How We’re Strategically Building an America That Works for Everyone
Galvanize USA is harnessing the power of women to build an America that works for everyone! We want to live in a world where women are an active part of a broad, multiracial coalition that is building a durable democracy and an America where everyone can thrive, so we’re offering year-round programming to support our audience as they turn that vision into a reality. Check out the top two strategies Galvanize USA is using to help build a stronger democracy for all of us as we walk through our Theory of Change.
STRATEGY ONE: Increasing Civic Engagement
Civic engagement has been a cornerstone of our work since day one—it’s what our very first blog was about! Galvanize USA will continue to empower women, particularly ideologically-moderate women who are open to new ideas and perspectives, with information and tools to build their civic knowledge, confidence, and agency. We’ll meet our audience at their values to inspire active participation in protecting democratic norms and ideals. We’ll also foster a resilient public by addressing the economic anxiety and fear that can get in the way of standing up for rights and freedoms.
If we keep doing that, we’ll see small shifts that snowball into transformative changes! We always encourage our audience to start with learning and build toward action as they gain momentum. Here’s how we’ve explained that engagement ladder to our audience:
Now let’s apply the same concept to standing up for our democracy and our rights. We initially hope to see a deeper understanding of how core democratic principles (like checks and balances in government) are functioning or failing. We’ll also see an increased will to defend individual rights and freedoms and our democracy as a whole.
But just the will to defend rights isn’t enough! Later, this will build into increased knowledge and skills that help women take active steps to defend our rights and freedoms. Some of our audience is already there: check out how our community is getting involved in our democracy!
In the long-term, this will ultimately look like an entire national audience advocating for the rights of all people and actively protecting our democracy. What a hopeful future that is!
STRATEGY TWO: Build Social Cohesion & Decrease Othering
We’re all in this democracy together, but it doesn’t always feel like that. Our second strategy relies on fostering a sense of shared responsibility and inclusivity, strengthening the sense that we are all part of the same society. This means supporting women to push back against prejudice and discrimination, helping everyone see that “the other” is not a threat, and strengthening our shared commitment to the rights and freedoms that benefit all of us.
Let’s look at how learning & understanding can ladder up to meaningful action over time.
The first shift we’ll see in our audience is a deeper understanding of what “othering” is, how it hurts all of us, and how exclusionary “us versus them” narratives can be challenged. We’ll also see signs of increased respect for people from all different backgrounds and a stronger commitment to building an inclusive society. Listen to this great example of that work in action as our community expresses support for both immigrants and unhoused people:
Later, that understanding will build up so that our audience feels empowered to take tangible actions that combat othering. Ultimately, we’ll see a national audience of women who understand that their well-being is tied to that of others, and who are taking active steps to support people across differences.
It all ends with women being an active part of a broad, multiracial coalition that is building a durable democracy and an America where everyone can thrive!
