Through our online magazine, publications, website, newsletter and social media platforms (@readrisemag), the Rise Communications Program shares stories by and for parents, provides information and resources, raises awareness of the harms of the family policing system, highlights community-led solutions and offers ways to get involved. The Rise Communications Team facilitates writing and public speaking workshops for parents impacted by ACS, conducts community outreach, supports the Rise team with preparing for presentations and provides internal coordination, logistics support and learning and community-building opportunities. We are excited about the ways we have served as a platform for storytelling and advocacy over the past program year.
Highlights from our work include:
- Published eight parent stories and reflections, six interviews, four policy and budget responses and two journal articles
- Collaborated with the Rise Organizing Team to publish a participatory action research report: An Unavoidable System
- Published Rise program and advocacy updates; parent testimony, quotes and poems; book club reflections; videos; and self- and community-care strategies
- Supported 11 different parent staff and contributors with providing presentations and/or trainings
- Provided over 14 parent-led presentations and trainings
- Increased our social media following by 38% (average increase across our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts)
- Gained 125 new newsletter subscribers, with nearly 8,000 total subscribers
- Sent 27 publications newsletters to our subscribers
- Developed two digital organizing toolkits to support Rise’s advocacy for universal child care
Rise Communications Team (2022 Program Year): Ashanti Bryant, Program Assistant; Keyna Franklin, Assistant Editor; Noshin Hoque, Policy Coordinator; Tracy Serdjenian, Communications Director; Imani Worthy, Public Speaking Coordinator.
Quotes from Rise Staff
“The Communications Team made it comfortable to formulate our stories, helped to create presentations and even brainstormed ideas for specific projects. Public speaking has not always been my expertise, nor that of some of the other Rise staff. The Comms Team provided a safe environment to go through all of the trial and errors until we were in a good space to present to a larger audience. They also helped us to share our narratives and shape our trainings so that they can be tools to create change—and to ignite parents’ passion to create that change.”
– Rise Organizer and 2020 Rise & Shine Graduate
“Through writing my story, I was able to release some of the pain I felt—it was healing and also involved reliving the experiences. It reminded me that I am a strong parent and how resilient I am. I had days when I would cry writing my story and days where I would feel proud of myself for overcoming some obstacles in my life. When my story was published, I felt joy that so many other parents could read it and feel strength and hope. I wanted to show them the many ways I tried to restore my relationship with my son and how I am very resourceful.”
– Zoraida Ramirez, Peer Trainer and 2021 Rise & Shine Graduate
>> Download the Communications and Publications 2022 Program Report.
>> Read Reflections On My Work as Part of the Rise Communications Team, by Keyna Franklin, Rise Writing and Public Speaking Coordinator.
