Background
Every great movement is birthed in the cries of the people, but when was the last time a politician asked you what you needed?
Every day, public officials make decisions for Ohioans without being truly informed about what we need. That’s why the ACLU of Ohio is creating a statewide Listening Campaign. We will listen to and galvanize everyday Ohioans to create the Ohio we truly need.
We wanted to engage our organizing base, allies, donors, members and staff in deep and meaningful conversations about what the hopes, dreams and needs of the moment are and how we can best respond to them.
We embarked on a journey to listen to the deepest hopes and fears of thousands of Ohioans between May and October 2022 in order to surface the highest level priorities for our focus in 2023. These Ohioans became the newest members of our Action Team and the fierce advocates demanding the values we hold dear: justice, fairness and dignity.
How did we reach so many people? Through a statewide, two-track program: community conversations and a digital survey.
What's a Community Conversation? The Community Conversation is an opportunity for us to meet, learn from, and organize with like-minded people in our community. Our collective strength and shared vision is a catalyst to creating real, positive change in our communities.
The Process
Thousands of connections in just a few months isn't an easy task; in fact, it's quite hard to do. We had a plan that involved you and your community to ensure that as many voices were heard in every region of our state. We recruited conversation hosts across the state to invite their community members and loved ones into fellowship and belonging – that's how we got this done.
Remember, it's going to take all of us to change our state for the better!
