Community Psychology and Public Policy: Research, Advocacy and Training in International Contexts

Manuel Irma Douglas D. Perkins Isabel Menezes Melissa Strompolis García-Ramírez Serrano-García Vanderbilt Universidad de Universidade do Universidad de Children’s Trust of University, Sevilla, Porto, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Nashville, TN, USA, Sevilla, España Porto, Portugal Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Columbia, SC, USA

Keywords: policy, advocacy, international, collaboration, capacity-building Author Biographies: Douglas D. Perkins is Professor of Human and Organizational Development at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, USA. He is the Founding Director of the PhD Program in Community Research & Action and also teaches in the Masters Program in Community Development & Action and the B.S. Track in Community Leadership & Development. Manuel García-Ramírez, Ph.D., is Professor of Community Psychology at University of Sevilla, Spain. He is the Coordinator of CESPYD, the Center of Community Research and Action at the University of Sevilla and the Founding Co-Director of the Master in International Migrations, Health and Wellbeing at this University. Isabel Menezes. has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Porto and a Habilitation in Education Sciences from the same University, where she is a Professor in the Department of Education Sciences. She teaches courses in Educational research, Educational, social and community intervention, Citizenship education and Political psychology. Irma Serrano-García is a retired Professor from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She holds a Post Doctorate in Public Policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, a PhD in Social-Community Psychology from the University of Michigan. She has over 125 scholarly publications including journal articles, book chapters and thirteen books. Melissa Strompolis, PhD, is Director of Research and Evaluation at Children’s Trust of South Carolina and is an affiliate investigator at the Yvonne & Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina.? Her evaluation and research focuses on prevention, child well-being and opportunity, and race equity. Recommended Citation: Perkins, D.D., García-Ramírez, M., Menezes, I., Serrano-García, I. & Stromopolis, M. (2016). Community Psychology and Public Policy:Research, Advocacy and Training in International Contexts. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice 7(1S), pages 1-8. Retrieved Day/Month/Year, (from www.gjcpp.org).

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Community Psychology and Public Policy: Research, Advocacy and Training in International Contexts Abstract We introduce a special issue on public policy research, advocacy, and training by community psychologists that grew out of the Fifth International Community Psychology Conference held in Fortaleza, Brazil. Two papers from Portugal propose changes in sex education policies in schools and communities to promote adolescents’ rights and drug abuse policies based on decriminalization of use and possession, risk and harm reduction, and health promotion. An article from Spain addresses transformative policies to reduce public health disparities for the Roma population in that country. Three contributions from Brazil examine a Landless Workers Movement popular education and agroforestry project to support children and adolescents’ rights and participation; another social movement to control public policy on youth and adult literacy and education; and racist environmental and natural resource policies that ignore the territorial rights of indigenous Amazonian populations. A paper from Chile describes the creation of a regular public forum to reduce stigma and promote human rights in community mental health care. Another paper examines the development and presents examples of social-community psychologists’ involvement in policy work in Puerto Rico, the process of training students for this endeavor and how to improve training. Finally, three articles cover recent trends in policy advocacy by community psychologists in the United States including its promotion and capacity building by the Society for Community Research and Action; using social media as a tool to enhance effectiveness of advocacy efforts; and an assessment of advocates’ and legislators’ capacity, knowledge, and perceptions of child injury prevention to inform policy change efforts.

Introduction to the Special Issue 14) on international policy work (edited by Ken Maton). For this new issue we called for This issue arose from a symposium entitled submissions on (1) training for policy work at “Public Policy and Community Psychology: any level: high school, college, graduate, adult Methods of Training, Research and Practice in volunteers, continuing education; (2) theory Different Global Regions” organized by the or research on policy issues or policy Public Policy Committee of the Society for engagement; or (3) examples of advocacy Community Research and Action at the Fifth practice or interventions for policy change. International Conference on Community Accepted full articles appear in English, Psychology in Fortaleza, Brazil. That session Portuguese, or Spanish, but all include an explored the challenges of increasing both the English abstract. While the focus is on frequency and the impact of community community psychology policy work in psychologists’ policy work around the globe. Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico, and It followed up on a similar symposium held at the United States (U.S.), the policy targets the prior International Conference in vary from local to provincial to national to Barcelona, Spain in 2012, which led to a international. special issue of the Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice The collection of papers deals with the (http://www.gjcpp.org/en/index.php?issue= development of training and implementation

