Half a year of transportation & community activism in review
Happy 6 month anniversary!
Six months ago, I launched my business of training activists and providing services for advocacy groups. Starting a business is always a gamble and political campaigning is also unpredictable. Combining the two? Well, I think what I’m doing is placing a bet. I’m betting that the world is filled with people who care and want to make their communities better. I’m betting that the reason that things often look so bleak is because the people who do care are outmatched and overwhelmed by the entrenched and destructive status quo.
And I’m betting that is something we can change. I’m betting that if I can make it easier for a person to get engaged and push for a change they want to see in the world, they’ll do it. I’m betting that if I can help aid, equip, train, and empower people who care so they can fight better, we will all win more.
My hope is that by doing this, I can help scale up the effort to slow climate change and improve communities across the country. It’s only been six months, but already it has been an intense, moving, and impactful time.
Although advocacy wins are generally slow in the making, there have already been policy & funding victories from this work. But the victory that I personally find the most inspiring is seeing a lot of new activists stepping up and taking on bigger efforts than they had before. Doomers and pessimists often say “nobody cares about _____” but those haters are 100% wrong. The world is filled with people who deeply care. I’m so fortunate to get to meet and aid lots of people who deeply care and are doing the hard work of translating their care into political action. It’s been an inspiring six months working with so many people from across the United States and Canada who are advocating to make their communities better. Whether these advocates are working on public transit, bike infrastructure, street safety, getting brownfields cleaned up, or a range of other issues, it has been an honor working with them to help them improve their efforts.
It has also been great seeing so many people step up and financially support this work, whether by becoming paid subscribers to this substack, or by directly donating to cover the costs of training sessions. Thank you to those of you who have already stepped up to help support this work and if you haven’t done so yet, I hope you consider supporting in a way that works for you. Whether that’s by making a financial contribution or by pointing folks my way, every bit helps.
Another big change in these past six months is that I’ve been able to volunteer more and get more engaged in my community in many different ways that I didn’t have the energy or time for before. It’s an honor to be an Oaklander and to be able to give back to this community that has given me so much.
So, here’s my review of my first six months, check it out and let me know what you think!
Amount of new state-wide transit funding I helped secure in California by collaborating to build and mobilize a coalition of transit supporters: $1B
Additional funding secured for infrastructure to prevent traffic violence in Oakland: ~$3M
Activists trained in one-on-one or group settings: 140
Total states and provinces where trainees reside: 36
Total training sessions provided to trainees for free because a funder covered them: 7
Coalition partners engaged across campaigns: ~70 (check out one of the coalitions here!)
Podcast/Radio/YouTube Interviews: 3
Media mentions about my work or volunteering: 7 (Oaklandside, ABC 7, & CBS News Bay Area)
Free group training sessions hosted: 11
Special events organized: 5. Art show, training for candidates on how to use transportation issues to win, petition delivery, victory(ish) party, and COVID safe(r) crew at the Roots game
Special events in the works: California High-Speed Rail panel, Transit Stops Drunk Driving Happy Hour, Transit Month Hike, about 8 other Bay Area Transit Month events for September, and a COVID safe(r) croquet tournament this weekend.
Semi-stealth projects in the works: 2
Posts written: This is the 43rd!
Posts cross-posted with Streetsblog: 4
Total Viewers: ~10,400
Total subscribers: 203
Unique Website views: 1.4k
New references from clients & allies that made me blush: 3
“Carter was an extraordinary and essential force leading a broad coalition for Bay Area transit priority legislation. He has valuable skills and lessons to offer on how to be a proactive, strategic, and energizing team player. ”- Jonathon Kass, Transportation Policy Manager, SPUR
“Carter led a fantastic training for BikePGH and our people are SO pumped as a result. Immediately afterwards, volunteers were sharing their excitement and gratitude on our Slack as they start preparing their own advocacy campaigns across the city. Such a joy to partner with Carter on this!”- Seth Bush, Advocacy Director, Bike Pittsburgh
“Working with Carter was exactly what our group needed, and far more productive than I’d dared hoped for. In one hour, he helped us to not only identify multiple strategic opportunities we hadn’t explored, but also recognize our many strengths and renew our excitement about our mission. It was so refreshing to hear his enthusiastic, earnest, and insightful perspective! I highly recommend a consultation with Carter to other organizers.”- Emily Peterson, Community Democracy Project
Dutch provinces biked around: 7
All in all, a busy half year! Help ramp the work up: donate, subscribe, spread the word, or use my services to help you win the changes you want for your community!
Interested in improving your skills and strategies for winning bike, transit, or pedestrian safety improvements in your community? Let’s talk. Email me at Carter@carterlavin.com
Please tune in to join me and experts working on the California High-Speed Rail as we discuss: What would it take to complete the California High-Speed Rail in 5 years? Click here to register.
Other free upcoming online events!
8/22 @ 5:30pm PT — Free Transportation Advocacy Training: “How to Build a Coalition and Win Bigger.” Learn more and register here.
8/23 @ 5:30pm PT — Join your fellow transportation advocates at the August Open Discussion Zoom Happy Hour! This month’s topic: "Getting Decision-Makers literally on the bus, train, and bike. What works, what doesn't and why do it." Come share your thoughts and learn from allies. Register here.
8/30 @ 5:30pm PT — Free Bike Activism Training: “How to Overcome the Opposition and Win a Bike Lane.” Learn more and register here.
Update: I’m now on BlueSky, come say hi! (Will likely get on Mastodon next week)
Interested in sponsoring the training of an activist working on an issue you’re passionate about? Let’s chat. Carter@carterlavin.com
Hell yeah!! Thanks for all you do.