SBCC for Building a Girls Movement: Young People Fostering Transformative Changes

Summary:

In this practice-oriented review of CARE's Tipping Point Initiative's girls-centered movement building model, adapted from the EMpower model, we will discuss how CARE has catalyzed girls' movements without usurping girls' leadership. Tipping Point is a multi-country initiative addressing the root causes of child, early and forced marriage. We see child marriage as an act of violence, so we enable girls to assert their rights, help families and communities to support them, and influence policy to sustain change. The future of social and behavior change communications can brighten with youth leading the change through collective, continued action. Tipping Point's experience piloting a model for girl-led activism shows a promising way forward in support of calls of Nothing for us without us. The pilot of this intervention in Sunamganj, Bangladesh, which trained a select group of girl leaders, showed that girls can lead change in a short period of time by identifying their issues, planning for and executing social norms change strategies to address the underlying causes of child marriage. We will share how the model increased collective efficacy among adolescent girls, their experience with backlash against their activism, our response via risk mitigation strategies, and methods to scale the package in intervention communities across two countries.

Background/Objectives

Tipping Point has developed a holistic intervention package with different participant groups around key programmatic topics alongside facilitating public spaces for the community to join in challenging repressive social norms and promoting girls' movements and activism in support of girls' bodily rights. These synchronized components help adolescent girls collectively work to end gender inequality alongside their allies. Tipping Point moves beyond individual girls' skills to building girls' capacity for collective activism, using the EMpower model adapted from Emerging Markets foundation, as part of a larger, multi-component intervention.

Description Of Intervention And/or Methods/Design

Tipping Point piloted the EMpower model of girls' centered movement building in August 2018. Before the girls' training, mentors working for local partner organizations, were trained on gender and rights, mentoring skills, especially to step back and let the girls take the lead. Then, 15 girls' groups chose representatives for collective leadership training given by mentors. The trained girls challenged restrictions on their mobility and planned four community-level events. The first activity was a survey developed by the girls about mobility; data was presented to parents and community before organizing events like poster presentations, dramas, football matches, and community talk shows to critically discuss restrictions on girls' mobility and its impact on their lives. Finally, girls planned a graduation ceremony, where they invited allies, parents and duty bearers committed to support continuation of collective power of girls.

Results/Lessons Learned

This intervention model reveals the greatest catalyst for change in gender social norms and behavior is the population most effected: girls can and must lead change for themselves. Analysis of data collected by the 74 adolescent girls who participated in the pilot is in process to demonstrate increases in self-efficacy, collective efficacy, advocacy skills, and a shifting community perception of girls' capacity. Each group had $100 USD per community for 3 events, making this a cost-effective option for scaling. Social network mapping was conducted, which shows the girls and staff who in their community can support, what are the risks involved, and who are the most effective allies. The girl-led evaluation methodology on their planning skills, public speaking skills, and self-confidence to become agents of change challenged traditional ways of separating research from practice and is learning in a more participatory way.

Discussion/Implications For The Field

Communities are transformed when they see that girls identify their own issues and address them. When scaling, it is critical to keep the intervention girl-centered and practitioners need to learn to step back :reinforced through the Empower Mentor Training and Tipping Point's on-going Staff Transformation on gender and power norms. Due to backlash, risk mitigation strategies are essential in the adapted curriculum. Finally, girls' activism is most effective when there is an enabling environment. Tipping Point's package integrates engagement with boys and parents as allies so that girls are not required to challenge repressive norms alone.

Abstract submitted by:

Anne Sprinkel - CARE

Suniti Neogy - CARE