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of policy research and advocacy by in promotion and capacity building for community psychologists, working with a political work, such as the use of social media wide variety of groups, including children, as a tool to enhance effectiveness of advocacy youth and adults. The papers also engage efforts. with diverse settings, from urban contexts to Summary of Articles deprived urban peripheries and rural contexts, such as an agrarian reform In the “Impact of Public Policy for the settlement in Brazil. Additionally, there is a Promotion of Sex Education: The Portuguese wide range of policy topics covered in this Case,” Rocha and Duarte use issue, including health, education, community Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model to frame development and the environment, and their discussion (in Portuguese) of changes in advocacy processes and capacity building school-based sex education policies in more generally. Health-related projects Portugal, revealing how chrono- and include liberalizing drug policies and school macrosystem changes impact, both positively and community-based sex education policies and negatively, at the meso- and microsystem in Portugal, transformative policies to reduce levels. Their analysis reveals how the public health disparities for Roma apparently positive trend towards communities in Spain, and policy education community partnerships does not guarantee and advocacy on child injury prevention in the establishment of genuine collaborations the U.S. state of South Carolina. The stigma of between schools and community mental illness is a global struggle (as is organizations, and might even reinforce a inclusion of mental health as a fully vision of sex education strictly as a health implemented part of health plans and problem. As a result, they advocate for a policies) and Chilean authors describe the broader vision of sex education that creation of a regular public forum to reduce genuinely involves schools and communities stigma and promote human rights in in promoting adolescents’ rights to sexuality. community mental health care. In addition to In “The construction of public policy in the sex education, educational policies include a field of drugs: Health standards, territorial social movement to control public policy on pacification and low-threshold psychology,” youth and adult literacy and popular Mata and Fernandes discuss (in Portuguese) education among landless workers in Brazil. how public policies on drugs in Portugal Community development and environmental evolved from the understanding of drug use policies include that same landless workers as a disease towards an emphasis on risk and popular education project which also involves harm reduction accompanied by the agroforestry and supports children and decriminalization of use and possession of all adolescents’ rights and participation; and illicit drugs. Similarly to the policies on sex another Brazilian paper critiquing racist education, this change also created the environmental and natural resource policies conditions for the development of that ignore the territorial rights of indigenous community-based interventions in what the Amazonian populations. Contributions that authors designate as “psychotropic focus more generally on developing the territories.” The authors underscore the capacity and effectiveness of policy research positive impact of these new policies that and advocacy by community psychology recognize drug users as actors in the students and professionals include how development and implementation of health training for policy work has improved in promotion interventions – an engagement recent years in Puerto Rico and the U.S. along that is reinforced by the option for a “low- with ideas for making further improvements

