|  | Feature: “Recreation Sport and Social Change in Sustainable Community Development” | No.55 January 2009 |
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The Issue of Sustainability in Social Change Anneliese Goslin, Darlene Kluka, Gerrie van Wyk & Salmar Burger |
An analysis of the theory of social change brings the following central elements forward: (1) a process of transformation or alteration in social systems and individual behaviour over time; (2) triggers or catalysts initiate and drive the change; (3) mechanisms or partnerships mobilise, drive and direct the process of change in a desired direction; and (4) a dynamic interaction between the elements of social change. The issue of sustainability underpins the process of desired social transformation or alteration or individual behaviour. Sustainability implies continuation of efforts, actions, initiatives or programmes in communities over time. Four components of community work are related to sustainability or continuation of social change: The issue (e.g. gender equality in sport and recreation) on global agendas, decision-makers, local communities and community partnerships; The programmes that communities, institutions or organisations are planning, implementing and evaluating; The behaviour changes that individuals and organisations have already made regarding equality through recreation and sport; The partnerships that support the activities and contributes to the desired behaviour changes. Sustainability is complex and should be planned carefully. The following principles underly sustainability: Sustainability begins within the issue itself (equality in sport and recreation), it cannot be imposed or directed from the outside; Sustainability is an important element of the process of social and behaviour change; Sustainability can be directed at global, national, regional or local levels; Sustainability is possible, probable and desirable; Sustainability is a key component of planning for social change. The following model outlines the interconnectedness of the 4 key components of planning for sustainable social change (Dubois and Kisby, 2001). Component One: Sustaining the Issue An issue refers to a point or matter, the impact of which is of special or public importance. To address social issues requires many years of continued work as one is dealing with changing behaviours and attitudes. The goal of sustaining the issue in social change is therefore to convince people and institutions to make long-term commitments to the particular issue. This requires that the issue needs to be kept alive and important to the public, community decision makers and partners on all levels. Communication is a key strategy and concept to keep the issue alive and on social change agendas and to continuously inform decision makers and the public of progress. Mass media channels are useful to drive awareness campaigns and advocacy on specific and collective aspects of the issue. Diffusion as a key concept implies “making a case for the issue” and requires the following: Sufficient quantities of communication/awareness-raising materials on the issue must be available for dissemination to all relevant stakeholders and partners; Partners must be prepared to include the materials in their distribution networks; In making the case for the issue to a particular audience, keep the following in mind: the messenger must be liked; the recipient is supportive of the cause; the recipient has the capacity to meet the request. Promotion of the issue forms part of action plans of partners. Leadership as a key component implies identifying internal and external program champions to drive the issue. Factors that will influence efficiency of leadership are: Opinion leaders must be in place and be prepared to act as spokespersons for the issue; Effective messengers are in place to promote the issue to respective audiences; Commitment or action to training community members in developing communication campaigns and media advocacy is in place. Component two: Sustaining the Programs A program of social change is one individual activity within the overall issue that may stand-alone or be a part of a larger initiative. Program sustainability implies working towards the continuation of programs within communities at all levels (local, regional, global). Key concepts relevant to sustaining the programs require community integration, best practices, managing programs through stages, diffusion and leadership. Community integration requires a program to be integrated into community efforts. A program is integrated when one or more organisations assume responsibility for it and it continues after the initial agency retreats from the decision-making process. It is more likely that a program will be sustained when it is based on best practice. Programs flow through a series of stages (initiation, implementation, evaluation, integration) and the sustainability factors vary depending on the stage. More people are reached when a program is widely disseminated. Increased uptake, and therefore greater impact, can occur in new settings/channels or in new geographic areas. Effective program leadership is essential and finding program champions who are able to cultivate, unify and link the divergent aspirations of various people in the interest of the program and the issue, is a key success factor. In initiating and implementing programs to identify appropriate actions consider the following factors: Programs must be grounded in sound theory or based on “best practices”; In selecting a program it is often better to select an existing program or adapt one