Recovery Advocacy Project

Leadership development: in 2023, the Recovery Advocacy Project built leadership through its work in state organizing teams and the new Recovery organizer coaching (roc) program. In 2023, the Recovery Advocacy Project had 13 states with core organizing leadership teams that were responsible for advancing grassroots community and legislative priorities in each state. Organizing leadership teams met 212 times with an average team attendance of 7 per meeting. This work resulted in 917 new action takers on digital campaigns in these states. Recovery Advocacy Project also built leadership when it launched its Recovery organizer coaching program to focus on the value of one on one coaching. Rap trained 14 coaches on active listening and motivational interviewing to assist anyone requesting organizing coaching sessions. Common requests were made to remove barriers to a person's organizing efforts, navigate an organizer towards a toolkit or existing rap web tools, deal with fatigue or Advocacy burnout, or even to introduce new advocates to our Recovery organizing classroom. There were 14 completed coaching sessions in 2023. The Recovery Advocacy Project also built leadership skills in a new program called run for Recovery to recruit, train, and mentor individuals in Recovery and their family members to run for and win state and local elected offices. Receiving over 150 applications for the inaugural class, rap accepted 27 bi-paritsan candidates, including 8 republicans, 8 democrats, 1 green party, and 10 independents from 18 different states.

Community outreach and engagement: in 2023, the Recovery Advocacy Project had 2963 unique digital action takers (letters to elected officials, petitions, event sign ups). These digital actions resulted in 30 bills becoming law in the 13 priority states, and defeating 15 bills that would have been harmful to the Recovery community. States are still actively tracking 50 bills in states that have organizing leadership teams beyond 2023. In 2023, the Recovery Advocacy Project hosted 76 events/workshops and engaged 2903 individuals at those events.

Communications: in 2023, the Recovery Advocacy Project continued its robust digital communications platform. Through the platform - utilizing web tools and social media, the organization reached 225,000 individuals nationwide with its messaging centered on addiction and mental health Recovery policies.