Card 25: Standing Together

Standing Together

The Power of Unity: Working Toward Common Goals

Many of us want the same things for ourselves and our loved ones. These interests help us connect with other people who share them.

The Ways We Work Together

Coalitions are groups that unite to share resources and achieve common goals, like improving education or advocating for environmental protection.

How Do We Start?

Start small; start local. Your presence at school board, library board, neighborhood association, and other town and city meetings can make a difference. Listen to what people say, observe how others react during public comments, and find people who share your concerns and desires. These are your allies in strengthening the fabric of your community.

Engage with your allies. Form a coalition. Meet to have open discussions about your ideas and theirs. Encourage others to join the conversations—the more people you have sharing common goals, the stronger everyone becomes.

• Expand your focus. Listen to your allies to identify local and state issues relevant to your concerns. Choose key issues with your coalition, and research relevant bills and proposals in your state legislature. Meet regularly to plan actions, such as writing letters and making phone calls to your legislators. Communicate approval and disagreements to your legislatures; they work for you.
• Compromise. Your ideas may be great, but they may not be the only solution to a problem. Compromise builds trust.

Grow your coalition. Other groups in your area or state may be facing similar problems and may have developed suitable solutions. Reach out to them and develop partnerships. Working together, you can affect policies at the state level.

• Join forces. Support candidates, companies, and initiatives to prioritize your values. Consider joining existing coalitions or initiatives that align with your interests and values.

• Be persistent. Don’t give up. Building a coalition and effecting change takes time, but persistence can have a significant impact.
• Celebrate victories! Even a small win is progress worth celebrating, whether it’s getting a policy change in your local school, seeing a bill passed in your state legislature, or electing a candidate you support.
• Go national. Now that you’ve helped create a network of trusted allies in your town and state, do your research and connect with similar groups across the country, building partnerships with other grassroots efforts and national organizations that share common goals and interests.
• None of us can tackle every problem alone. Genuine change requires a united community—whether it’s five people, five thousand, or five million.

Together, we are stronger!