Communication for Social Change

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Communication for Social Change (CFSC) is a process of public and private dialogue through which people themselves define who they are, what they need and how to get what they need in order to improve their own lives. It utilizes dialogue that leads to collective problem identification, decision making and community-based implementation of solutions to development issues.
(Definition from the Communication for Social Change Consortium)

• From Gumucio-Dagron, A. Text from unpublished article, 2004. Communication for Social Change: A key for participatory development. CFSC Consortium, Inc.:

"The driving forces of communication for social change can be synthesized as follows: [a] Sustainability of social changes is certain when individuals and communities affected acquire ownership of the communication process and contents; [b] communication for social change is horizontal and strengthens community bonds by amplifying the voices of the poorest; [c] communities should be the protagonists of their own change and manage their communication tools; [d] rather than focusing on persuasion and information dissemination, communication for social change promotes dialogue, debate and negotiation from within communities; [e] the results of the CFSC process must go beyond individual behaviour and consider social norms, current policies, culture and the general development context; [f] CFSC strives to strengthen cultural identity, trust, commitment, voice ownership and generally community empowerment; [g] it rejects the linear model of information transmission from a central sender to an individual receiver, and promotes instead a cyclical process of interactions focused on shared knowledge and collective action.

[edit] Five essential conditions

Communication for social change is a live process which is difficult to capture with academic definitions. However, there are at least five essential characteristics or conditions that are present in processes of communication for social change:

[1] Community participation and ownership

Too many communication projects in the context of development have failed due to lack of participation and commitment from the subjects of change. “Access” to mass media has proved insufficient and has often resulted in manipulations with vested interests. Therefore, one of the main CFSC conditions is participation and ownership of the communication process and contents.

[2] Language and cultural relevance

For several decades development programmes were imposed on Third World nations, while communication strategies were designed in the laboratories of industrialised countries. The same models, messages, formats and techniques were utilised –and still are today- in distinct cultural contexts. The communication process cannot ignore or deny the specificity of each culture and language; on the contrary, it will support them to acquire legitimacy. Cultural interaction -or the exchanges between languages and cultures- is healthy when it happens within a framework of equity and respect, through critical dialogue, debate on ideas and solidarity.

[3] Generation of local contents

Vertical models of communication for development take for granted the fact that poor communities in developing nations lack “knowledge”. Access to information generated in industrialised countries is seen as the silver bullet. CFSC strengthens local knowledge and promotes exchanges in equal terms, learning through dialogue in a process of mutual growth. For CFSC, the generation of local contents and the revival of knowledge accumulated over decades is fundamental.

[4] The use of appropriate technology

Fascination with technological innovation, often presented as the sine qua non condition for development, can lead to greater dependency. Many projects failed because they were equipped with technology that people were unable to pay for, renew and control. Communication for social change promotes processes, not technologies. The use of technology must be adapted not only to the real needs but to the potential of ownership by the actors involved in each stage of the process.

[5] Network and convergence

Communication processes that isolate themselves, that do not establish dialogue with similar experiences, are less likely to grow and be sustainable. CFSC promotes dialogue and debate, not only within the community, but also towards similar processes. Networking contributes to strengthening the process and exchanges add richness to them."

[edit] External link

• Communication for Social Change Consortium