 Economic inequities have always been an issue, not just in the U.S. but in many countries, and make breaking out of generational poverty next to impossible. Iconico wants to confront some of the systemic and political drivers of imposed poverty. For that purpose, we are launching the inaugural Monsoon Fellowship program during the summer of 2018. The focus of the fellowship will be to research and strategize ways to alleviate the disproportionate balance of representation, support, and resources for communities of color, both domestic and foreign. Fellows will engage community members, decision makers, advocates, and politicians as well as conduct extensive research to establish a network of supporters that will assist in completing project goals. The Monsoon Fellowship will provide training, support, and work experience to empower college students in creating self-sustaining advocacy networks, strategic planning, and analytical research of economic injustice in education and/or politics. While desired outcomes and benchmarks will be outlined along with Iconico leadership, each fellow will be wholly responsible for the success of the project. Chosen fellows will work independently while being be supported and guided by the Iconico team to complete the established work plan for the duration of the fellowship. Click the button below to learn more about the fellowship and how to apply:
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One of the important benefits of the relationship with Iconico has been how they’ve challenged me to think differently about the engagement and advocacy we are doing with partners and members, thinking of new, more effective avenues and creative solutions to put more power into the work that we do.” Our Partner The California Immigration Policy Center (CIPC) is an advocacy organization that works to improve the lives of immigrants across that state of California. Founded in 1996, in the aftermath of Proposition 187 (and other harsh federal copycats), it has become the premiere immigrant rights policy institution in the state. CIPC seeks to improve the lives of all Californians by promoting and protecting safety, health, and public benefits. They also offer a multitude of integration programs for immigrants. CIPC’s success comes from their legislative and policy advocacy, using strategic communications, institutional organizing, and capacity building to engage policymakers and advocates all across California. CIPC focuses on building partnerships and coalitions with multiple groups, pushing for policy changes at the state and local level. With 85 member organizations, and nine regional coalition partners, CIPC has played a critical role in advancing progressive immigrant justice policies, including but not limited to:
The Challenge CIPC was looking to redesign an engagement and membership model that helped them maximize their partners’ mobilization efforts, coordination, and communication. Comprised mostly of member organizations, CIPC also wanted to find a clear path for non-organization members have more intentional engagement with CIPC’s efforts. Our Approach Coaching: The first step was a series of challenging discussions that helped us identify their engagement model, and how it could be structured to move supporters to a higher level of involvement. By way of weekly one-on-one coaching sessions that allowed for analysis of their internal communication channels and supports needed, a new engagement model began to emerge. Brainstorming new ideas and developing new tools for event planning, organizing, goal setting, and internal communication processes, Iconico was able to help CIPC build capacity to help attain desired outcomes. Defining: We assisted CIPC in restructuring their engagement model to have a targeted pathway that moved both organization and non-organization members to have deeper connections and opportunities for engaging and mobilizing with CIPC’s regional coalitions, and campaign efforts. Planning Meeting Facilitation: A refined engagement model, including defined roles for members, was only one part of setting up CIPC for continued success. With members being engaged by multiple departments, and most departments working on separate campaign efforts, Iconico facilitated a conversation with leadership from across the organization to coordinate and streamline the new engagement model, aligning efforts with each department goals. This group was also able to develop a year-long timeline for both member communications and engagement efforts that the organization, which helped build on each other’s efforts and ensure successful integration. What I really appreciate about Iconico is that they have been able to lead us in the direction of independence, making sure we are the ones leading, taking on the reigns of the work towards manifesting the vision we have created together.” By: Luis Avila
One summer, I moved to the United States from Mexico to learn English. My mother was familiar to Arizona, she used to come up North to make money and support me and my siblings every few months, but I never thought we'd end up living here, my plan was to go back to Querétaro, and become an attorney. 16 years later, we are still in this country, I'm still learning English, but I'm doing something different from where I thought I'd be, and I'm loving it. Community organizing has been my passion since friends and I started a youth publication at age 16. In a black and white magazine, we wrote about politics, culture, arts and other topics. We walked the streets of downtown and distributed them by hand, talking with other young people about their concerns and ideas, and getting in trouble with law enforcement for promoting youth voices and not asking for permission. In these years, I realized the power of people coming together to accomplish something that they care about. We were teenagers in the age where digital communication wasn't a thing, most of our media platforms existed on paper form, TV and radio, and we lived in a country where things were changing. The economy was recovering from one of the worst financial crises in Mexican history, political parties were trying to break a one-party rule system, and an exciting social movement lead by indigenous people demanded respect and autonomy to make their own decisions, inspiring our generation to learn more about alternative economic and social structures, the role race, class and gender play in our societies, and the possibility of building a more equal and just world. Moving to the United States was difficult. I had to learn a new language as an adult, experience a culture that I only knew from movies and television, and realizing new social dynamics: people who looked like me worked in service, people who looked like those I saw on TV signed our checks and owned the buildings. This always stuck with me. In the first years in the US, I met many young people trying to get an education, frustrated by not having the means to accomplish that dream. I spoke to parents who endured the sacrifices of migration to offer their children a good education, only to learn that very few of them would actually make it. I saw other communities of color oppressed and discarded through institutional and overt racism. I also witnessed large segments of the population excluded from the civic process, not able to demand a better life for their communities. All of us, fighting our own fights as hard as we could, sometimes in silos, most times with limited resources and tools, every time with the desire and passion that fueled most of the social progress accomplished until now. When I started Iconico, I wanted to help organizations build advocacy capacity, get an outside perspective on ways to grow, engage and mobilize communities, and better ways to support and manage campaigns and people. Partnering with national and local organizations has been a humbling experience. I've been able to learn from diverse leaders trying new approaches to social change, righting some of the most pervasive wrongs in our society, and identifying new tools to help organizations become more effective in their work. While I'm proud of the experiences I've been privileged to gain in the last 14 years, I'm still figuring out how to improve efficiencies with Iconico. I'm excited to tackle challenges of knowledge management, and strengthening systems that help clients track the value we offer. There are easier things too: I'm still insecure about my English, especially my writing, that's why I'm looking for a partner to communicate in more accessible and efficient ways with organizations and people, producing documents that we feel proud of, that build true advocacy capacity in organizations in all corners of the US. I'm taking a scary step and hiring Iconico's first full-time team member. I'm excited to be the best manager possible, learn from this person's perspective, and offer the best value we can to the organizations we partner with. I decided that it was time to own my present, partner with community leaders, learn from people in working to determine our future. It's time to also be vulnerable, communicate our needs, and build the assets we need to continue the fight. It's our time, and I'm excited to partner with you! Join the Iconico team, the application deadline is July 28th, 2017. |
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