What’s Your (Digital) Elevator Speech?
Complex policy issues are… well, complex. So explaining “the problem” and “the solution” in clear, concise ways can really trip us up. That’s why we tip our hats to colleagues at the Aspen Institute’s Sports and Society Program for doing a bang-up job of visually explaining the problem and the solution they’re tackling with their initiative Project Play. Oh, and their full playbook for increasing kids’ access to an early, positive sports experience – based on gatherings with hundreds of thought leaders – is pretty badass too. Go team!
Second Thoughts About Participation?
We beat the drum at “So What?” for accountability and constituency voice. We’re so-o-o darn inclusive. Just last week, we highlighted Carlisle Levine and Laia Grino’s piece on participation in evaluation. Response to the piece on the estimable Pelican listserv included these thoughtful second thoughts from Charles Dhewa. He wrote from Harare’s vibrant Mbare market:
As practitioners I think we have over-emphasized ownership and inclusion even where it’s not practical. Some of the farmers I work with have told me that they don’t have the time or cognitive space to own and be included in every process that affects them. ‘We don’t have to be involved in breeding vegetable seeds in order to use & own them. Neither do we have to participate in designing a piece of machinery in order to use and keep it for the rest of our lives,’ one farmer said… If we were going to get everyone’s involvement, honestly development would grind to a halt.
Word.
Hey, Where’s the Third Item?
Readers know we always do three. But that second one was long. And we are not bound by mindless convention. See?
