Unit 4: Partners

Members of Farmer Field School (FFS) sing a song they composed on the importance of seed during the groups meeting in Jorayal Rural Municipality, Nepal.

Show description|Hide description

A group of people sit in a circle outside. They wear bright pink and sit on a blue mat. A woman conducts them, standing in the middle.

Members of Farmer Field School (FFS) sing a song they composed on the importance of seed during the groups meeting in Jorayal Rural ...

There is power in people. As we learned in the previous unit, ‘power with’ and ‘power within’ are two expressions of power that can be harnessed to great effect to make change happen. In this unit we will explore in more depth how working with others is a fundamental approach to achieving change.

We have already identified some characteristics of effective changemakers, such as having a good awareness of one’s own identity and potential biases, and being willing to adapt and change according to the power dynamics and shifts in the economic, political, and social system. Effective changemakers need to sharpen their ability to ‘dance with the system’, adjusting to the changing landscape of possibilities and threats, endlessly curious about their environment, understanding how others are engaging and reacting to the context, rather than becoming too fixated on their own plans.

In this unit we will delve a little deeper into the qualities you might already have, or wish to cultivate, as you lead change and join others in making change happen.

Maximise

Show description|Hide description

The graphic depicts eight equal-sized circles. At the centre is circle one and the seven other circles orbit around this central circle. Arrows point between the central circle and the outer circles. In the central circle it says Unit 1 understanding ourselves and our own assumptions. The outer circles have the following text. Unit 2 understanding context and how change happens. Unit 3 systems and power. Unit 4 collective action, changemaker characteristics. Unit 5 influencing, power mapping, partners and allies. Unit 6 influencing strategies, messaging and stories. Unit 7 campaigning tactics, action plan, risks. Unit 8 reflection, adaption, overcoming challenges. The Unit 4 circle is coloured green and all the other circles are coloured blue. This emphasises that you are on Unit 4 of the course.

Mariatu Lovenatu Masaray, Aminata Mansaray, Ramatu Baby Kamara, and Magdalene Bangura on their 14 acres cassava farm. They are members of Feminet, the Female Pastors Network.

Show description|Hide description

The four women stand outside, smiling at the camera.

Mariatu Lovenatu Masaray, Aminata Mansaray, Ramatu Baby Kamara, and Magdalene Bangura on their 14 acres cassava farm. They are members of...

Working with others through partnerships, as part of coalitions and alliances, and in support of broader movements is vital in building collective power. Here are some of the benefits:

• Allows you to identify new ideas and approaches, valuing diversity in perspectives.
• You can reach and mobilise more people.
• You can build common agendas, enabling better coordination.
• Creates a louder and more credible voice.
• Strength in unity can reduce some risks.
• Share skills, acknowledging that different stakeholders have different strengths.
• Reduces competition for resources and helps avoid working in parallel or at counter purposes.

But there are many other reasons too.

Members of the Äôs group, a group of Syrian refugee women in Tripoli who are fighting against Gender Based Violence.

Show description|Hide description

Eight women with their backs to the camera, walking down a street in a built up area of Tripoli.

Members of the Äôs group, a group of Syrian refugee women in Tripoli who are fighting against Gender Based Violence.

Collective action – working with others – is a critical element of achieving change. It is a form of ‘power with’ and is more effective than each interested individual working alone.

Collective action can operate at a local community level. Or it can address systemic social and political issues on a grander scale, where social movements can play a significant role nationally or across borders.

Social movements are important actors for change around the world. You may already have been part of one or more movements as someone with a passion for making change happen.

Whether it's a struggle against violence and impunity, for a more democratic regime, or more specific demands such as land reform, the right to marriage, policies to combat climate change, or the passing of gun control laws, it is often the power of people organising, marching in the streets, and connecting via social media that proves a crucial factor in creating pressure for change.

Even when unsuccessful in achieving their overall objectives, there is great power in organising in this horizontal way, and building solidarity around common identities and grievances.

Movements of disability activists, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, women, transgender people, students, or garment workers uphold the principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’. Participation in such movements gives us hope that we are directly involved in the process of building a better world. For activists who are not at the grassroots, there is an increasing emphasis on supporting such movements, and being careful to avoid ‘getting in the way’ of local leadership and action. Depending on the issue, your natural allies are most likely to be other local people and civil society groups, those who are directly affected by a particular issue, and whose cause you can also get behind in a sensitive and truly supportive manner.

