Policy & Advocacy OKR
Champion cross-workstream collaboration and communication efforts to foster information-sharing and effective partnerships.
If there’s one thing leaders in the digital equity space agree on, it’s that continuing in isolated silos will limit the impact of our work.
This is why the Policy and Advocacy Workstream has committed to championing cross-workstream collaboration and communication efforts. It is only through developing the right habits regarding information-sharing and collaboration that we can develop our teams, our partners, and our community council while working toward a single vision and strategy.
But habits are not built overnight, and collaboration requires a high degree of shared understanding. That is why, this year, the Policy and Advocacy Workstream hosted three cross-workstream sessions to foster that shared understanding. One of these brought together the Data, Program Measurement, and Research Workstream with the Policy and Advocacy Workstream, while two brought together the Data, Program Measurement, and Research Workstream with the Digital Literacy and Skilling Workstream. There was also a smaller session held by the data group with regard to journey mapping.
Why were these sessions prioritized, and what was their goal? They stemmed from the recognition that data and measurement play a critical role in coordinating the efforts of the various workstreams, as well as understanding how partner organizations mobilize their own resources. Thus, the Data, Program Measurement, and Research Workstream was proactive in asking questions such as:
- What kinds of data are being collected by each workstream?
- Which kinds of data could it potentially collect with the right resources?
- Where is this data stored, and how can it be accessed and shared?
- Which ongoing projects are likely to produce data that would be of interest to other projects or workstreams?
For example, the Digital Literacy and Skilling Workstream is very interested in collecting data on digital skills within the community, as well as events (classes, etc.) aimed at further skilling in this area. Specifically, what is the level of comfort that seniors in the community have when it comes to digital technologies? What resources are there for them, and are they being used? Collecting data in a systematic way to discover answers to these questions means thinking through how these things are measured and categorized.
Policy and Advocacy, for their part, is interested in building measurements around the new policy agenda. This gave rise to important conversations: What can be collected, measured, and counted to show progress for the agenda? What would indicate the agenda is having an impact?
A significant portion of this information is, at the moment, siloed within different organizations and initiatives: Digital Navigator office hours, Access Charlotte, Learn to Earn, E2D, and so on. And while many of our partner organizations, including the ones above, are sharing a good deal of their data, opportunities also exist for excavating more, as well as participating in analysis and storytelling. By understanding all the pieces each initiative has, we will be better able to discover ways to bring the bigger picture into sharper focus.
In reflecting on the past year, the CDE has come to appreciate even more fully how important it is to create these spaces for cross-collaboration and shared understanding—and we plan to do even more of this in the future.