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threshold psychology” that values active project of the settlement and resulted in listening and unconditional acceptance. actual changes in municipal policies. However, they also point out the risks in Additionally, the authors discuss how this terms of promoting a real community experience influenced the identity of popular empowerment, given the depth and amount educators as child educators and also the of social problems faced daily by these community perception of childhood and communities. adolescence with a growing advocacy of children’s and adolescents’ rights to In “The Challenge of Equity in Health Policies protection, education and participation. Aimed at the Roma Population in Spain” (in Spanish) García-Ramírez and colleagues The focus of the paper “Democracy, Social examine how community psychologists have Participation and Social Control of Public contributed to transformative public health Policy in Brazil” (in Portuguese) by Burgos, policy-making. Health disparities between the Coimbra and Ferreira is the social movement Roma and the rest of the European of the Forums for the Education of Young population are viewed as a “wicked problem” People and Adults of Brazil and their role in (Rittel & Webber, 1973) and have led the shaping state policies in the field of youth and International Organization for Migration to adult education. Despite literacy and the create the Equi-Health Project (http://equi- education of young people and adults being a health.eea.iom.int/) with the aim of public policy priority, there are still high reorienting health policies for the Roma levels of illiteracy among young people and toward greater equity and social justice. adults in this region. The forums involve a Outcomes of its implementation in Spain diversity of individuals, from students to include (1) making the strengths of teachers or researchers, plus civil society community psychology more visible for use in organizations and municipal-level public health policy innovations; (2) raising government agencies. The goal is to advocate awareness of community psychologists’ for the improvement and implementation of commitment to assist oppressed groups; and youth and adult education policies, but also to (3) demonstrating community researchers’ exert a collective social influence towards ability to help improve health policies and these policies by discussing and pressing for their administration. changes. In this sense, the forums are a social movement committed to promoting the The paper “Community practice and the work quality of youth and adult education. of ’Landless Workers' Movement’ (MST) with children and adolescents in Ribeirão Preto/SP The paper “Environmental racism and - Brazil” (in Portuguese) by Ana Paula Soares struggles for recognition of people in the da Silva and colleagues considers another Amazon forest” by Alessandro dos Santos and community in severe deprivation but in a colleagues (in Portuguese) denounces how rural context: an agrarian reform settlement race and ethnicity have been a basis for of the Landless Workers Movement located in inequality and discrimination in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The authors environmental public policies with severe describe and discuss a five-year project of consequences for the people living in the research group LAPSAPE that involved Amazon. In fact, the management of natural training with popular educators with the goal resources has not taken into account the to promote education policies that would territorial rights of traditional Amazonian support children and adolescents’ rights. The populations, with severe consequences in project involved participation of adults, terms of their access to land, their quality of children and adolescents in the agroforestry life and environmental justice as a whole. This

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is why environmental racism, as a counter- increasing number of psychologists in Puerto hegemonic concept, can be useful for local Rico are engaging in public policy initiatives populations and activists, but also for those through collaborations with the PRPA and involved in community intervention and other nongovernmental organizations and public policy, as a marker for advocating the government agencies. Although research was need for the recognition and the able to identify few graduate courses focused redistribution of environmental rights for on policy analysis or advocacy skills, the traditional Amazonian populations. authors provide information on ways psychologists and students have learned from In “Anti-stigma Practices as the Linchpin of individuals who serve as policy work role Community Work in Mental Health” (in models and ideas for making policy training Spanish), Chilean authors Grandón Fernández more systematic, and to increase and et al. address the human rights of psychiatric psychologists’ involvement in public policy. patients through a program designed to reduce the stigma of mental illness. A In “The SCRA Public Policy Committee in community mental health rehabilitation Action: Advocacy, Collaboration, and center runs annual destigmatizaton sessions Capacity-Building” (in English), Maryman et aimed to generate reflection, debate and a al. outline the increase in policy-related space in which participants can activity in recent years by the international, synergistically share their experiences and but U.S.-based, Society for Community ideas for fighting stigma and protecting the Research and Action (SCRA). Its Public Policy rights of people with mental illness. The Committee addresses local, state and national program is based on qualitative research policies relevant to community psychology engaging the participation of local community through the development and dissemination members along with the center management (through The Community Psychologist (TCP), team. The effectiveness of this inclusive American Journal of Community Psychology, model has been found through the the SCRA website and listserv) of position documentation of experiences of statements, rapid-response calls to action on discrimination and stigma and the promotion specific policy initiatives, and through of clients’ rights; the creation of new spaces to advocacy campaigns. Both the more promote human rights in mental health; and deliberative position statements (which may strategic alliances with health networks, be developed by special task forces, such as higher education, foundations, and member current ones on the problems of mass organizations of people with psychiatric incarceration, immigration reform, and global diagnoses. climate change) and urgent calls to action are sometimes in collaboration with the In “Involving psychologists in public policy in American Psychological Association (APA), Puerto Rico: Processes and Results” (in the National Prevention Science Coalition, the English), Irma Serrano-García and Eduardo Society for the Psychological Study of Social Lugo-Hernández describe how psychologists Issues (SPSSI) and other APA divisions, or in the social-community psychology program other organizations. The Public Policy at the University of Puerto Rico and the Committee also engages in advocacy training, Puerto Rico Psychology Association (PRPA) student policy internships, and other capacity have become more systematically involved in building activities, including a short course in policy issues. Psychologists who do not policy work and an advocacy training day participate in policy work gave one of three held at the U.S. Congress (in concert with reasons: lack of time or lack of training or SPSSI). Additional resources include the negative perception of party politics. But an

