Community Mobilisation

This page describes the community mobilisation model that has been informing the development of a research project for the prevention of violence in Hauraki

Community mobilisation (CM) is a method that empowers communities to take ownership of their own process for social change. It underscores principles of community-wide participation and collaboration; local leadership, decision-making and activities; systematic process, accountability and monitoring of change over time. The CM method is delivered in different ways, throughout the world, to target varying aspirations for social change. The CM model that we have been working with is called SASA! and it is grounded in four (4) theoretical assumptions:

Assumption 1: Violence is always about POWER

violence is a demonstration of power
violence is an abuse of power
violence is caused when one party wants power over another

Therefore:

violence prevention strategies need to address imbalances in power

Assumption 2: POWER is a social construct

power perceptions are socialised by the people around us – family members, friends, peers, neighbours, workmates, our community, society
power perceptions are entrenched by social norms

Therefore:

violence prevention strategies need to target harmful social norms

Assumption 3: SOCIAL NORMS can be changed

Public Health’s Trans-theoretical model (TTL) describes the stages of attitude and behaviour change
TTL provides a framework for conceptualising the phases of a community mobilisation model for violence prevention
each phase of the CM model is associated with a power concept that informs the objectives of violence prevention activities and strategies

Therefore:

SASA! is an acronym for the four phases of a community mobilisation violence prevention model that targets harmful social norms

Assumption 4: Target the Circles of Influence

social norms are shaped by individual, relationship, community and societal factors (Circles of Influence)
targeting the Circles of Influence will create a critical mass and catalyst for social change

Therefore:

a diverse range of primary prevention strategies are needed to target the Circles of Inflence

SASA! was created by Raising Voices, a non-profit organisation in Uganda, to address violence against women, and its connection to HIV/AIDS, within their communities. The Activist Kit contains practical tips and resources that are freely available for other organisations to use and adapt for their own community mobilisation purposes.

SASA! is a toolkit for community mobilisation of violence prevention strategies. The toolkit has four stages: Start-Awareness-Support-Action. Each stage follows a systematic process that begins with the CM Team creating an implementation plan. The implementation plan identifies their goals, intended outcomes, timelines, target groups, activities and processes for monitoring, data collection, assessment and reporting on each stage of the community mobilisation design.

A template for development of the implementation plan: adapted from SASA! for research in Hauraki

Our research project is building a community mobilisation model, for the prevention of violence in Hauraki, around the four phases of SASA!. We are adapting the guidelines, practical tips, resources and templates that Raising Voices have provided in their Activist Kit to meet the needs of Hauraki whānau, individuals and service providers.

A template for development of the community mobilisation plan: adapted from SASA! for research in Hauraki

Tumana Research