Podcast Archive
Communication and Movements for Change
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Shauna Sylvester grew up in a household that taught her to look and really see the world. She lived and worked in small communities overseas and had a chance to see and understand poverty and injustice first hand.
But Shauna also had a chance to see incredible movements for social change. Motivated by the indigenous movements of the Andes, Las Madres de la Plaza del Mayo, and the anti-apartheid movement, Shauna chose to use the skills she had and put them to use to improve her community.
She co-founded IMPACS, the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society, a Canadian charitable organization committed to the protection and expansion of democracy and to strengthening civil society. As its Executive Director, Shauna has experienced the impact of marketing and communication in the development of a movement for change and has seen how communication can support and grow a movement.
On this page you'll find:
- Meet Shauna Sylvester
- Communications, Marketing & Movements for Change: A Summary
- About IMPACS
- Movements for Change - A Definition
- Communication, Marketing & Movements for Change
- The Role of Communication in Movements
- Thoughts for Further Exploration
- Related Resources and Links
- Links & Resources from IMPACS
- Additional links & resources
Shauna Sylvester
Shauna Sylvester is a founder and Executive Director of IMPACS - the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society.
In her role as Executive Director, she is responsible for delivering IMPACS' international media programmes, which includes projects in Cambodia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Middle East and Guyana. She also overseas the Communication Centre, Canada’s first non-profit public relations and training centre, and the Charities and Democracy project, a national initiative aimed at changing the law governing charities in Canada.
Shauna has served on dozens of boards and committees at the local, national and international level. Currently she serves as B.C.’s member to the Voluntary Sector Forum and as a founding member of the B.C. Social Economy roundtable. In 2003, she was elected to the Board of Directors of VanCity Credit Union, and appointed to the board of the VanCity Capital Corporation. Learn more about Shauna here!
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Communications, Marketing & Movements for Change: A Summary
IMPACS - The Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society
The idea of IMPACS came to Shauna while on a train in the Bronx, while she was working on the Canadian delegation for the Rio Summit. She was so impressed by the ideas coming from civil society organizations as she was when working in international policy. In both situations she realized that the really innovative ideas and solutions were coming from civil society organizations.
Unfortunately, when it came to communicating these solutions to government or the public, civil society organizations did not have a strong voice.
Shauna wanted to create an organization that would help civil society organizations communicate more effectively, especially in public policy so that they could impact social change. She began working on the idea in 1995 – in those days it was called the Citizen’s Media Centre. Together, with Katharine Pearson and Tim Draimin, she created IMPACS – which is at its core an organization that strengthens democracy by increasing the voice and profile of civil society organizations
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Movements for Change - A Definition
Movements aren’t about causes – they are about people. A movement is a group of people who share a set of values (they can be organized formally or informally) and begin to organize and articulate their voice. They come together because they want to make the world a better place or because they can no longer endure injustice.
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Communication, Marketing and Advancing Movements for Change
If you want to inspire social change, you need to spark debate in the public arena because that’s where social change happens. When you deliver and articulate a message that inspires debate, people engage in the debate, and a new vision emerges.
However, the public arena is crowded and competitive. Most non-profits and movements aren’t as sophisticated as government and business in ensuring our message is heard in the public arena, so we need to do things differently. Corporate public relations methods do not work for civil society organizations.
IMPACS work has shown that there are two stages of effort that are most important for movements for change:
Firstly, groups need to clearly define the change that they want and they need to identify specific opportunities to lever that change. Very few groups do this. Generally, groups are great at knowing what they don’t want, but they can’t describe in appealing detail what they do want. Understand the change you want to make.
For example, the peace movement came to IMPACS for help with its communication strategy. They realized that the change they needed was to capture a younger audience because the movement's leaders were aging. After some research on youth and the policy issues that they were concerned about, the movement went from an old campaign of, "We said no nukes!" to an engagement campaign for youth, "Bombs Away", that focused on policy work related to proliferation. The campaign saw 200,000 young people visit the website within a couple of weeks and engaged youth in the movement.
The second step is for groups to understand in the deepest way possible who has the power to advance that change. We need to walk in the shoes of the people we are trying to influence. We need to know what they believe, what they are passionate about and we need to shift away from talking at them to understanding what would motivate them to deliver the change we want.
This is where real transformation occurs – when we can deeply understand opposing views and develop the ability to address these in a manner that delivers the change we want to see in the world.
Once you know what change you want and you deeply understand the audience that can deliver that change, then your strategies and messages will fall into place.
But groups must also not forget their base. Communicate at all times with your base of support and make sure that they are in support of the changes you want to make and your message.
