The Drum Beat 843: SBC (Heavy on the S) Communication News and Issues

• 1.Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Adaptive Management Framework Toolkit
  FHI 360 uses a socioecological lens to view the complex interplay between the individual, social, and structural factors that affect behaviours. Their SBC programming uses integrated, multi-sectoral, and participatory strategies to achieve social change and behaviour change. This resource was developed to support SBC practitioners in applying FHI 360's SBC Adaptive Management Framework throughout an SBC project's life cycle. [Jun 2024] 
   
• 2.Gender-transformative Programmes: A Framework for Demonstrating Evidence of Social Impact
  by Jessica K Backman-Levy and Margaret Eleanor Greene 
• Previous research conducted by these authors finds that most gender-transformative programmes are focused on the individual and/or interpersonal levels, rather than the system as a whole. The authors propose that programmes are more likely to transform gender norms and increase gender equality if they demonstrate 4 key dimensions: multiplicative effect; sustainability; spread; and scalability. This framework shifts the focus to systems-level change, makes the links between well-evaluated programmatic models and social change more explicit, and establishes a standard for assessing programmes that aim to change gender norms and improve gender equality. [May 2024] 
   
• 3.Core Principles and Practices for the Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Social and Behavior Change for Nutrition in Low- and Middle-Income Contexts with Special Applications for Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture
  by Mary Packard-Winkler, Lenette Golding, Tsedenia Tewodros, Emily Faerber, and Amy Webb Girard 
• This narrative review aims to capture, consolidate, articulate, and justify core principles and practices (CCPs) in the field of nutrition SBC and nutrition-sensitive agriculture, more specifically. The review of approximately 475 documents and resources resulted in a set of 4 core principles and 11 core practices, which are then mapped to a 5-step SBC process based on the original P Process SBC framework and later iterations. The CCPs include reminders of the importance of structural and social factors and of engaging communities in a change process. [Jul 2024] 
   
• 4.Applying the Scale+ Method - Guides
  This set of guides is designed to assist organisations in implementing the SCALE+ approach, a local-systems-driven methodology designed to accelerate broad stakeholder engagement and collective action addressing complex development issues. The guides focus on the 5 components that are key to implementing the methodology: investing in collaboration, mapping the system, formulating a common agenda, advancing collective action, and measuring results. FHI 360 has applied SCALE+ in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. [Jul 2024] 
   
• See also:
  Blueprint for More Sustainable Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Systems
   

• 5.Strategies for Sustained Empowerment of Community Health Workers: A Qualitative Analysis of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed, India
  by Alexander Kaysin, Patricia Antoniello, Smisha Agarwal, and Henry Perry 
• This article provides a structured framework for researchers and programme planners to study and design health and development ecosystems that support the empowerment, retention, and long-term effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs). By exploring the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed, India, the paper finds that: "With time and ongoing skill acquisition, CHWs transition into leadership roles within their communities - further facilitating social change that promotes equity and cohesion. This includes increasing women's status, breaking down caste discrimination and mobilizing community members to tackle long-standing health and social challenges through collective action." [Feb 2024] 
   
• 6.Relational Community Engagement within Health Interventions at Varied Outcome Scales
  by Nicole Redvers, Asiya Odugleh-Kolev, Joanna Paula Cordero, et al. 
• Relational community engagement is "an approach that conjoins individual and collective awareness, and is intentional about processes that facilitate positive connection, belonging, and communication - all of which are needed for meaningful collaboration and co-production.... Rather than focusing solely on specific projects or outcomes, relational community engagement places a strong emphasis on developing and maintaining long-term connections and trust within communities..." This paper examines literature on relational community engagement intervention outcomes at micro, meso, and macro levels. "Promoting social participation stood out as a key element in the literature due to its consistent positive outcomes with individuals and communities engaged in decision-making processes that fostered a sense of ownership, belonging, empowerment, and accountability." [Jun 2024] 
   
• 7.Revisiting Everyday Activism for Gender Justice and Expanding on Its Communicative Dimensions
  by Florencia Enghel 
• This article revisits the concept of 'everyday activism', formulated by political scientists in 2005, expanding on its communicative dimensions based on findings from an online qualitative survey conducted with women in Argentina during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. In so doing, it clarifies how agency and its communicative dimensions are understood and practiced by women seeking gender justice under ordinary circumstances, analyses their potential and limits considering structural obstacles, and proposes a definition of everyday communicative activism. [Sep 2024] 
   
• See also:
  Rapid Assessment of the "Stories Without an Ending" Technique
   

• As a continuation of a virtual event held in October in Spanish, The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), The CI, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CI LA), and UNINORTE invite the global CI network to participate in a free virtual event in English whose purpose is to foster dialogue on the unique perspectives of communication and social change emerging from the LAC region. Among the areas of focus: exploring SBC programming in the region developed by UNICEF LAC, sharing this knowledge to strengthen global SBC capacity-building efforts, and connecting the SBC debate to the opportunities of the 35th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC). The panel and discussion will be held on Teams on Wednesday, December 4, from 8-9:30 a.m. EST. More information on how to register will be sent separately, so please look out for it in the days to come!
   