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annual SCRA Public Policy Small Grants This finding reinforces the need for effective Program, SCRA member surveys on policy and targeted education strategies as part of work, and a TCP column and conference advocacy campaigns. Fortunately, issue track. One area needing further development education is something nonprofit in SCRA is international awareness and organizations of all kinds are allowed to collaboration, and the policy symposiums at engage in without having to worry about recent international conferences and these violating tax exemption rules. There is policy issues in the Global Journal represent nothing like teaching a topic to learn it better efforts toward that development. oneself, so advocates and other staff who learn about the policy issue will build human In “Using Social Media as a Tool to capital and organizational capacity in the Complement Advocacy Efforts” (in English), process. Thus the statewide coalition the Scott and Maryman provide a valuable review authors represent organized a training and analysis of how internet-based, session on effective advocacy strategies and interactive social network forums, such as tactics, child vehicular safety laws, and Facebook and Twitter, can be leveraged by legislative talking points. Coalition members community researchers, practitioners and then used the information at a lobbying event students to widely, immediately, and organized at the South Carolina statehouse, efficiently promote and mobilize advocacy which led to pledges from legislators to campaigns and information. They note social introduce or co-sponsor child safety legal media fits well with community psychology’s guidelines. principles of citizen participation and empowerment, collaborative social change, Conclusions social support, and sense of community. They The strong and encouraging response to the add an important caution that social media is two International Conference sessions and unlikely to be effective if it is the only tool two special issues of this journal on public used in a policy initiative; instead it should be policy research, advocacy practice, and used to amplify other political organizing training by community psychologists around strategies. A helpful appendix reviews the the globe, as well as the variety of examples in relative strengths and weaknesses of several public physical and health, education, popular social media platforms and tools. community development and environmental In “Influencing Prevention Policy Through protection, demonstrate that policy work in Effective Communication with Advocates and community psychology is vital, vibrant and Legislators” (in English), Melissa Strompolis expanding, both geographically and topically. and colleagues present an example of a state- Although this special issue samples policy level (South Carolina, U.S.) policy education issues and efforts by community campaign on the issue of child injury psychologists in several different countries, it prevention as accidents are the leading cause does not include important areas of policy of pediatric mortality in the state. The work, especially inherently international campaign and the survey they report were policies, such as those affecting climate aimed, not at the general public, but at those change and that provoke wars and with the most political clout: i.e., professional widespread violence while causing extreme advocates, legislators, and legislative staff. poverty that forces millions of people to be Respondents’ knowledge of injury prevention displaced and shortens the life spans of entire facts were surprisingly inconsistent, communities. The neoliberal, pro-global especially as one would expect advocates, capital-market policies that are restricting law-makers and staffers to be well informed. services and rights of citizens are also an

