violated: right to vote (a right to participate in governance); and
 how the discrimination is taking place – no access to polling places.
A more specific problem statement provides a place to start:
1. What is one of your individual problem statements?
2. What is one shared or group problem statement?
Demonstrate how your group came to a clear and specific problem statement.
FINAL PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Adapted from New Tactics in Human Rights is a program of The Center for Victims of Torture www.newtactics.org
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TIME FOR REFLECTION: CREATE A VISION
1. What is YOUR vision of the future without the problem you identified?
2. Take a few minutes to write down your responses to the following questions:
o What change do you desire to see?
o How would your community be different?
o What would be different about the relationships between people?
o What would you see, hear, feel or experience that tells you that things have changed?
o What human right would be recognized, enjoyed or exercised?
Demonstrate how your group came to build a common vision. (Outline what agreements were found or
compromises made, common motivations or understanding, etc.) Provide a vision statement agreed upon by
your group.
FINAL SHARED VISION STATEMENT:
Adapted from New Tactics in Human Rights is a program of The Center for Victims of Torture www.newtactics.org
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KNOW YOUR ALLIES AND THE INSTITUTIONAL LANDSCAPE
Creating a Spectrum of Allies: Map the Terrain
Original Source: Training for Change (www.trainingforchange.org) and adapted by New Tactics in Human Rights.
1. Brainstorm who you think bests represents that person’s position or that group or that institution in
relation to your VISION of solving the PROBLEM.
Active Ally:
Passive All:
Neutral:
Passive Opponent:
Active Opponent:
2. Review and discuss the chosen “TARGET” you will focus on from the spectrum of allies.
Adapted from New Tactics in Human Rights is a program of The Center for Victims of Torture www.newtactics.org
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SPECTRUM OF ALLIES SEGMENTS
1. Active Allies:
You believe you can already count on them to help you.
If your target falls in this area of the spectrum – you tactics will need to find ways to engage your allies even
more actively in working with you toward your goal.
2. Passive Allies:
You think they have the same interest, investment or need to solve the problem as you do, and may be close
to agreeing with you about your vision, but perhaps may not be able or willing to actively or overtly support
you.
If your target falls in this area of the spectrum - your tactics will need to help move them to the “active ally”
position; increasing their interest and willingness to be active.
3. Neutral:
These are people, organizations, institutions that may not know about the problem; may not know about you
and your work; have no particular investment in the problem.
If your target falls in this area of the spectrum – your tactics will need to find ways to inform or educate them
about the problem and your position in order to move them to a “passive ally” position. Examine your tactics
to be sure you will not move them toward your opponent’s position.
4. Passive Opponents:
These are people, organizations, institutions that you think have some interests that would be opposed to your
vision; they may have relationships with people who are actively opposed to you.
If your target falls in this area of the spectrum – your tactics will need to create doubt about their position,
raise fears that their position may be “costly” to them in some way. You want your tactics to move them to a
“neutral” position and NOT to an active opponent position.
5. Active Opponents:
These are people, organizations, institutions that have a big investment in opposing your position (related to
power, position, finances, relationships, etc.).
If your target is located in this area of the spectrum – your tactic goal would need to put them into a great
dilemma, that any action they would take against you would be very “costly” to them. Your tactic goal would
be to move them into a “passive opponent” position.
Reference: New Tactics in Human Rights is a program of The Center for Victims of Torture www.newtactics.org; www.cvt.org
Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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EXPLORE CHANGE STRATEGIES OR TACTICS
Strategy and Tactics Summary
Problem Issue you identified to be resolved.
Vision What the world will be like after your Problem is solved.
Goal The incremental step (immediate goal) you take on the strategic path towards reaching your
vision.
Tactic
Target The person who can help you to reach your goal (Think strategically about who your target should
be, use the Spectrum of Allies tool to help you identify the Target)
Chosen Tactic The set of actions you take so your Target will give you what you need/want in order to reach
your goal (e.g., one-on-one, funding)
Constituents The list of people and areas within the organization that are (or can be) influenced by your
case.
Allies
Neutral
Opponents
(Active or Passive)
(Active or Passive)
Identify any additional steps that may be needed in order to implement this tactic:
Risks and Opportunities What you/your organization should be aware of as the result of this action
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PREPARING FOR THE PLAN TO TAKE ACTION
Take Action
1. Your plan to take action outlines the steps that need to be taken to accomplish the identified goal.
“SMART”
Identified GOAL:
S (Specific/ Strategic)
M (Measurable)
A (Achievable)
R (Relevant/Realistic)
T (Time bound)
Reference for Page 8 and 9: New Tactics in Human Rights is a program of The Center for Victims of Torture
www.newtactics.org; www.cvt.org Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License;
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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CHANGE ROADMAP SUMMARY
Build Relationships and Gather Information … Who will you talk to? Why? What do you want to
know?
Conduct a Personal Cultural Climate Analysis…Who has the power? What is going on? Where are
opportunities? Where are barriers?
Share your vision…. What do you want to see change or happen? Why? How does this help deepen
institutional equity?
Develop Allies… Who can help you? What’s in it for them? How can you help others?
Initiate Change… How will you put your plan into action?
VAKNEAL 2013©
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MY PERSONAL COMMITMENT CONTRACT
I plan to use the information I have learned in this workshop to:
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I am going to share this information with:
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I plan to work on the following areas to increase my knowledge and skills:
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My Ally
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Ally Contact
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Signed
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Date
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