rather than starting a completely new program; The program must be desired by the community or target group; Programs should be designed with a variety of alternative formats and methods of delivery making it easily disseminated; There must be a program champion and key members of the community or target group assume a leadership role. The champions develop and sustain a personal commitment to continuing program messages, products or services; When implementing a program, use existing resources within the community to whatever degree possible; Programs build on the strengths found among partners, participants and their communities. When a program can be delivered in the absences of paid staff, it makes it four times more likely to be sustained; Appropriate time should be invested in training partners to support and drive programs through the different stages; When evaluating programs, the collected data could be useful in convincing potential lead agencies and decision-makers to adopt the program and provide evidence for continued support from funding agencies; Premature termination of programs due to poor planning is costly as time, money and training are lost. Component three: Sustaining behaviour changes Behaviour change is a process with 5 stages: pre-contemplation; contemplation; preparation; action; and maintenance. People or institutions attempting behaviour changes often do so via public programs or individual efforts. Community support depends on supporting policies and practices as well as physical structures while individual support relies on available and accessible programs and resources as well as social support networks such as role models and peer support. Factors that will influence sustainable behaviour changes include: Sound public policies and realistic outcomes; Broad based community participation in the development of policies and programs; Opinion leaders and champions have been identified to advocate for public policy changes; “Train-the Trainer” leadership approach is used in program delivery such that on-going leadership is available for the programs. Component four: Sustaining partnerships Sustaining partnerships will provide support to the activities and programs of the issue via strategic direction, management and coordination and will provide support to the behaviour change process via involving the community, which leads to sustained changed through community ownership, social networks, building social capital and community capacity and competence. Key concepts to be considered include: Recruiting members, supporters and partners from many sectors of the community; Effective partners are more likely to be sustained than ineffective ones; Infrastructure needs to be maintained throughout the stages of program management; Building on social networks by engaging influencers is important to sustain both partnerships and the issue. Influencers are people whose opinions are respected, whose insights are valued and whose support is almost always needed to make any big changes; Effective leadership instils confidence in the group and results in a greater quantity and quality of outcome. This makes it more viable for partners to stay involved in the issue; Shared leadership causes partners to approach problems in a collaborative way, facilitating interaction and sustaining action so that goals can be realised. Shared leadership directs, it does not dictate. Individuals or organisations do not become members of a partnership without some direct, perceived benefit to themselves, no matter how altruistic or ideal the cause might be. Partnerships are more than its membership and who provides the leadership. How the group conducts business and the way in which it works is a key factor in the effectiveness of a partnership and will increase the likelihood of sustaining the partnership. Consider the following: Partnerships tolerate diversity of viewpoints; All partners are actively involved in identifying needs, setting goals, objectives, planning, implementation, evaluation and sustainability; Collaborative problem solving across partnerships is essential; Partnerships share credit, fun and recognition; Frequent, supportive interactions between partners are necessary. The outcome of the above four key components should be increased global, regional and local knowledge and desired actions regarding a particular social issue. Sustainability in social change is an ongoing process requiring a constant hands-on approach to realise desired behaviour and infrastructure changes. Bibliography Dubois, N and Kisby, M. (2001). Heart Health Sustainability. Heart Health Resources Center. Ontario, Canada Kluka, D.A. (2008). The Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport: A Management Audit of Process Quality. Unpublished D Phil Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria. Contact Darlene A. Kluka, Ph. D., D Phil Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences Barry University, Miami Shores Florida, USA Extraordinary Professor, University of Pretoria, South Africa Email: dkluka@mail.barry.edu Anneliese Goslin, D Phil, MBA Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa Visiting Professor, Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida, USA Email: goslin@sport.up.ac.za Gerrie van Wyk Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa Email: vanwyk@sport.up.ac.za Salmar Burger Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa Email: salmar.burger@up.ac.za http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 The Issue of Sustainability in Social Change Anneliese Goslin, Darlene Kluka, Gerrie van Wyk & Salmar Burger