What if we accept a new definition of poverty? Poverty as a deprivation of agency. Agency 💪 is the capacity of people and communities to make choices and to be able to act upon them. Research shows that build agency, access to education and associative organization, or entrepreneurship tools, have stronger long-term impacts than strictly assistance-centered models. So, let’s focus on the role of agency for community development!
How do we then self-assess progress? Developing agency, reaching envisioned impact in your life and community? Here’s a usefull tool: The Poverty Stoplight. It is both a self-assessment tool and a poverty reduction … or should we say ‘growth of wellbeing’ methodology? It is developed by Fundación Paraguaya, with the belief that people are the primary agents of their own development. We would like to add: same goes for communities.
The tool 🛠️ helps families to measure their level of multidimensional poverty along 6 dimensions (ranging from income, health, culture to participation and motivation). The tool can support:
-1- to articulate effective action plans, how to move from aspiration to change
-2- getting clarity on goals, priorities and progress
-3- in conveying your plan and goals with mentors and other supportive relationships.
And what is the cherry 🍒 on the cake is the potential the tool has to bring change to the larger community, bringing systemic change bottom up. It empowers peoples to become agents of their own transformation in their own community.
Here’s a question to you, community change agents out there, partners to communities, community based organisations (CBOs): could we use this on the level of community? Could we frame it more on progress on a journey to thriving communities, stressing the growth of wellbeing?
Thanks Michelle Breuer, LL.M. for shining a light on this powerful tool, and Fundacion Paraguaya for the development, and Catalyst Now for openly sharing.