May 29, 2020
The beginning of 2020 is off to a strong start for UniverCity Alliance (UCA), a University of Wisconsin-Madison program that partners with local communities to foster growth, resilience, and sustainability. Within the first few months of the year, the program has made significant strides forward in supporting its existing community partners while also actively building new ones. From hosting a follow-up evaluation session with the City of Monona to understand its program impacts three years out to scoping events with seven new local government partners, the UCA team has been interacting with communities across the state.
This work has continued even as COVID-19 has created challenges for many communities.
As the pandemic hit Wisconsin communities, UCA reached out to its partners at the Wisconsin League of Municipalities and asked the simple question, “What can we do to help in this time of crisis?” Their answer was simple, “Mayors/local leaders and their staff need to communicate accurate information to their citizens.”
To meet this need, UCA mobilized partners, including the Global Health Institute, the Morgridge Center for Public Service, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), the Wisconsin Agri-Business Association (WABA), and Public Health Madison & Dane County. With representation from campus, community, local, and state government, they presented local leaders with a proven framework for addressing the urgent challenges facing the state.
The UniverCity Alliance, the Wisconsin League of Municipalities, the Morgridge Center for Public Service, and the Global Health Institute also joined together to create The University of Wisconsin Communication Task Force for COVID-19, a communications campaign for effective and accurate public health messaging.
Also known as the “Do Your Part” Task Force, the campaign was initiated by a group of interdisciplinary researchers, outreach specialists, and practitioners who united with a common goal of encouraging Wisconsin residents to adhere to physical or social distancing. More than 75 individuals have contributed to the task force, addressing the challenges of COVID-19 through four main avenues: research, targeted messaging, content distribution, and communication with local government leaders.
First, the task force began a social research campaign by initiating a survey to gather data on public perceptions and practices of social distancing. Conducted from March 26 to April 1, more than 26,500 Wisconsin residents completed the survey, yielding results that could prove valuable to communicators in Wisconsin and around the country.
The report presents a detailed analysis of the survey results, which includes insight into social distancing trends and “important implications” for communicators who wish to promote social distancing in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. The survey is also the foundation of a scholarly article under review, which could broaden the work’s impact.
Currently, survey results are being used to inform targeted COVID-19 messaging, such as The 10 Ways to Do Your Part, a list of behavioral recommendations that aim to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Taking a multidimensional approach, the list communicates DHS public health recommendations along with recommendations for how to promote overall well-being and social solidarity beyond the immediate outbreak.
Furthermore, the task force is working to adapt messages for a variety of communities, sub-populations, and local officials by sharing content across multiple channels and platforms.
Targeting younger demographics, the task force produced a series of videos that showcase the risks and importance of social distancing. Furthermore, the task force created children’s artwork with educational coloring books and pages, informative and time sensitive content for essential workers, and several social media channels, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
In addition to these messaging efforts, the task force has also sustained active communication with local government officials and leaders.
In April, UCA hosted a listening session with Wisconsin city and village leaders on Zoom to discuss ideas for how to lead an effective local response to COVID-19. The session, which included insight from 12 localities across the state, is highlighted in an article in the League of Wisconsin Municipalities newsletter.
While it has been less than three months since the task force initiated, its work is already gaining local and national attention. Recently, The Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC-N), a nation-wide nonprofit association that connects university resources to needs of local governments, reported on the task force’s work. Likewise, several media outlets also reported the work, including the Wisconsin State Journal.
This all serves as a testament to the power of The Wisconsin Idea, which signifies a longstanding tradition of the university’s commitment to public service.
Motivated by the desire to protect and support local communities during this time of crisis, the task force is funded modestly with small grants from UW-Madison partner units and from individual faculty who, in addition to giving their time, have provided financial support from discretionary research funds.
Recognizing the spirt of public service among all efforts involved, Gavin Luter, managing director of UniverCity Alliance, noted “this work is just the beginning.” While the coming months contain many unknowns, Luter said that UCA will continue to support Wisconsin communities throughout this pandemic, and that he, along with the UCA team, is ready to “go the distance toward a resilient and thriving Wisconsin.”