Public Health Archives - Metgroup We craft strategic and creative services to amplify the power of voice. Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:18:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.metgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/metropolitan-group-squarelogo-1461849093816-150x150.png Public Health Archives - Metgroup 32 32 Addressing Global Challenges in 2025 https://www.metgroup.com/4011-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4011-2 Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:06:46 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=4011 As we enter 2025, we see so many places where challenges and potential solutions don’t have borders (geographical or by…

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As we enter 2025, we see so many places where challenges and potential solutions don’t have borders (geographical or by issue area). From biodiversity loss and climate change to infectious disease and information integrity, what happens in one part of the world affects others. Just as advances or challenges to one issue impact others. Democratic principles, such as freedom of expression, open and honest government, and protecting human rights, advance issues from clean water and Indigenous land rights to women’s health and safe work environments. Environmental health from forest health to air quality—alter everything, from food security and natural disaster prevention to chronic disease and economic equity. Similarly, public health—from health care access to the removal of toxins from communities—influences everything, from economic vitality to life expectancy. And just as innovations and solutions cross geographic borders, so do challenges.

At Metropolitan Group and our sister company Impacto Social Metropolitan Group (MG/ISMG), we are privileged to support and collaborate with leaders in the public, nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sectors who are working to address these global challenges. We are working with leaders and communities in over 20 countries, strengthening civic space and the people’s voice on issues that impact them, advancing responsive government, bolstering public health and well-being, accelerating biodiversity conservation, addressing climate impacts, countering misinformation, fighting corruption, standing for human rights, and fostering inclusive economies. We see the potential power and opportunity to increase social change by supporting connections at the intersections of issues and facilitating learning from different countries and cultures.

We are excited to share tools, models, learnings and stories from this work and to invite conversation and collaboration. We invite you to visit and access the resources on our Addressing Global Challenges page.

We look forward to learning, collaborating and working with you in 2025 and beyond to address global challenges.

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Addressing structural racism to remove barriers to health and well-being https://www.metgroup.com/removing-the-structural-barriers-to-health-and-wellbeing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=removing-the-structural-barriers-to-health-and-wellbeing Mon, 06 May 2024 16:59:02 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3927 “To reach a Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and wellbeing,…

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“To reach a Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and wellbeing, we must identify, understand, confront, and remove the structural barriers to health and wellbeing, including racism, powerlessness, discrimination, and their consequences.” This statement anchors a resource page on Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) website that offers durable and persuasive messages, metaphors, and visual cues to communicate about the connection between racism and health, the persistent structural barriers to a Culture of Health, and the opportunity to build new bridges in place of barriers. MG has been a collaborator in the research and message development that informs this work, and in 2023, our team created an animated video that links message and visual metaphor, and co-presented trainings for RWJF grantees. The video and tools are free and available for broad use. This work was done in partnership with Lake Research Partners.

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Our 35th Annual Letter to Stakeholders https://www.metgroup.com/our-35th-annual-letter-to-stakeholders/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-35th-annual-letter-to-stakeholders Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:27:22 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3915 As Metropolitan Group (MG/ISMG) begins our 36th year, we are more committed than ever to supporting and working in partnership…

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As Metropolitan Group (MG/ISMG) begins our 36th year, we are more committed than ever to supporting and working in partnership with change agents to respond to truly global challenges, and to directly impact and drive needed changes on issues that require collective action and significant shifts in norms and public will.

Across sectors and across geographies the need to create proactive narratives, social expectations, and systemic changes that center fairness, freedom, equity, justice, and peace is profound. We all need solutions we can work toward while we also work to effectively counter rising authoritarianism, hyperpolarization, the use of fear and othering, and attacks on information integrity. We see this combined work of building up just solutions while robustly pushing back on injustice in the work of our clients and the communities they serve every day.

We see the power of voice and its ability to activate change in the work of advocates, civil society organizations, dedicated public servants, artists, and advocates.

This 35th annual letter to stakeholders shares updates on our team and stories of our clients’ work and impact. As we begin our 36th year of social impact work, we are focused and committed to the shared mission of advancing public health, environmental sustainability, and social justice. We are excited to collaborate with you on this journey.

