BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN POLICY, SYSTEMS, AND PEOPLE.
UWAZI Consulting helps organizations bridge the gap between policy, systems, and people.
WHO ARE WE
UWAZI Consulting is a civic strategy and intelligence partner that helps organizations bridge the gap between policy, systems, and people. Their work prioritizes clarity, trust, and impact.
SERVICES
Policy and Legislative Strategy
Providing strategic counsel on policy and legislative initiatives
Equity-Centered Policy Communications
Crafting communications that amplify equity and access
Community Outreach and Engagement Design
Developing targeted outreach and engagement strategies
Gen-Z Engagement and Outreach Strategy
Designing strategies to authentically reach younger audiences
Cross-Sector Partnership Development
Fostering collaborative relationships for greater impact
Community Research and Data Actualization
Translating data into actionable, community-informed insights
OUR CORE PHILOSOPHY
Making Complex Systems Understandable
Translating policy, legislation, and institutional processes into clear, accessible language
Centering Lived Experience Alongside Data
Incorporating community voice, cultural context, and real-world impact into decision-making
Building Trust Before Asking for Action
Prioritizing transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in interactions
Designing Engagement That Feels Human, Not Institutional
Creating participation pathways that respect attention, time, and culture
UWAZI's core philosophy centers on making complex systems understandable, elevating lived experience alongside data, designing human-centered engagement, and building trust, all to bridge the gap between people and the systems that serve them.
EQUITY-CENTERED, SYSTEMS-LED
Understanding Historical and Structural Barriers
Acknowledging the historical context and systemic factors that create barriers to equitable civic engagement.
Acknowledging Trauma and Mistrust in Civic Systems
Recognizing the impact of past harms and lack of trust in institutions, and designing strategies to address these challenges.
Designing Strategies That Reduce Harm, Not Just Increase Participation
Prioritizing harm reduction and mitigation over focusing solely on increasing participation numbers.
Aligning Policy, Communications, and Community Voice
Ensuring that policy decisions, public messaging, and community input are all aligned to support equitable outcomes.
Equity is the foundation of UWAZI's approach to every engagement.
HOW WE THINK ABOUT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Respects Attention, Time, and Culture
UWAZI's engagement approaches respect people's limited attention, time, and cultural contexts, designing experiences that feel human, not institutional.
Builds Confidence, Not Confusion
UWAZI's goal is to build confidence and trust in civic systems, not just increase participation through confusing or overwhelming information.
Challenges Traditional Assumptions
UWAZI challenges the traditional assumptions about civic engagement, which often assume people will show up if informed and that information alone drives action.
Meets People Where They Are
UWAZI designs engagement that meets people where they already are, rather than expecting them to come to traditional civic engagement platforms.
Uses Clear, Accessible Language
UWAZI's engagement strategies use clear, easy-to-understand language, avoiding jargon and technical terms that can create confusion.
GEN-Z FOCUS
Why Gen-Z Matters
Gen-Z is not disengaged
Gen-Z responds to transparency
Gen-Z responds to values
Gen-Z responds to participation over just observation
Gen-Z responds to native platforms and formats that feel natural and accessible
They are disengaged from systems that feel outdated, opaque, or performative
Over polish and perfection. Over talking points and jargon
Our Gen-Z Engagement Approach
Design Actionable Participation Pathways
Leverage Digital-First, Community-Driven Channels
Translate Policy Into Plain Language
Connect Issues to Lived Impact
Use Storytelling Over Jargon
LEGISLATIVE FOCUS
Legislative Support: Data-Led, Human-Influenced
Data-led
Grounded in research, policy analysis, and measurable outcomes
Human-influenced
Informed by community voice, cultural context, and real-world impact
Translating legislation into clear, accessible language
Identifying equity implications and unintended consequences
Aligning policy narratives with community needs and values
BRIDGING INSTITUTIONS & COMMUNITIES
Institutions and Younger Audiences
UWAZI helps institutions connect with younger audiences, translating complex information into relatable and accessible formats that resonate with Gen-Z.
Community Members and Policymakers
UWAZI acts as a bridge between community members and policymakers, helping to amplify the voices and needs of the community.
Research and Real-World Impact
UWAZI bridges the gap between research and the actual impact on people's lives, ensuring that policies and systems are informed by both data and lived experience.
By acting as a bridge between these different stakeholders, UWAZI helps institutions communicate with credibility, listen with intention, and act with accountability.
WHAT MAKES UWAZI DIFFERENT
Systems Thinking + Cultural Fluency
Policy Literacy + Modern Storytelling
Strategy Designed for Today and Tomorrow
Equity Without Abstraction
UWAZI combines a unique blend of capabilities to deliver strategies that are truly transformative, bridging the gap between policy, systems, and people.
WHERE UWAZI IS BEST USED
Modernize Civic or Policy Engagement
Need to Reach Younger Audiences Authentically
Serious About Equity and Access
Value Clarity, Trust, and Long-Term Impact
UWAZI helps organizations that want to drive meaningful, sustainable change by combining systems strategy, equity-centered thinking, and Gen-Z–informed engagement.
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER
Uwazi consulting exists because I have spent years working at the intersection of community, policy, and systems. I've seen firsthand how often people are left out of decisions that directly affect their lives. My passion for this work comes from listening to communities navigate complex policies, inaccessible institutions, and systems that were not designed with them in mind. I believe civic engagement and policy work should be clear, humane, and grounded in real lived experience, not jargon or gatekeeping. UWAZI Consulting was built to help organizations do this work with integrity: translating complexity into clarity, centering equity and trust, and building strategies that people can actually see themselves in.
Mychal Shaw
Founder & CEO
UWAZI empowers organizations to bridge the gap between policy, systems, and people, fostering clarity, trust, and long-term impact. By seamlessly blending systems strategy, equity-centered thinking, and Gen-Z engagement, UWAZI's holistic approach enables work that is truly relevant, responsible, and built to last.