Protecting and advocating for each other is at the heart of what United Vision for Idaho does. We know that so many folks who make up our membership are also some of the most vulnerable in the face of this pandemic. It is an important reminder of why we do this work. We are grateful to be in community with you; ALL of you as we all navigate this difficult time.

No matter what we look like, where we live, or what's in our wallets, getting sick reminds us that at our core we’re all just human. This is a moment that we must stand with and for each other across our differences and against anything and anyone who seeks to divide us. We pull through by pulling together as we have done in the past. Now more than ever, this virus has shown us that we are dependent on each other and in a shared struggle. Only by united across our differences and standing together can we ensure our own wellbeing through this outbreak and rewrite the rules to ensure better health and policy choices that make a real difference in our lives for generations to come.

We want you to know what we are doing for you: We are making a significant investment in virtual outreach by designing and implementing a robust set of digital tools that will significantly enhance outreach to people within our communities in Idaho. We must act quickly, in coordination with the most incredible national movement builder partners and leaders across this country and at scale and in a new and revolutionary way and we are. In this time and always, we are committed to showing up for you, your family, our communities and building a national movement that centers Idahoans in a shared struggle across the nation; we will need it more than ever before.

Now more than ever, we are asking for your support: Please to sign up for a team and invite your friends, family, and community to do the same. [Much of this is new to all of us. We understand that this will be an adjustment to virtual spaces, rest assured that training and resources will be provided to assure our mutual success]

JOIN A COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAM: help us respond directly to the needs of your local community. This team will help reach out to people who need support and a way to connect amid isolation, through safe forms of mutual aid to support those most impacted by the pandemic and economic fallout.

Emergent Response is a way to link people in need directly to the resources and information they need.

Digital Deep Canvass is a revolutionary new way of connecting people and communities. In one-on-one conversations will check in with people to see how they are doing? Together, we will reach hundreds of thousands of people through phone and texting programs to engage in real conversations and build the kind of relationships we were building at the doors and in community gatherings.

Relational/Transformative Organizing We meet people where they are. Right now, many are struggling and feeling deep anxiety. We will provide people an opportunity to talk with us and share their experiences in a way that ensures participants feel safe, seen and heard. Each outreach leader will have direct links to share resources, information, and support to meet their emergent needs.

JOIN A COMMUNICATIONS TEAM: help people stay up-to-date and share the most accurate information in this rapidly changing environment and monitor information coming from government officials.

Collective Action. Nothing can show us how powerful people united are when we take collective action as has been demonstrated.

We will provide virtual training and workshops, as well as opportunities to hear from others across the country, and a series of action tools that allow us to take action in our state and with people across the country in the national and collective fight for our lives.

Lifting Up Our Voices and Sending Messages of Solidarity. We are asking everyone to share personal stories. As media outlets skeleton their crews and work from home, it is critical that real stories from real people are being elevated. From our deep canvassing, we heard from thousands of people who shared their feelings of isolation not knowing that others felt the same way or were having the same experience and craving connection during seemingly normal times. As people are isolated, this is more important than ever before. This is an act of activism and empathy. Please them email them to uvidaho@gmail.com

JOIN A POLICY ADVOCACY TEAM: this is the time for our elected officials to step up and put people over politics and corporate profits. Help advance much-needed policy change to support our most marginalized residents in this time of crisis.

The crisis is far more reaching. During these times of crisis, new narratives, new policies and new social behaviors are being established. How we act and what we say at this moment can help define perceptions, assumptions and policy preferences in our communities, states and country has profound implications. In addition to acting with compassion and urgency around immediate needs, we must address the insidious rhetoric and policy implications that will undermine our long-term shared goals.

Acknowledging Pain and Using it to Move Forward Together. We know that the curtain has been pulled back on a great many systemic problems that are impacting people differently and exacerbating the pain of those already vulnerable. These conversations are at the heart of our work to change the social and political analysis and move us forward as a nation together where no one gets left out or left behind. We will be providing language and prompts designed to have those conversations and make meaning out of our current realities. With all that is at stake, this is an opportunity to engage in our shared values and issues. By understanding what matters to people along with a 24 point platform of issues, we can connect people to one another and in a community that UVI will provide in virtual community gatherings. We know that working in isolation has never worked, and now that we are facing a long period of self-isolation, we have to be able to reach and unite people on their shared issues and unite communities albeit virtually for now.