 

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Finding Common Ground with Decision-makers in Health Policy Negotiations https://www.metgroup.com/nonpolarizing-communication-guide-and-training/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nonpolarizing-communication-guide-and-training Thu, 25 Jan 2024 18:51:06 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3906 Advocates can face both strategic and personal challenges when engaging with decision-makers and elected officials with differing views on public…

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Advocates can face both strategic and personal challenges when engaging with decision-makers and elected officials with differing views on public health policies. Constructive dialogue in these instances requires them to find and build on shared values and common ground with policymakers, and to care for their own needs, feelings, and sense of safety. To support both policy progress and advocates’ well-being, we created a research-driven guide and training that helps them assess decision-makers’ mindsets and priorities and explore, in less polarizing ways, policies that support children and families.

MG used the science of archetypes, which are typical examples of a person or group, to more fully understand the idea of “conservative decision-makers.” Initial archetypes drew on research from Pew and others and were informed by our conversations with message researchers, a political scientist, and influencers with conservative and progressive viewpoints.

The result is Finding Commonalities and Solutions With Decision-Makers, an online resource that includes not only the topic-focused messaging and information on archetypes and nonpolarizing-communication practices mentioned above, but also access to recorded training modules, live webinars, and technical assistance, so advocates feel more equipped to constructively engage with conservative elected officials during policy conversations, either on topics we created messaging for or others.

Learn more here.

 

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Our new Vice President of Digital, Rebecca Gerber https://www.metgroup.com/announcing-our-new-vice-president-of-digital-rebecca-gerber/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=announcing-our-new-vice-president-of-digital-rebecca-gerber Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:40:04 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3883 Metropolitan Group is overjoyed to introduce our new Vice President of Digital, Rebecca Gerber! Rebecca is a dedicated digital leader…

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Metropolitan Group is overjoyed to introduce our new Vice President of Digital, Rebecca Gerber! Rebecca is a dedicated digital leader with over 15 years’ expertise in digital advocacy, creative storytelling, and multichannel engagement strategies that inspire and mobilize people to take action. Please join us in welcoming Rebecca to the MG/ISMG team, we look forward to working with her and doing incredible social impact work together.

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Introducing our newest Vice President, Melissa Navas https://www.metgroup.com/introducing-our-newest-vice-president-melissa-navas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=introducing-our-newest-vice-president-melissa-navas Fri, 06 Oct 2023 22:10:20 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3841 We’re overjoyed to announce our newest vice president Melissa Navas. Melissa roots herself in community and melds her experiences in…

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We’re overjoyed to announce our newest vice president Melissa Navas. Melissa roots herself in community and melds her experiences in public service, policy, and communications to advance racial equity and justice for meaningful and lasting change. Melissa focuses on public health and works at the intersection of policy, communications, and politics. She has served in leadership roles for Multnomah County, Oregon’s most populous county, and as press secretary to two Oregon governors. Melissa’s communications background spans political campaigns and journalism. As a reporter, she wrote about education, public health, and diverse communities. She also supported students as director of career development at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, a nonpartisan organization inspiring young people to pursue public service.

 

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Consent-Based Siting and the Biden Approach to Environmental Justice https://www.metgroup.com/consent-based-siting-and-the-biden-approach-to-ej/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=consent-based-siting-and-the-biden-approach-to-ej Thu, 11 May 2023 17:04:05 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3767 Check out Kayla Beard‘s first MG byline published on Medium here. In this piece she explores topics such as environmental…

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Check out Kayla Beard‘s first MG byline published on Medium here. In this piece she explores topics such as environmental justice, consent-based siting and the Biden Administration.

“Environmental justice has become a buzzword and a shimmering pearl at the heart of the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to mitigating climate change. My introduction to environmental justice (EJ) began when I started working at Metropolitan Group. Though my passion for the environment was ignited more than a decade ago, I wasn’t aware that there was a term to describe the necessary work of demanding equity for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by environmental toxicity and the consequences of industrial growth and governmental negligence. I’ve since learned that for more than 40 years, a dedicated group of advocates has been building a movement that has finally gained federal support from the current administration.”

