AMOS Ministry Action Plan 2017/18
(A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy)
Statement of Purpose
The Plymouth AMOS Core Team will grow in love of God and neighbor by focusing on social justice issues and supporting the building of relationships with members of Plymouth and other communities through face-to-face meetings. From these meetings we collect our concerns on each issue, research the facts about them, develop solutions at a larger scale, and then promote our needs to decision-makers to help implement them.
Reviewing Our Performance
Major Outcomes and Accomplishments
●Core Team
●Participated in Plymouth’s Connections Fair
●Liz Hall, Jan Campbell and Sheena Thomas provided one-on-one training to Board of Membership and Welcome, October 2016 meeting
•Sponsored three “Decoded Series on Race” drop-in discussions in December 2016
•Annual AMOS fundraising through direct contribution yielded $2700.
•Potluck/House meeting campaign: 3 house meetings for 30 people June 24, 2017
•Neighborhood walk to raise awareness of upcoming school board election completed August 20, 2017. Preliminary results: 147 conversations with neighbors and information distributed to an additional 287 homes in North of Grand neighborhood.
•Flyers for both School Board election and DART (Des Moines Area Rapid Transit) new route survey distributed to Deer Ridge and River Oaks townhouses.
•School Board Candidate Forum at Des Moines University attended by a majority of Plymouth members after distribution of flyers.
•Participated in the Just Peace discernment process
•Participated in Black Lives Matter survey
•Increased core team membership by 5
•Turned out 30 Plymouth members to School Board Accountability Session 8/29/17
●Juvenile Justice Issues team and Core Team
•Conducted school mediation training at Plymouth
•Co-sponsored the “I’m not Racist, Am I?” movie at Drake Sheslow auditorium and at Roosevelt High School on May 10th & 11th with funding from Plymouth Foundation
•Submitted proposal to Greater Des Moines Leadership Initiative to work on AMOS initiative. AMOS was chosen and the leadership team created the following for the Let’s Talk program: logo, brand identity, letterhead and style guide, mission and vision statements, restorative justice “go kit”, and shared digital workspace. Collateral materials included: general brochure, parent information postcard, volunteer information sheet, participant and facilitator survey, student contract, volunteer signup, mediation volunteer application, human capital and organizational recommendations, promotional video, master informational PowerPoint, designed website, photography of students and volunteers, and follow up postcard for participants. Applied for and were granted $7000 for use for “Let’s Talk” programing.
•Showed “Let’s Talk” video to AMOS leadership, to DM Police leaders, and to DM School Board candidates
•Continued mediations and circles at 6 middle schools
•Provided all communication correspondence for Juvenile Justice team which has now grown to 110 people in central Iowa
•Helped to form a “welcome tunnel” the first morning of school at Harding Middle School
•Met with (9/2016) and are meeting with (9/2017) Meredith Middle School grade level teams to introduce the work of “Let’s Talk”.
•Several meetings sponsored by NAACP, Race Education Committee, DM Human Rights commission, and SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice) among others were attended by AMOS Juvenile Justice and core team members.
●Mental Health Issues Team
●Accountability session with candidates for legislature in Ankeny to get support for adequate funding for mental health throughout the state. All legislators in attendance agreed to work with AMOS on issues and followed through. 160 attended. October, 2016
●Successfully lobbied the legislature to retain funding for mental health crisis services for Polk County and to prevent lowering of tax levy for Broadlawns Hospital.
●Organized a statewide meeting of stakeholders to lobby the legislature to raise the tax levy for mental health. 50 participants representing groups like the IA Psychological Association, Unity Point, Polk County Supervisors, NAMI, nurse practitioners, social workers and others continue to meet.
●Lobbied the legislature to establish a bipartisan committee on mental health.
●Continued the quarterly Community Conversation with Mental Health and Substance Abuse providers and turned it over to the stakeholders to continue it. They have done so.
●According to Teresa Bomhoff, head of NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness), “AMOS shows up when needed”.
Success Factors
●Support from new core team members and several other at-large AMOS members at Plymouth
●Support from Ministers - in person, from the pulpit, and in Fellowship Forum
●Publicity and planning support from Plymouth staff: Paula Wilkerson, Cindy Eaton-Eklund and Lisa Acheson
●Agendas and minutes have helped to keep people up to date on AMOS activity
●The upsurge in political awareness that resulted from the 2016 election results has led to increased involvement
●Partnerships with community organizations like C.O.R.E. for Advancement, P.R.O.U.D. (People Respecting Our Unique Differences) and Movement 515 in the high schools, Drake University Dept of Ed, Des Moines Public School (DMPS) administration and the Anti Racism Collaborative (ARC)
●Core team’s willingness to help in a variety of ways
Disappointments
●Did not get the one on one training done for Board of Christian Social Action during 2016-2017
●Did not succeed in getting the legislature to lift the tax levy for mental health.
●Because of confidentiality clause for juvenile records enacted July 1, 2016, lost ability to do AMOS’ second chance mediations with first time offenders.
●Did not do enough one on ones or house meetings to glean more issues people are facing - although mental health and teacher classroom issues came through.
Strategies to Modify this Year
●Find a meeting time that will accommodate as many as possible
●Accountability for one on ones and house meetings
●Meet with police to work around the confidentiality clause by having parents’ permission as WDM police department does
Planning for the Upcoming Year
Goals
●Train BCSA board members how to do one on ones to increase those who do them in the congregation; it is a good way to find out where needs are and can be communicated to larger AMOS organization to develop new issues teams and new leaders
●Help AMOS the organization increase voter turnout for city elections.
●Educate citizens on requirements of the new voter ID law.
●Increase congregational participation
●Participate in annual fundraiser.
Strategies
●Continue communication in all formats.
●Do one on ones and more house meetings to identify new issues.
●Set a date for Liz Hall and AMOS core team members to do one on one training with Board of Christian Social Action if BCSA is willing
●Walk Neighborhoods
Advanced Goals
●Continue to educate citizens on requirements of the new voter ID law and assist with obtaining the necessary ID.
●Get more mediators and circle keepers trained
●Help to hire an Administrator for “Let’s Talk” program
●Get tax levy raised statewide for mental health
Advanced Strategies
●Plan car pooling days to the license center for people to get picture ID’s - focus on Plymouth Place, NOG neighborhood, Homes of Oakridge, 50314
●Present issues of school to prison pipeline with stories to encourage people to do mediation and circle training
●Go through channels to raise money for hiring a “Let’s Talk” administrator
●Continue working with legislators
Resource Planning
●We ask $15,000 for Plymouth dues to AMOS' central organization; the salary for the lead organizer has risen, as have the expenses. Each church is to give 1% of its budget up to a cap of $15,000 as dues for the ongoing expenses of AMOS. Dues do not cover all the expenses. AMOS still has to apply for grant funding as well as raise money through annual fundraisers.
●$300for supplies - printing at Plymouth, stationary, event decorations, signage and supplies
●Increase membership in AMOS
●Increase voter turnout
●Increase congregational participation in AMOS activities
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