Twenty years ago, I began my career in public policy which brought me to law school and eventually to public health. I’ve completed thousands of hours of volunteer work, have worked on contracts and subcontracts for historic LGBTQ health campaigns, and have interacted with countless individuals who share my values.
Today, the fields of public health and LGBTQ rights – two areas to which I’ve dedicated much of my career – are under threat. Organizations working in these fields need more support than ever, and yet funding is disappearing. In this challenging and uncertain environment, I decided that I needed to be more strategic and think bigger picture about the work that I’m doing.
So I teamed up with my friend Mitchell to create this website, register my business, and more formally organize and promote the volunteer and contract services that I have been providing over the past twenty years.
What’s with the name?
The name “Engaged Action” was inspired by Thích Nhất Hạnh’s term “Engaged Buddhism,” which applies traditional teachings on relieving suffering and developing compassion to our global interconnectedness. It reflects my core value of recognizing the inherent humanity and dignity in all people to reduce our collective suffering and advance the common good.
It also represents a cornerstone of my career: community engagement. Whether I was launching a new legal services program, developing policy proposals for governments and international agencies, or conducting interdisciplinary research projects, putting community first and centering my work around their experiences has always been key. Policies and programs will only succeed if they reflect the values and needs of the communities they are designed to serve, and this in turn requires authentic engagement.
What’s your goal?
In short: our vision is to advance societal well-being by seeing that policies are supported by research and are reflective of the needs of impacted communities.
How are we going to do this? By working with nonprofit and government actors who share this goal and who have similar values. I’m eager to support others who are engaging in lifesaving and transformational work. If you are a small, grassroots nonprofit and think that my background in law, policy, and public health could be of use, please reach out to me. I’m open to short- and long-term volunteer opportunities for organizations that can’t afford a high-cost consultant. For larger organizations, fees are decided on a sliding scale basis depending on your funding and the scope of the project. And my business partner, Mitchell, is a world-class designer who is available for outreach, web, and product design on the projects we take on.
How can we keep in touch?
We’d love to keep you posted on our work, our occasional thoughts on social justice in a changing world, and life in general. To do so, you can:
- Contact us by email;
- Sign up for our occasional newsletter;
- Check out our blog; and
- Follow Engaged Action’s profile and connect with my personal profile on LinkedIn.
Thanks for reading and for the work that you do.
Best,
Corey Prachniak
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