People-driven Solutions: An Introduction to Facilitating Deep Participation for Systemic Change Through Systemic Action Research Programming

Abstract

CLARISSA evidence builds upon an existing body of evidence (Burns, 2014; Howard et al., 2021) around deeply participatory processes, where children and adults are given significant decision-making power, and supported to collect data, analyse, and take action in order to shift system dynamics to improve their lives. Critical factors within a process of whole systems change are facilitating child- and people-driven evidence generation; participatory learning and action processes around underlying system dynamics and how they drive a problem; and a high level of collective ownership by participants. These critical factors can be enabled through a facilitation approach, inclusive participation, collective problem-solving, and by giving more decision-making power to children and adult stakeholders by considering them as agents of change. The purpose of this resource is to introduce development and humanitarian organisations and their teams to a programme approach and methodology which can enable deeply participatory, learning- and action-oriented, whole systems change. It is written with the understanding that while most development and humanitarian organisations and programmes are not set up to ‘do research’, this does not mean that they cannot start to use the principles of a Systemic Action Research approach to enhance their work. This resource can help demystify the perception that robust, participatory, child- and people-led Action Research is more difficult or not possible; only relevant for monitoring, evaluation and learning teams; or that the methods are too technical for most practitioners or local participants.