SayPro SEVISSA Session 1: Conceptions of Social Change

Overview:

• Explore the partners’ existing conceptions and ways of understanding social change as a foundation for thinking about the strategic entry point and types of change impacts they aim to achieve through SeViSSA

Intentions:

• To introduce some of the conceptions of social change
• To develop an understanding of how social change works
• To grapple with some of the complexities of social change interventions
• Learning the seeing and reading of impact from multiple angles and perspectives

The session started with a short input on conceptions of social change and a brainstorming on participants’ conceptions and assumptions about social change.

• Various streams of conversations were generated by participants from the first day of the workshop identified a number of pillars or dimensions around which the outcomes, impact and changes being effected by the SeViSSA programme are observed.

• The pillars were represented by a conceptual framework built around four main systemic issues – dimensions or quadrants of change, namely: cultural, relationship, individual and structural/system shown in the quadrants of change figure below.

• To deepen participants’ understanding of the systemic issues and dimensions around which the SeViSSA programme is impacting and transforming women and children, the facilitator took the participants through a change quadrant exercise outlined below.

• The different quadrants of social change were represented on the floor, and participants had to locate themselves where they felt their work is targeted at.

• Following an explanation of each quadrant/pillar or dimension of systemic change and the key issues it focuses on, each participant was then invited to step into the quadrant box that best represented the dimension of change they believed their organization has focused its energy, resources and capacity on in implementing SeViSSA and justify why.

• Selected participants within each of the quadrant/s were asked to share with others the reasons that placed them in a particular quadrant/s. They also shared on, (i) why they believe that that quadrant to be the key and most effective one for implementing the SeViSSA programme and bring about the change their beneficiaries should seek to achieve, and then (ii) identify the relationships between all the different quadrants and how they will address them in the remaining period of SeViSSA.

• Volunteers argued and justified their chosen change quadrant as the most strategic entry point for SeViSSA, with a view to convince fellow participants to change their quadrants. Most participants felt strongly about each of the quadrants and argued out their cases resulting in some of the participants shifting from their original quadrants after being convinced by their colleagues.

The following insights emerged from the quadrants of systemic change exercise;

• It is not easy to rally everyone, determine and agree on the resources, capacity and the key entry quadrant of change for SeViSSA.

• It is often difficult to address only one systemic dimension of change because all four quadrants are equally important. Many participants agreed that they need to be the change they wish to see in their own communities and country hence starting with oneself as an individual is paramount and a top priority entry point.

• The four dimensions/quadrants of change are blurred and interconnected e.g. systems/structures and culture are related and sometimes get in the way of the other.

• The four dimensions/quadrants of change are all related and depending on various factors and key social triggers and context, different quadrants of systemic change are pronounced differently in any given system/community.

• The way people/communities perceive and understand SeViSSA and the associated social change processes determines their thinking and views of the quadrant in which they see change as most prominent.

• At the end of the day, the work that partners are undertaking to bring about social change through SeViSSA ultimately affects or shows up at the level of the individual, even though that may not be their chosen strategic focus or entry point.