Supporting activists in closing and closed spaces: Using the 3C model

• In Event: Roundtable Group 2
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Critical Pedagogy and Empowerment: A Journey of Civic Awareness, Teacher Activism, and Deconstructing Neoliberalism

Proposal

Since September 2012, the organization has been implementing a program to build the capacity of diverse individuals and organizations across the country [name retracted for safety reasons]. It is renowned in the country as a premier training and networking resource for emerging activists and leaders as they work together to address issues critical to the country’s ongoing democratic transition. This has become even more important, as this country’s democratic structure has backslid in recent years, and currently faces military rule. Despite the challenging operating environment, the program has continued to adapt its programming to support the emergence of strong civic leaders who are aware of their rights and responsibilities and capable of amplifying the voices of communities during this time of political and social instability. The presentation will include two sections. First, an overview of the program’s pedagogy, and second, lessons learned in supporting civil society during time of repression and insecurity.
The presentation will begin by sharing the program’s 3C model – Concepts, Contexts, and Capstone Projects – a method developed and adapted throughout the last 10 years of program implementation. The 3C model links democratic concepts with the local context and encourages participants to reflect and plan for a positive change. All trainings are experiential (Kolb, 2014) and participatory to model active citizenship and provide opportunities for participants to practice soft skills such as respect, tolerance, and the ability to challenge each other in a positive way. Integral to the program is an intentional process to create a diverse participant group. Activities serve as a vehicle to bring together different demographics, be it age, ethnicity, geographic, or gender, to cover topics and initiate discussions and knowledge transfer that builds greater empathy and trust among different groups.
Through this model, the program has developed 32 civic courses and trained more than 3,500 civil society leaders and political activists from more than 1,000 civil society organizations and political institutions. After participating in the civil education activities, the graduates bring these skills and democratic practices back to their workplace. 80% of our participants over the last two years have reported using the gained leadership skills in advocacy and/or community development. The model has also inspired a high multiplier effect. In the last fiscal year, 90% of participants reported sharing the skills they learned with peers, and participant designed and implemented small grants that reached 3,913 people, far exceeding the target of 500 people.
As it becomes increasingly clear that the country is experiencing deeply worrying trends in the treatment of individuals and organizations within the civil society sector, especially as they work to reinstate a democratically elected government, their civic knowledge and advocacy skills become even more critical. Therefore, the presentation will conclude with measures taken to ensure participants remained safe despite the worsening political and security situation. It will explore key considerations to provide support to civic leaders to utilize resources, build networks, and safely advocate for their rights as they continue to fight to establish a functioning democracy in country.

Authors

• Wendi Carman, World Learning

• Alexandra Levy, World Learning