Who are the people and partners involved in community change? Who are the people and communities most directly affected by the problem or issue? Who can help contribute to improvement? What do partners in change do? How to identify people most directly affected and partners in change Who are the people and partners involved in community change? When doing work in your community, the first thing to decide is what issue or problem you want to address. Whether you are teaching children to read or trying to create safer neighborhoods, it's your group's reason for being; it's what you're all about. You and your organization are not alone. There are people who can benefit from an initiative and people who can contribute knowledge, experience, resources, and support. We need to be clear about who should benefit--youth and parents, for example--and who can help address the issue or problem--including youth, parents and guardians, teachers, service providers, and others. Knowing who these people are is an important step. In this section, we'll help you identify the people and communities your organization or initiative is trying to reach and involve, as well as the people, organizations, and institutions that can help contribute to positive change. We'll also consider what these partners can do and how you can develop a plan to make sure you have included everyone who can benefit, contribute, or offer important perspectives--and not just the most obvious participants. Sounds simple, doesn't it? It can be. It's a question of being clear, complete, and making sure you look at every angle. Who are the people and communities most directly affected by the problem or issue? You're probably trying to change a certain behavior, condition, or outcome, such as reducing harmful substance use or creating decent jobs. Sometimes, the issue you are addressing is clear; other times, the root causes are less obvious. Children falling asleep in class, for example, might be affected by not having had breakfast rather than by a problem in the school itself. Limited access to food, in turn, may be connected to a family experiencing poverty, inadequate job opportunities, transportation barriers, or other conditions. Talking with people who experience the issue can help you gain a better understanding of what conditions and behaviors contribute to the problem or issue. Like identifying the root causes of a problem, understanding who is most directly affected and who should be involved can be relatively simple or more complex. Generally, people connected to the issue will fall into two broad categories: People who directly experience the problem or experience increased risk People whose actions, decisions, policies, or practices influence the problem or its possible solutions Identifying who directly experiences an issue may sometimes be straightforward. If you are trying to increase immunization among children under two years of age in an urban community, for example, those children, along with their parents or guardians and health care providers, may be among the people most directly connected to the effort. People who inject drugs are important partners in HIV prevention efforts because they may experience increased risk of HIV transmission and can provide essential knowledge about effective prevention strategies. Sometimes, however, the people most directly affected aren't the same people whose actions or decisions need to change. In the immunization example above, children under two years of age can't immunize themselves. Parents and guardians, health care providers, health systems, and others who influence access to vaccination may therefore also need to be involved. In this case, the effort should consider people whose actions, decisions, or practices influence the issue. Examples of these people include: Peers Parents and caregivers Service providers Teachers Business owners and retailers (e.g., those who sell tobacco or alcohol) Elected and appointed officials As you work on an initiative, you will want to consider both people who directly experience the issue and people who can influence the conditions connected to it. Often, people with lived experience can also be important leaders and partners in creating solutions. For example, a community initiative to improve public transportation might use: A media campaign to increase public awareness of transportation challenges and engage people who would benefit from improved transportation A letter-writing campaign directed at public officials who have influence over resource allocations for improved transportation Who can help contribute to improvement? Next, you'll want to identify potential partners in change. Who can influence the people, policies, systems, and conditions connected to the problem or issue? These are individuals or groups who can contribute knowledge, relationships, resources, leadership, or decision-making authority to help address issues that matter to your community. Sometimes, partners in change are members of the same groups as the people most directly affected. You might concentrate part of your "Healthy Eating" campaign on high school science and health teachers, for example, so that they can share nutrition information with their students. In this instance, teachers may both participate in changes themselves and help support broader improvements. Similarly, people with lived experience of gang involvement may contribute to efforts to reduce gang-related violence; peers may influence the academic achievement of other youth; and people who have experienced trauma or loss may help others with similar experiences cope with the effects. Remember that successful community change depends heavily on relationships and collaboration. Ideally, people experiencing the issue are deeply engaged as partners in change. Success is more likely when people spend time together, build trust, care about each other, and recognize each other's contributions. Teachers may be more effective partners when they have the support of parents, just as parents may be more effective when their efforts are supported by teachers. What do partners in change do? Partners in change can contribute in a variety of ways. If they are working closely with someone who is directly affected by the issue, they may do the following: Establish a strong relationship with the person most affected. When people see someone as credible, trustworthy, and caring, they may feel more comfortable sharing their experiences, concerns, and ideas and working