Your plan to make change happen might also need to include working with people who are undecided or who are not fully aware or understand the importance of the issue. And it will likely also include those who are blocking your change, either directly or indirectly. It should also challenge you to think carefully about your role, your own power, how you or your organisation is truly perceived, and what this means for how you work with others.

Collective action can mean working with people or groups who have a different point of view, different life experiences or different ideas about how change happens and what the priorities should be. So, as well as building relationships with like-minded individuals and organisations who champion your cause you may also need to reach out to others who you would not normally align with but who could bring benefits to your cause. These are people or organisations who may be respected and listened to by those who have decision-making power, such as business leaders, academics or local chambers of commerce.

Daw Ma Khine Oo epitomises effective women's leadership. Supported by Oxfam, Daw Ma Khine Oo is very active in the community, advocating for community needs and supporting others when their rights are infringed.

Show description|Hide description

A group of women stand in a circle together with a parkland background

Daw Ma Khine Oo epitomises effective women's leadership. Supported by Oxfam, Daw Ma Khine Oo is very active in the community, advocating ...

We all know of inspiring examples of national or global movements for change. Here are two case studies that illustrate the power of collective action in communities where, despite difficult local contexts, citizen activism has successfully achieved local changes in policy and practice, attitudes and behaviours.

One group increased their negotiating power by working together, the other increased their power of persuasion by campaigning together.

Basanti Sunar (left) and Maya Devi Sunar, members of a women's group in Nepal.

Show description|Hide description

Basanti and Maya sit together, both smiling. Behind them are several other smiling women.

Basanti Sunar (left) and Maya Devi Sunar, members of a women's group in Nepal.

As we have seen in these two case studies, one of the great advantages of working collectively with others is that you are more likely to make a change that is the right change for more people.

Take your lead from those for whom you want to bring about change. You should never simply assume that the change you are seeking matches the aspirations and needs of the community. By listening to and looking at the change issue together you are more likely to create solutions and a change that sticks. Act in solidarity with people rather than on their behalf.

As a changemaker you may be part of, or working directly with people or groups who are marginalised or excluded in society. If so, follow the rule: ‘nothing about us, without us’, i.e. propose or decide nothing without their active leadership in the decision-making process.

Bringing in diverse voices and perspectives provides a depth and breadth of experience on your change issue. It can also help to offset the unconscious biases and assumptions that we all naturally have and that we explored in Unit 1. Actively including those with different gender and sexual identities, racial or ethnic identities, religions, classes, migration statuses, ages, and with diverse physical and mental capabilities is important, remembering that within each of these groups there are people whose experiences intersect with those of other groups, so they may experience inequality in multiple ways.

If you are not directly affected by the change issue, you need to be clear about your role, and how you will work with and support people who are. This means helping to make space for the voices of others, and being very careful not to crowd them out.

Community organising

Community organising and activism enables a group of people to turn its resources into the power to make change happen. The first question a community organiser might ask is not ‘what is my issue’ but ‘who are my people’ – who is my constituency. It is about the people with a particular problem mobilising their own resources to solve it.

However, communities, of whatever form, will have their own power dynamics and inequalities. Many of the forms and expressions of power we reviewed in the last unit may exist within them. It is important as changemakers to recognise that no one person can claim to ‘represent’ all people within a community. Working with the community to address power differences and inequalities will need a careful approach.

The principles that many community organisers hold close to their hearts are:

• that power is shared
• that community effort is based on equal partnership and open dialogue – active listening and reflection are key
• that change is also based on individual and community transformation – ‘power within’ and ‘power with’ leading to ‘power to’.

As always when working with people, cooperative and collaborative behaviours and modes of working are the most effective approaches. Bringing people together around an issue takes time and decision-making is often complex and can be slow. Being able to work with others is dependent on your ability to build and maintain trust. It is the essential glue which will help you identify and fully realise the strengths of each person in your group or each party in an alliance and to reach agreement on the strategies and tactics to use. Consensus has to be constructed with care and different interests within the group need to be dealt with in an open and transparent way. Establishing clear roles, plans and ways of working together will help avoid confusion and hopefully engage and keep people motivated.

