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Mar 28th, 2006 - 19:10:01 |
Poonam Pai
DISCUSSION FOR WEEK 3 – March 20th to March 24th
1. Can you discuss a unique tactic used in your community (or by someone you know) that has effectively advocated for an issue? Describe/explain as much as you can. What have been some barriers that you (or someone you know) experienced with advocacy?
Participants described a range of different activities, mostly revolving around education, whether by school teachers, religious teachers, or advocates. Many of the participants discuss that because cultural taboos and discomfort about changing regular patterns of behavior proved to be the most common barriers to enacting advocacy strategies, it was important not just to tell of how changes would be beneficial but to show the people they were working with.
One participant stated that since his job revolved around assessing cleanliness in a community, he had to be especially delicate – without consulting with other youth and community leaders, his task to change the daily behavior of the inhabitants would have been nearly impossible. It was also important to take into account the fact that not everyone could have daily access to clean water and soap. But, he realized, rather than force them to do so or simply tell them about it, he saw more results when he described the advantages and benefits to such hygiene and let them choose for themselves. Similar attitudes had to be taken when discussing HIV/AIDS and condom-usage.
Another participant discussed how youth in Sierra Leone use music to make statements about economic hardship, HIV/AIDS, and education through music. Because youth voices are virtually ignored by the government, this is the outlet they use to state their side of the issues that affect them the most. However, the government does not always support this stance, as proven when one artist was no longer allowed to reside in the country.
2. Have you (or anyone you know) attempted to advocate for an issue that he/she felt was important for the community? Can you describe?
Several of the participants describe issues that are specific to their region or their community, and the work that they did to promote the causes. Many of them speak of the length of time it took for their concerns to be recognized and their needs to be met, but all of the participants speak of some degree of success. Some of the issues they advocated for were: HIV/AIDS, medical school programs, youth involvement in government activity/representation, and a Care for Children Project. For more details on these individual programs, see the project discussions page for Week 3 – Question 2: projects.takingitglobal.org/paecourse
3. What are some allies that you have worked with and that have been helpful for you to achieve an aim? (not necessarily HIV/AIDS related) Can you describe some good partnerships you have had and how have they been helpful? Maybe some partnerships that you initially didn’t think would work out turned out to be very useful?
What about some not-so-good partnerships? What are some problems that you experienced if any?
Many of the participants speak of partnerships with corporate groups and other factions in the private sector – and their surprise of how beneficial these alliances are. Other participants speak of allies in the academic/youth world: university professors and community leaders, for example. Others rely on their Ministries of Health to help them advocate public health-related issues. A lot of these allies, particularly the Ministry of Health, provide professionals who know about the issues and can lend a hand in terms of advocating and awareness-raising activities. A lot of participants just speak about the benefits of having friends in various countries, not only to provide innovative ideas and solutions for the same ideas, but to help them figure out things like travel, passports, and other examples of bureaucracy that could provide some difficulty.
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