together toward change. Understand the issue or problem. In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells his young daughter she must walk around in other people's shoes if she really wants to understand them. A strong partner in change takes a similar approach. To support meaningful change, they need to understand the person's experiences, circumstances, strengths, and the conditions influencing the issue. Support informed choices and opportunities for change. Partners can help people understand available options, identify their own goals, and recognize opportunities and resources that may help them move toward those goals. A mentor, for example, might encourage a student by helping them recognize their strengths, explore educational opportunities, and develop a plan for what they want to pursue after high school. Help make change possible. Deciding to make a change is an important first step, but people may also need information, resources, encouragement, supportive policies, services, or other forms of assistance. Partners in change can help identify and provide the support needed to move from intention to action. Help sustain change. Meaningful change often takes time and ongoing support. Whether someone is returning to school, reducing or stopping substance use, beginning a new job, or pursuing another goal, supportive relationships and access to resources can help them continue making progress. How do you identify people most directly affected and partners in change? So, the next question is: How can you identify everyone who can benefit, contribute, and help? A first step is to answer the following questions. Just for your use, you might want to grab a piece of paper and write down your answers. Often, the act of writing something works as a brainstorming technique, and you'll come up with more ideas than you thought possible. You might do this with other members of your group and with people who experience the issue; the more perspectives you include, the stronger your understanding is likely to be. What is the problem or issue you are trying to address? What really contributes to it? As we mentioned above, you might want to talk with people who experience the issue or do research to better understand the root causes. You might also want to try the "But why" technique. This method examines a problem by asking what caused it. Each time an answer is given, a follow-up, "But why?" is asked. Who might resist the changes you want to make, and why? This is probably information you will want to use later, but it may be helpful to understand these perspectives from the beginning. Now, you're ready to identify the people most directly affected and the partners who may contribute to change. As you did before, write down and brainstorm answers to the following questions. When you're done, review your answers and identify the people and groups who should be involved. For people and communities most directly affected: Who is affected by the problem? Think carefully and go beyond the most obvious people. Consider who directly experiences the issue, whose decisions or circumstances influence it, and what broader conditions may be contributing. For example, if children are struggling in school, consider the perspectives of students, families, teachers, school leaders, community organizations, and public officials, as well as factors such as class size, transportation, access to resources, and opportunities for family engagement. Write down all of the answers that come up. You can always refine the list later. Who has been previously affected by the problem? Should they still be supported or involved? For example, if you are running an immunization program for children under two, ask whether there are older children who did not receive vaccinations when they were younger and could be reached now. Who are the peers of those affected? If you are focusing on youth violence, for example, you might include a broad range of young people in your action plan, not only those who have directly experienced or been involved in violence. For partners in change: Who has the ability or authority to help bring about change? Who has the time, resources, knowledge, relationships, or desire to contribute to change? Who might be able to make a difference if your initiative engages them as a partner? Who has a relationship with the people most directly affected? Whom do community members trust? Who do they turn to for information, guidance, or support? Think about people who have lived experience with the issue. They may be some of the strongest partners in change. For example, a person in recovery from a substance use disorder may be able to provide meaningful peer support to someone who is working toward recovery. They can draw on lived experience, understand many of the challenges involved, and offer support without judgment. For both: Have you thought about people from all parts of your community? Are there different community sectors (e.g., churches and faith communities; schools; businesses) that might become involved? Who does your organization particularly want to reach or work with? With whom do you think you can be particularly effective? What relationships or contacts do you already have that could help? In Summary Identifying the people and communities most directly affected by an issue and the partners who can contribute to change is an important step in your planning process. It helps put the work in context and reminds you that community change is a shared effort. People who experience an issue are not simply recipients of programs or services; they may also bring important knowledge, lived experience, leadership, relationships, and ideas for solutions. By involving people who can both benefit and contribute, your initiative can develop approaches that are more responsive to the community and more likely to create meaningful and lasting change. Contributor Marcelo Vilela Jenette Nagy Stephen B. Fawcett Resources Print Resources Fawcett, S., et al. (1996). Preventing child abuse and neglect: An action planning guide for building a caring community. Lawrence, KS: Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas. Green, L., & Kreuter, M. (1991). Health promotion planning. Mayfield Publishing Company. Rogers, E. (1983). Diffusion of innovations (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Freepress. Watzlawick, P., et al. (1974). Change: Principles of problem formation and problem resolution. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