Basing the collaboration on a shared vision and commitment to deliver good change can go a long way. You may need to make compromises to your vision of change to accommodate others’ views but it will also mean that you will have a greater chance of moving forward.

Download this video clip.Video player: mch_unit4_4.6.mp4

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

NEHA SINGH:

I think anybody who’s trying to bring about a change in society, you cannot do it alone, and you cannot do it with just a handful of people that work with you. And the more number of people you engage with, the more whatever your vision of politics is going to get amplified. And not just get amplified in the way you had imagined it in the beginning, but adding layers to it, bringing in newer perspectives.

ELENA MEJIA:

It’s impossible to you to make change happen individually. First of all, perspective, having one self perspective isn’t enough. Then the other one is strength. There is almost like minimal strength in one person alone. Then the other is accompaniment. You can feel a lot of desperation when you see that change making is so hard. When we get even small victories, concrete victories as a group, then hope grows stronger. And I do believe hope is one of the main ingredients of change making. If you don’t trust, if you don’t hope that you can actually make things work different in the world, then there is no use.

HADEEL QAZZAZ:

Building alliances with not only with other individuals, but with networks, with groups, both in your community and in other communities, to have them as your powerful allies requires lots of investment, as well be in solidarity with others when they need you, and to be supportive and encouraging to others as well, and to work on common causes to find common grounds.

OUDAI TOZAM:

Making change is something about sustaining change and maintaining change is another thing. Every one of us will have a different expertise, different perspective, different maybe vision sometimes, not necessarily that’s the wrong thing. So these differences and each one of us will have different resources, and different also power, and different connections, and always the question is how we can mobilise this collective power, and this collective expertise, and knowledge, and resources together behind a common vision, a collective vision.

SABAH KHAN:

Within India, if one was to see, then there’s Dalit Women’s Movement. There’s the Muslim Women’s Movement. There’s the Sexuality Rights Movement. And it’s not as if one inhabits just one identity. And so these solidarities are critical to our own being and critical to that movement. Oppression is often structural. And if you notice that every marginalised group often has very similar issues. And so how do we come together on those similar issues and give strength to each other, but at other times also create that space for the other to speak and to just lend solidarity?

KELLY MUNDY:

When we get together with other people, other partners, organisations, you know you can really take ideas and evolve them into something really big, and great, and diverse.

ART REYES III:

It’s not an individual sport. It’s a requisite that we’re building, that we’re building in teams, but that means we all have to know that we have a clear shared purpose that we have articulated together about what is it that we’re pursuing together, that we have enough relationships and trust with one another that are commitments that we make to each other stand.

ERIC NJUGUNA:

I think we must also work in partnerships with communities who are most affected by the climate crisis. And I’m reminded by this quote by Lila Watson, which says that, “if you have come here to help me, then you’re wasting your time, but if you have come here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then we can work together.” The very systems of oppression that have led us into the climate crisis are also causing havoc in multiple ways. And that is why it is important to build partnership and solidarity with other causes like women’s rights, Justice for Palestine, and so on.

CHIOMA AGWUEGBO:

Sometimes people come to these advocacy campaigns with their own interests in mind. Now while those interests might be good, they might be different from the central interest for that or you have all gathered for. So that can be tricky.

OUDAI TOZAM:

Diplomacy is very important in working with people you need to take thereby in. You need to mobilise. You need to get their agreement. And that means sometimes working with others creates more effort. The way that we would manage this is just to remind ourselves, what is our purpose?

ERIC NJUGUNA:

I think a strong changemaker is bold, is courageous, and is persistent, but I also think that these values have to go hand in hand with decolonial anti-capitalist approaches. Otherwise, without recognising this systems of oppression, you could potentially be going into creating harm.

KELLY MUNDY:

You need the will and lesson, the motivation to take that passion, to take the beliefs, and the values that you have and turn it into action.

SABAH KHAN:

Changemakers need to have hope. We need to feel angry about inequality. We need to be able to channel that anger into action. When you work with communities who have been oppressed for generations, there is a sense of victimhood, where you feel nothing is going to change. To be able to get people infected with your optimism is an important quality for a changemaker.

