A Community Psychologist’s involvement in policy change at the community level: Three stories from a practitioner

Influencing social policy is a natural part of the everyday activities for community psychology practitioners working in partnership with communities. Most dilemmas faced by communities not only have programmatic solutions but looking at the root causes of the issue we can also see the structural policy issues that require change. Often our task is to build the capacity of the communities to become effective advocates involved with local office holders on issues requiring policy change. Community psychologist practitioners frequently become involved in the world of policy. It is the reality of how one form of change occurs in communities. Small “p” policies can mean negotiating the tricky waters among institutional players in a community. Capital “P” policies are illustrated by community psychologists involved in advocating for specific policy or legislation on crucial issues. Three examples presented in this paper illustrate the range of possibilities available for engaging in social policy change. They include building healthy communities coalitions, focusing in on a policy agenda on a specific issue (health care access), and building the capacity of local communities to address social change issues such as systemic racism. The paper encourages more community psychologists to write of their experiences in the pursuit of social policy change at the community level in order to learn how to be most effective in these roles and to learn about the range of possibilities

A Community Psychologist’s involvement in policy change at the community level: Three stories from a practitioner

Influencing social policy is a natural part of the everyday activities for community psychology practitioners working in partnership with communities. Most dilemmas faced by communities not only have programmatic solutions but looking at the root causes of the issue we can also see the structural policy issues that require change. Often our task is to build the capacity of the communities to become effective advocates involved with local office holders on issues requiring policy change. Community psychologist practitioners frequently become involved in the world of policy. It is the reality of how one form of change occurs in communities. Small “p” policies can mean negotiating the tricky waters among institutional players in a community. Capital “P” policies are illustrated by community psychologists involved in advocating for specific policy or legislation on crucial issues. Three examples presented in this paper illustrate the range of possibilities available for engaging in social policy change. They include building healthy communities coalitions, focusing in on a policy agenda on a specific issue (health care access), and building the capacity of local communities to address social change issues such as systemic racism. The paper encourages more community psychologists to write of their experiences in the pursuit of social policy change at the community level in order to learn how to be most effective in these roles and to learn about the range of possibilities

Research in software allocation for advanced manned mission communications and tracking systems

An assessment of the planned processing hardware and software/firmware for the Communications and Tracking System of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) was performed. The intent of the assessment was to determine the optimum distribution of software/firmware in the processing hardware for maximum throughput with minimum required memory. As a product of the assessment process an assessment methodology was to be developed that could be used for similar assessments of future manned spacecraft system designs. The assessment process was hampered by changing requirements for the Space Station. As a result, the initial objective of determining the optimum software/firmware allocation was not fulfilled, but several useful conclusions and recommendations resulted from the assessment. It was concluded that the assessment process would not be completely successful for a system with changing requirements. It was also concluded that memory requirements and hardware requirements were being modified to fit as a consequence of the change process, and although throughput could not be quantitized, potential problem areas could be identified. Finally, inherent flexibility of the system design was essential for the success of a system design with changing requirements. Recommendations resulting from the assessment included development of common software for some embedded controller functions, reduction of embedded processor requirements by hardwiring some Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) to make better use of processor capabilities, and improvement in communications between software development personnel to enhance the integration process. Lastly, a critical observation was made regarding the software integration tasks did not appear to be addressed in the design process to the degree necessary for successful satisfaction of the system requirements

Learning From Coalitions' Efforts to Promote Equity and Justice.

Coalitions and collaboratives are working to address many of the most pressing contemporary health and social issues. The articles in this special issue provide numerous insights into these complex collaborative processes across different contexts and focal issues. All emphasize and scrutinize the strategies that groups are using in their work. These strategies seek to navigate not only conventional notions of effectiveness but also the challenges of pursuing greater equity and justice. In this concluding article, we distill some of the key insights from these articles as a collective. This special issue on collaborating for equity and justice can serve as a launching point for new efforts by coalitions and researchers pursuing policy, systems, and structural changes, particularly those intent on addressing root causes of health and social disparities

Re-Examining the Definition of Community Psychology Practice

Throughout the early and mid-2000s, Community Psychology practitioners worked with the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) Executive Committee (EC) to revisit relevant organizational goals and objectives.  These conversations resulted in the recognition of the need to more fully operationalize the “action” component of SCRA. Ultimately, a draft statement was brought to the first International Community Psychology Conference in Puerto Rico.  Through a highly participative process, a group of conference attendees emerged with a definition of community psychology practice:  The aim of community psychology practice is to strengthen the capacity of communities to meet the needs of constituents and help them to realize their dreams in order to promote well-being, social justice, economic equity and self-determination through systems, organizational and/or individual change. Since the definition was developed over a decade ago, much has changed. This special issue was conceived as a means for the field to consider the definition of Community Psychology practice in light of these and other advances in our thinking. The special issue editorial team invites the field to ponder proposed changes and new definitions of community psychology practice