• 8.Kefeta Project
  The Kefeta project (Kefeta is Amharic for elevate) works to strengthen the youth ecosystem in Ethiopia with integrated, multi-sectoral, youth-centred programming that seeks to empower Ethiopian youth to advance their own economic, civic, and social development. To achieve this, the project deploys a core package of interventions: forming youth coalitions; building capacity on youth assets, agency, and advocacy; nurturing youth-led solutions and enterprises; and creating linkages/networks for in-service learning. The 5-year project (ending August 2026) is being implemented by a consortium of partners led by Amref Health Africa and funded by the United States Agency for International Development. 
   
• 9.Lil Mosquito, Big Problem Campaign: Phase II
  Implemented between 2019 and 2024, Lil Mosquito, Big Problem was a multi-channel, evidence-based SBC campaign to improve malaria-related health behaviours among gold miners in the malaria-endemic underdeveloped hinterland regions of Guyana. Based on insights gained from a human-centred design process, the campaign used a highly visual, low-literacy approach and was implemented in 2 phases. One finding from Phase I: Although SBC efforts had not yet focused on secondary audiences in a concerted way, these key influencers showed an interest in the campaign and had significant potential to drive change. Phase II responded to such lessons. For example, the "by miners, for miners" peer-to-peer approach of the Miners' Buzz segments enhanced trust and engagement in the content. 
   
• 10.Echoes of Change Radio Drama
  CARE produced Echoes of Change in Uganda to tackle community norms that limit women's use of mobile technology in the context of a wider programme that works to empower women to embrace digital tools for personal and economic growth. The radio drama is accompanied by community-based events and the engagement of village savings and loan association groups to create further opportunities for communities to reflect on their beliefs regarding mobile technology, especially those that restrict who can use and benefit from it. Reportedly, men who listen say they see the practical uses of phones for women, and women are inspired by the radio drama to start conversations with their husbands about smartphone use. 
   
• 11.illuminAid
  illuminAid's communication approach uses video to reach off-grid, remote communities who might not otherwise have access to transformative knowledge in health, agriculture, education, and other disciplines. Video is a medium that all viewers can understand, engage in, and learn from. illuminAid provides training and equipment to organisations throughout the developing world so they might effectively leverage video technology in their various missions. "illuminAid envisions a world where...where we work together to create economic opportunity, positive social change, instruction and knowledge dissemination fuel progress for individuals and communities." 
   
• See also:
  Fathers Matter
   

• 12.Social Movements Engagement Guidance
  Working with progressive social movements is a core part of ActionAid's change strategy, since the transformative power of working together on shared concerns is considered important to bringing about systems change. This work involves harnessing the power of organising, collective actions, and mobilisation of change agents, especially women and young people and their movements. Based on learning and conversations with movement leaders, this guide outlines processes, systems, methodologies, and approaches for supporting movements with their work. [Jan 2024] 
   
• 13.Change Magazine: Why Don't You Just Behave!
  Produced by Common Thread and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), this magazine explores the evolution of SBC at UNICEF and beyond. In particular, it charts the organisational change process launched within UNICEF in 2020 that led to the evolution of the communication for development (C4D) approach to a focus on science-driven change programmes and the complexity of human decision-making. Through case studies, data on SBC's growing prominence and impact, and entertaining components, the magazine underscores the role of community engagement, behavioural science, system strengthening, and data collection to address ongoing development and humanitarian challenges, especially as they affect children. [Oct 2024] 
   
• 14.Mobilizing Communities for Health and Social Change: Facilitator and Participant Manuals and Toolkits
  This set of resources was developed by Breakthrough ACTION South Sudan as part of the Sawa Le Baad (Together for Each Other) programme's SBC activities. The manuals and toolkits are meant to help organisations apply sound community mobilisation approaches when designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating their health programmes. In particular, the 5 documents seek to provide guidance on implementing an adapted version of the Community Action Cycle methodology that incorporates elements of the Partnership Defined Quality methodology. The hybrid approach encourages community collective action and social accountability. [2022] 
   
• 15.Supporting Integration of Social Accountability Processes in Family Planning and Contraceptive Service Provision
  This World Health Organization manual is designed to support policymakers and programme managers in integrating social accountability (SA) processes in the provision of family planning/contraceptive services. SA is a participatory process that entails different health system actors, from community members, service users, and service providers to decision-makers, to interact and to collaborate in identifying service issues and developing an action plan for addressing them. The manual details how to enable or implement SA programmes that stimulate active community member engagement and health system responsiveness and explains how to monitor interventions to ensure progress, sustainability, and scale-up. [Dec 2023] 
   
• 16.Decolonising Knowledge and Practice
  This special issue of the journal Gender & Development (Jul-Nov 2023) centres the voices, perspectives, knowledge(s), vulnerabilities, histories, and memories that are unheard, neglected, silenced and/or erased through power structures. Contributors present creative, sometimes unconventional approaches to development challenges, such as an article describing a choral dialogue between researchers and former guerrilla members in Colombia around Buen Vivir values to co-construct community-led knowledge. [Dec 2023] 
   
• See also:
  The Drum Beat 840: DECOLONISATION: Challenging What We Do and How We Do It
   

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