End transcript

Download

 

In this video we hear from Neha, Elena, Hadeel, Oudai, Sabah, Kelly, Art, and Eric about what they see as the benefits of working in partnership with others for change, harnessing the power of collective action.

Chioma and Oudai also share some thoughts about navigating the challenges that may come from working with others.

Eric, Kelly and Sabah then talk about some of the qualities of a strong changemaker.

What drives a changemaker? What drives you?

Some changemakers are driven by their struggle for survival and the defence of their own rights; others by their values, personal experience, a sense of social or political justice or a personal moral compass that distinguishes what they believe is right and wrong and inspires a belief in the changes they want to see. Some are inspired by their religious faith, by social movements or organisations they are part of, and/or perhaps by people they have met in their lives.

The importance of self-care and collective-care

Having the resilience to deal with setbacks or even attacks, experiencing and learning from failure, and managing the anxiety of uncertainty are valuable skills for an effective changemaker. It’s about taking calculated risks, perhaps acting outside your comfort zone and having the persistence and courage to challenge the status quo. How we each handle the frustration, stress, and anger that often comes with wanting change to happen, while keeping our thinking clear and our actions appropriate to the task in hand, is very important.

The kinds of risks faced by activists vary hugely of course. People willing to speak out in insecure or autocratic countries may face intimidation, threats or worse. Some need to flee the country. Even in countries and contexts which appear secure, change is disruptive and responses will vary.

Whatever their situation, changemakers need to stay safe, maintain energy, and vision and prevent burnout and disillusion. Taking good care of ourselves and each other is a vital part of activism. As the Black feminist writer Audre Lorde said, ‘caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare’.

Remember, you’re in this together with others. A benefit of working collaboratively is the opportunity to share the burden and to check up on each other regularly. After all, there is great comfort in solidarity. It’s important that as a group of changemakers you build collective-care strategies into your activism – how are you going to support each other, especially when times are tough? Maintaining morale in the face of adversity and over a long time period can be a challenge, so celebrating small wins together is an important tool in keeping hope alive.

Cultivating curiosity

Curiosity, humility, self-awareness and openness to a diversity of viewpoints are important characteristics active campaigners for change need. Curiosity about the world needs to be laced with humility and self-knowledge. We don’t – can’t – have all the answers; we can’t predict events; what works in one place won’t work in another.

As we know from the unit about ‘dancing’ with systems, we need to become comfortable with messiness and uncertainty. We need to include a diverse range of people and viewpoints in any discussion and, however busy we are, take regular time-outs to observe, reflect and assess what is or isn’t working and change direction accordingly.

Looking hard, listening, asking questions, and thinking critically about the answers you are given are invaluable skills. It means having the ability to ‘accept the unexpected’ and listening to feedback so that you can adjust your strategies and tactics based on what you have learned and to also take advantage of opportunities that arise.

Understanding our human rights

Last but not least, changemakers need to be aware and informed of their rights and the rights of people they are working with. Speaking out, participating in campaigning activities and actively working for these rights, especially when they are under threat, is part of being an active changemaker. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.

Razia Sultana, an international human rights activist, lawyer, teacher, and researcher, meets with women at the RWWS women’s center inside a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.Women at the center learn to read and write, make items to sell; engage in trauma-recovery activities, and learn about their rights.

Show description|Hide description

Razia Sultana sits in the centre of a group of women.

Razia Sultana, an international human rights activist, lawyer, teacher, and researcher, meets with women at the RWWS women’s center ...

First and foremost, leading change is about having the commitment to make change happen. It’s the first resource, the first ‘spark’, which makes change possible. Demonstrating that commitment and inspiring others to do the same will be critical to success.

This ‘Dancing guy’ video takes an unusual approach to showing the role of the leader, as well as that of the first followers, in building a movement of people.

If you have a passion and interest in making change happen, the chances are that you are a leader, even if you don’t see yourself as one.

There are many definitions and theories of leadership and many different approaches and styles – from the autocratic to the democratic, from the transactional to the transformational. Different organisations, businesses, institutions, cultures and countries have developed or adopted their own particular leadership approaches over time.

For many social justice activists, organisations and local community groups working collaboratively and ensuring everyone’s voice is present and heard are key principles by which they share leadership.

