GAVA began as a place-based initiative. We recognize and respect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the neighborhoods in which we work, taking account of individual, family, group and community differences. We recognize the historical and root causes of issues and the community strengths in each neighborhood and geographic area, and how these contribute to health and access to healthy living.

We build relationships of trust to understand the motivations behind the choices that people make. We recognize lived experience as having equal if not greater importance to “evidence-based strategies,” and we support people to understand and grow their power to influence the policies, protocols and practices that affect them directly.

The IAF teaches that leaders are those who have a following. We believe people can inspire each other by taking public action for their collective self interests. Leadership and interests are discoverable and can be grown.

Never do for others what they can do for themselves. We use a “beveled edge” and “meet people where they are.”

We recognize and appreciate the challenges and limitations that residents face in the context of greater systems, but focus on and celebrate community strengths, especially relationships, culture, history, and networks. We support people to visualize what is possible by recognizing the seemingly impossible things that have been accomplished by their communities.

As the People’s Institute teaches, we are all gatekeepers in that we control the flow of some degree of information and resources. By building relationships based on transparency and common interests, we leverage resources and build leadership & power.

This principle comes from the IAF and is incredibly useful in observing the dynamics of our networks. Private relationships are bound by blood, family, secrets, love, and other deeply personal aspects of life. Public relationships are bound by common self-interests. One can have both public and private relationships with the same person—in fact, in communities with a history of grassroots organizing, private relationships underpin many public ones. It is simply imperative to be clear between the two in order to strategize toward goals effectively.

We honor legacies and oral histories; recognizing the root causes of inequities. We remember that the history of the place that we’re working in begins long before the intervention we are implementing. The story doesn’t begin with the deficit-based portrayal of poor health, poverty and/or racial isolation that so often dominates our grant language. It begins with the people who live here and make the community what it is. It’s found in conversations with the elders who can tell you what it was like 50 years ago, and with the youth whose childhood is vividly near to them, and with the parents who have raised their children and grandchildren in the neighborhood schools for three years, or three decades.

We seek to develop and enhance an anti-racist, intersectional analysis. We challenge unjust policies and practices. We bring to the attention of employers, policy makers, politicians and the general public, situations where resources are inadequate or where distribution of resources, policies and practices are oppressive, unfair or harmful. We understand that this may create tension and that we will need to rely on relationships, navigate through power analysis, and work toward advancing equity in practice.

Literally, if this means that if a potential leader is only available to meet at the bus stop at 7:15 am, then an organizer will flex his or her day to meet that person. Figuratively, we understand that leadership is a continuum and perspectives change. We identify leadership qualities, learn issues, and encourage imagination of what’s possible. We practice and grow skills in language. With each person we meet, we seek understanding of the context in which they work or live. We show genuine curiosity about the things we don’t know, and the person about whom we’re learning.

There are short and long-term goals. The IAF teaches that it is unethical to lead people into a losing fight. Small, short-term victories build momentum and help sustain team interest in bigger challenges that may take years to successfully meet. For example, we might find a group of parents or neighbors who want to start small by walking for 15 minutes three times a week, encouraging their sights to be set on a small victory, eventually leading to bigger community organizing strategies (e.g. leveraging improvements to a walking track and public lighting). Support people to set goals and benchmarks accordingly.

The People’s Institute teaches us to recognize that we are all participants in institutions and systems, and that we have all received conditioning, from differing perspectives. We are influenced by our backgrounds and varying levels of privilege. As we learn from different perspectives, we start seeing outside of our own “box” and influence others to see beyond their “box” and in the process, we expand that box and move beyond it. To do that we have to commit to seek understanding, and sit with temporary discomfort as we all grow. Organizers experience this and model it for leaders.

We recognize that without people, there is no program. Funding comes and goes, but relationships can endure, and relationships are the key to leveraging funding and resources. When people are organized, their access to programs increases. When too many programs are implemented without adequate leadership development to nurture the teams and leaders, “program fatigue” can easily threaten the sustainability of any initiative. Too many tasks on too few people leads to the collapse. Invest in people and relationships, and your community will find better access to programs and richer participation.

We create population-level changes by focusing on breaking down systemic barriers rather than individual behavior. Individuals interact with systems at all times. Undoing Racism® teachings remind us that, “There are no quick fixes,” and that organizing is a marathon, not a sprint. We prioritize winnable projects and goals and celebrate their progress while seeking to shift mental models and paradigms in the process. We ensure that we have an understanding among stakeholders—especially funders—that we are as invested in the process and learning as we are in the outcomes, which may take years, or even decades, to fully measure.

As the People’s Institute practices, we create safe spaces where systemic oppression can be recognized and deconstructed, and we can be authentic with one another.

This work is informed by the legacy of our ancestors, by the conditioning of society over centuries, and by the innovations and changing circumstances of today. The root causes of health disparities we are seeking to address are not easy to change. We are learning as we go and when there are missteps, we owe each other transparency, good communication, grace, and a willingness to struggle.

Everyone has cultural richness to share, and in sharing, we build more authentic relationships. We encourage and celebrate culture to increase the relevance of the strategies we seek to implement. We share culture to promote healing and rejuvenation from work that can be heavy on the soul.

We maintain transparency and accountability for choices and actions, centering the communities most impacted and the residents to whom we answer. Address conflicting interests with practicality and transparency. Consensus is not always possible, but where necessary, we disagree and commit to try things out, course correcting along the way. We keep stakeholders informed of progress and share data, with residents from directly impacted communities as much as with funders and organizational leaders.

We avoid subordinating residents’ needs to the needs of the organization whenever possible, and push institutions to adapt and respond. We build meaningful decision-making roles for residents in institutional structures, always being aware of who is in the room and who is absent.

Many dedicated leaders and organizers are prone to over-work, especially given the constant changes and opportunities that arise. Part of accountability is sharing the load and offering only as that which allows us to continue the work long-term. We do a disservice to fellow team members when we take on more than we can handle or if we stop taking care of ourselves. We strive to be aware of the cumulative toll of dealing with issues that are often traumatic, and we find ways to “metabolize” heavy energy and experiences to promote healing and transformation.