 

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Our 34th annual letter to stakeholders https://www.metgroup.com/our-34th-annual-letter-to-stakeholders/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-34th-annual-letter-to-stakeholders Tue, 14 Feb 2023 22:14:37 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3742 Dear Friends and Stakeholders,  As we begin our 35th year, we are inspired by the innovative, passionate and impactful work…

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Dear Friends and Stakeholders, 

As we begin our 35th year, we are inspired by the innovative, passionate and impactful work of change agents working to make structural improvements to advance a more just and sustainable world. We have seen the resilience and the impact of people standing for democratic values, doing the hard work of power building and movement building, and championing freedom and human rights for people in Mexico, the United States and around the world. We have supported community leaders, coalitions and organizations invested in authentic engagement, to shift the dynamics of who is seen and centered, whose voices are amplified, and who has agency to drive change. 

MG/ISMG is privileged to work with change agents and the communities they serve. This year, we partnered with our clients to: advance just solutions to climate change, strengthen democracy, counter structural racism, address gender-based violence, advocate for families of the disappeared, center environmental justice, accelerate biodiversity conservation, increase health equity and build currency for equitable well-being, support organizational transformation based on equity and inclusion, and so much more. 

2022 was also a time for continued work on strengthening our own organizational culture and capacity. Our capacity and resources have increased to meet the needs of our clients, and in 2022 we added 15 incredible new MG/ISMGers to our team—many of whom we met in person for the first time at our staff retreat at The Public Will Building.

This 34th annual letter to stakeholders shares updates on our team, thought leadership and stories of our clients’ work and impact. As we embark on our 35th year, we are deeply committed to advancing the shared imperatives of public health, environmental sustainability and social justice—we are excited to collaborate with you in this work. On behalf of the entire MG/ISMG team, we look forward to partnering with you to advance collective impact, creativity and the power of voice.

 

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MG/ISMG 2022 Retreat at the public will building in portland, oregon https://www.metgroup.com/mg-ismg-2022-retreat-at-the-public-will-building-in-portland-oregon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mg-ismg-2022-retreat-at-the-public-will-building-in-portland-oregon Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:10:39 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3698 This year our MG/ISMG 2022 retreat met in person at The Public Will Building in downtown PDX, for the first…

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This year our MG/ISMG 2022 retreat met in person at The Public Will Building in downtown PDX, for the first time in many years. It was a deep, fun, emotional event for our +75 person agency to be reunited.

To see more photos visit our Facebook page.

 

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Autoridad de Salud de Oregon, Vive Sin Fumar https://www.metgroup.com/autoridad-de-salud-de-oregon-vive-sin-fumar/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=autoridad-de-salud-de-oregon-vive-sin-fumar Thu, 07 Jul 2022 18:37:27 +0000 https://www.metgroup.com/?p=3582 Autoridad de Salud de Oregon, Vive Sin Fumar es la primera campaña creada totalmente en español por OHA (por sus…

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Autoridad de Salud de Oregon, Vive Sin Fumar es la primera campaña creada totalmente en español por OHA (por sus siglas en inglés), la Autoridad de Salud de Oregon. Su objetivo es apoyar a las personas en la comunidad Latina que quieren dejar el tabaco. La campaña reconoce que la pandemia por Covid-19 ha tenido un efecto desproporcionado en la salud de esta población y apela a la resiliencia, el espíritu de colectividad y las muchas contribuciones que esta comunidad tiene en nuestra sociedad, para llevar a la acción. Vive Sin Fumar proyecta experiencias auténticas de personas Latinas que ya han dejado de consumir tabaco o que están en el proceso, y brinda herramientas personalizadas para crear planes propios e inspirar a la acción individual y en equipo. Además, desarrollamos el blog “Escribo para no fumar” en el que una joven cuenta su camino para dejar el tabaco. ¡Visítanos y comparte entre tus seres queridos para ayudarles en su proceso!

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