Over the last several decades feminist activists and women’s movements, particularly in the majority world, have taken the lead in redefining leadership through a commitment to create alternatives to traditional hierarchical leadership cultures. These alternatives cover many aspects from critical self-reflection to new collective decision-making structures. An increasing number of social justice organisations and activist group across the globe are adopting feminist leadership principles and approaches into their practice.

Feminist leadership calls on people to individually and collectively transform themselves and to:

• use their power, resources and skills in non-violent, inclusive ways
• mobilise around a shared agenda for equality and the realisation of human rights for all
• emphasise consensus and cooperation over competition
• share power and decision-making
• champion diversity and ensure all people are valued in a supportive environment
• aim to overthrow patriarchal power structures, and advocate for social, economic and political equality for women
• focus on values such as authenticity, honesty and empowerment
• recognise that feminist activists and their organisations are leading struggles for social justice around the world, and must continue to be at the forefront.

Fundamentally, feminist leadership recognises that change in the world starts with ourselves. In order to contribute to broader transformation, we must be prepared to self-reflect and challenge ourselves.

Participants during the 2021 International Forum of African Women workshop in Kinshasa on the theme: The leadership and participation of women in decision-making positions for the socio-economic development of Africa.

Show description|Hide description

A large group of people sitting on chairs, watching a presentation.

Participants during the 2021 International Forum of African Women workshop in Kinshasa on the theme: The leadership and participation of ...

In this unit you have explored in more depth two concepts that we began in the last unit: ‘power with’, i.e. the power derived from working with others, or collective action; and ‘power within’, i.e. how strengthening our inner resources of curiosity, courage and feminist leadership makes us more effective changemakers.

We have learned more about community organising, the value of contributing to social movements, and what effective leadership for change looks like.

As a changemaker you will have more impact if you are prepared to listen, be genuinely curious, try new approaches, take calculated risks, learn from failures, question your own power and privilege and shift power towards individuals and communities at the sharp edge of change. Perhaps most crucially, you will need to work with others committed to your common cause. For positive and sustained social change, ‘how’ it is achieved is as important as ‘what’ is achieved.

In the next unit we will look in more detail at your spheres of influence and how to identify allies and partners who can help extend your influence. We will also build on the power analysis from the last unit to build our change strategies.

In Unit 4 of this course, the topics have been – the power of collective action, working in partnership with others, and the characteristics of effective changemakers.

Now test your knowledge on what you have learned with this short quiz.

Batliwala, S. (2011) Feminist Leadership for Social Transformation: Clearing the Conceptual Cloud, CREA, [Online]. Available at: https://www.uc.edu/ content/ dam/ uc/ ucwc/ docs/ CREA.pdf (Accessed 16 October 2023).

Lorde, A. (2017) A Burst of Light: and Other Essays, USA: Dover Publications.

Sources for case studies:

Bao, H. (2020) ‘Anti-domestic violence little vaccine’: A Wuhan-based feminist activitist campaign during COVID-19’, Interface: a journal for and about social movements, 12(1), pp. 53–63, [Online]. Available at: https://www.interfacejournal.net/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2020/ 07/ Interface-12-1-Bao.pdf (Accessed 16 October 2023).

Green, D. (2020) ‘Anti-domestic violence little vaccine’: A Wuhan-based feminist activitist campaign during COVID-19’, From Poverty to Power, 23 September, [Online]. Available at: https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/ anti-domestic-violence-little-vaccine-a-wuhan-based-feminist-activist-campaign-during-covid-19/ (Accessed 16 October 2023).

NDI (2019) Women Peacebuilders in Yemen Advocate for the Re-Opening of Al-Riyyan Airport, 12 June, [Online]. Available at: https://www.ndi.org/ our-stories/ women-peacebuilders-yemen-advocate-re-opening-al-riyyan-airport (Accessed 16 October 2023).

Drew Dudley – Everyday leadership https://www.ted.com/ talks/ drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

How Change Happens (OUP 2016)

Resources for personal and organisational resilience, MindfulNext

Rhize.org

Self care and community care tools, The Andre Lorde Project

Stories of people changing the world, MobLab

The Center for Servant Leadership

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Why care is a political act, Oxfam Views & Voices blog

Why self-care and collective wellbeing are critical to winning change, MobLab

What’s the role of Oxfam in supporting social movements for change?, Oxfam Views & Voices blog