Critical Stories of Change
Critical Stories of Change are a critical learning tool to help us understand how and why change happens in the places where we work. It is easy to claim credit for progress. Critical Stories of Change create a platform that enables us to critically assess our work and to document it in a way that is generally accessible.
Instead of doing a traditional case study, which involves few people and little transformation in learning, Critical Stories of Change attempt to facilitate learning at every level; from dialogue around the process, to critically challenging stake and rights holders on the work, to situating the work in the broader political, social and economic context. This exercise aims to provoke readers into a deeper understanding of human rights based approaches.
What do people say?
The first series with Critical Stories from India, Brazil and Kenya has been read widely and praised as a new standard for helping people to understand the realities, difficulties and joys of our rights-based work. The Critical Stories have been used for personal reflection, supported training and in communications work. They have been cited externally as positive examples of the honesty and depth that should be reflected in accountability processes.
Read Critical Stories of Change
India: Bolangir to Hyderabad and the Politics of Poverty – a study of migrant labor (LINK)
Kenya:The Sugar Campaign for Change- a study of a network’s struggle to promote the Kenyan sugar industry.
Brazil: Love of the Heart: Tales from Raizes Vivas Brazil - Women’s Empowerment in Brazil.
Upcoming Critical Stories of Change
Uganda:The Benet Struggle for Land Rights (chosen to illustrate land rights work, and work with indigenous groups)
Rwanda:The Ubudehe participatory planning process (chosen to illustrate governance transformation)
India:Female feticide (chosen to illustrate extent to which discrimination the critical importance of a functioning interior life, empowerment, and issues of compassion and care in rights work)
Europe:Work on the Trade and Civil Society dialogue