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example of this. We know that community Leonard Jason (United States) psychologists are working on those topics Robin Jenkins (United States) with social scientists from other branches of psychology and other disciplines, and with Sónia Kruppa (Brazil) policy-makers, professionals, and community Kenneth Maton (United States) activists and advocates. Maria Vargas Moniz (Portugal) This special issue reflects the collaboration of colleagues from multiple disciplines Verônica Morais Ximenes (Brazil) worldwide. This has been possible thanks to Conceição Nogueira (Portugal) the hosts of the International Conference of Community Psychology. This conference is an José Ornelas (Portugal) example of how the alliance of societies and Blanca Ortiz Torres (Puerto Rico) academies of community psychology around the world can provide a global perspective to David Pérez-Jiménez (Puerto Rico) the efforts that community psychologists Marco Aurélio Prado (Brazil) make to promote public policies based on equity and social justice. Fátima Quintal de Freitas (Brazil) So we hope all of those examples of Alicia Rodríguez (Uruguay) international policy-focused collaboration Francisco Javier Saavedra (Spain) receive the attention they deserve in this and other journals and conferences. We further Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar (Colombia & hope that community psychologists around United States) the world take encouragement from this issue Tom Wolff (United States) and the various other resources identified in Alba Zambrano (Chile) several of the articles to keep up the difficult, often frustrating, but ultimately crucial and rewarding work of influencing political solutions to community, societal, and international problems. References Editor’s Note Burgos, M.P., Coimbra, J.L., & Ferreira, P. (this We thank all the authors who participated in issue). Democracia, Participação this issue and the following anonymous Social E Controle Social De Políticas reviewers for the thoughtful feedback that Públicas No Brasil: A Experiência Dos improved each paper: Fóruns Da Educação De Jovens E Nydia Cappas (Puerto Rico) Adultos Do Brasil / Democracy, Social Jorge Castellá Sarriera (Brazil) Participation and Social Control of Public Policy in Brazil: The Experience Daniel Cooper (United States) of Forums for the Education of Young Claudia de Freitas (Portugal) People and Adults of Brazil. Global Journal of Community Psychology Joseph Durlak (United States) Practice. Pedro D. Ferreira (Portugal)

Carlos Gonçalves (Portugal)

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dos Santos, A.O., Martineli Massola, G., Galeão Rocha, A.C. & Duarte, C. (this issue). Impacto da Silva, L.G., & Parodi Svartman, B. das Políticas Públicas na Promoção da (this issue). Racismo ambiental e lutas Educação Sexual: o Caso Português / por reconhecimento dos povos de Impact of Public Policy for the floresta da Amazônia / Environmental Promotion of Sex Education: The racism and struggles for recognition Portuguese Case. Global Journal of of the traditional Amazonian Community Psychology Practice. populations. Global Journal of Scott, J., T., & Maryman, J. (this issue). Using Community Psychology Practice. Social Media as a Tool to Complement García-Ramírez, M., Escobar-Ballesta, M., Advocacy Efforts. Global Journal of Lizana, T., & Albar, M.-J. (this issue). El Community Psychology Practice. Reto de la Equidad en las Políticas Serrano-García, I., & Lugo-Hernández, E. A. Sanitarias Dirigidas al Pueblo Gitano (this issue). Involving psychologists in en España / The Challenge of Equity public policy in Puerto Rico: in Health Policies Aimed at the Roma Processes and Results. Global Journal Population in Spain. Global Journal of of Community Psychology Practice. Community Psychology Practice. Soares da Silva, A.P., Bezzon da Silva, J., Grandón Fernández, P., Dresdner Vicencio, R., Amorim Rosa, L., Sbroion de Carvalho, Sanhueza Vallejos, M., & Vaccari R., Oliveira Silva, A.C., & Vieira, T. (this Jiménez, P. (this issue). Prácticas Anti- issue). Prática comunitária e o estigma como Eje Articulador del trabalho do Movimento dos Trabajo Comunitario en Salud Mental Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra / Anti-stigma Practices as the (MST) com crianças e adolescentes Linchpin of Community Work in em Ribeirão Preto/SP - Brasil / Mental Health. Global Journal of Community practice and the work of Community Psychology Practice. Landless Workers' Movement (MST) Maryman, J., Strompolis, M., Maton, K., & with children and adolescents in Perkins, D. D. (this issue). The SCRA Ribeirão Preto/SP - Brazil. Global Public Policy Committee in Action: Journal of Community Psychology Advocacy, Collaboration, and Practice. Capacity-Building. Global Journal of Strompolis, M., Branham, M., Tucker, W., & Community Psychology Practice. Aakjer, H. (this issue). Influencing Mata, S. & Fernandes, L. (this issue). A Prevention Policy Through Effective construção duma política pública no Communication with Advocates and campo das drogas: normalização Legislators. Global Journal of sanitária, pacificação territorial e Community Psychology Practice. psicologia de baixo limiar / The construction of public policy in the field of drugs: Health standards, territorial pacification and low- threshold psychology. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice. Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences, 4, 155-169.

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