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The Role of Communication in Movements for Change
Movements are messy and organic and that’s a good thing! A healthy ecosystem is one that is diverse. Diversity of voices is absolutely critical for a democracy.
The old saying is true, “The right has never gone to Washington with one voice”. We need all voices in the public arena. The extremes set the middle. As hard as it might be, we should not suppress or fight against those diversity of voices within a movement – we should embrace them. Different groups have a role to play in social change - they move the debate.
IMPACS offers communications training to groups that are a part of a myriad of movements. In British Columbia they have been working for years with the environmental community in helping them understand their audiences better and assisting them with crafting their messages in a way that speaks to those audiences.
Through research and polling they helped to bridge the environmental communities' issues with the values that British Columbians hold dear.
When IMPACS started this work in 1998, environmentalists were seen as shrill, against jobs and as a fragmented community with little credibility. IMPACS polled the community to find out what mattered to British Columbians, and aligned the environmental messages so that they bridged environmental issues with values of British Columbians.
By 2003 the credibility of environmentalists as messengers climbed 18%. In part this rise in credibility is because environmental groups started to speak to the values of their audiences – they began to collaborate more effectively in delivering their messages. No one organization can claim the credit for this –but IMPACS has played an important role by focusing on building the capacity of groups to communicate more effectively with their audience.
Groups can create messaging that resonates with the audience without losing their autonomy or position within a movement.
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Thoughts for Further Exploration
Shauna's worked for over nine years, often in conflict zones, and has many valuable experiences and lessons to share regarding movements for change. We asked her to share some ideas or advice for movement builders.
She hopes that we all remember that we are human beings; that we don’t become so driven, so focused on our cause that we forget that we are human beings. She has come to reject her early years of confrontational activism. Having seen the impact of conflict in Pakistan and India, in Afghanistan, and around the world, she seeks to find openings/meeting points for dialogue and collaboration.
If we can’t work on getting beyond what separates us from the person we are meeting with across the table – whether they are a senior official in the Ministry of Finance or a colleague in a coalition – then what hope do we have that countries can move beyond conflict?
And so Shauna seeks to create spaces where others can thrive, a collaborative environment where we can suspend our own, and our organizational ego.
IMPACS work has a similar theme, although it’s a little more subtle – how can groups shift in articulating their issues from a rights-based place to a solutions based place?
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Related Resources and Links
Articles and Resources Available from IMPACS
Charities & Democracy Project - IMPACS, working in association with Imagine Canada took up the issue of charities and advocacy in late 2000. The first phase of the project, then called the Charities and Advocacy project, ran from December 2000 to December 2001 and consisted of research and a national dialogue. Learn more here.
Turning up the Volume on Civil Society - This issue of Activate focuses on the role volunteers can play in increasing a not-for-profit’s public profile.
Countering Media Stereotypes the Not-for-profit Way - Looking at poverty as a case study, this issue of Activate describes ways of challenging the generalizations and stereotypes that the media makes about poverty.
Operational Framework for Media and Peacebuilding, 2002 - How can media be used in the peacebuilding process? IMPACS has developed a framework. Access it here.
Messaging and NGOs a Few Common Challenges - Do you want to know the most common communication mistakes made by organizations? Read more here.
Public Speaking - Learn how you can effectively communicate your organization’s mission and purpose in a public forum here.
Developing Effective Media Communications Skills - This fantastic resource with lots of tips and helpful hints is a must-read for the person in your organization who speaks to the media.
Not for profits: brand superstars in the making? - This article discusses the rationale and practical steps for organizations establishing a value-based brand that is clear, recognizable and represents the organization. Two case studies are included at the end.
The not for profit sector – Canada’s sleeping giant - The not for profit sector is a trusted voice in Canada and contributes greatly to Canada’s GDP. What better group, then, to work together, find a collective voice and harness the power they possess!
Plan the Work: A Handbook for Strategic Communications - This resource asks the questions you need to answer in order to create a strategic communications plan for your organization.
IMPACS Media Toolkit - Would you like some advice on how to hold a news conference or write an op/ed? Read more here.
Helping Charities Speak Out: What Funders Can Do - The key points of the Canadian Revenue Agency’s policy on political activities by charities are outlined as well as some practical steps that funders can take.
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Additional Links & Resources
Civic Gemstones: The Emergent Communities Movement - This paper provides a clear snapshot of a vision for positive social change through citizen movements.
Greenpeace’s Campaign Strategies - A fantastic example of an organization that uses the media, and engages in direct actions, political lobbying and public awareness to get its message to the world. Read how they did it here.
The Advocacy Institute - The Advocacy Institute provides a wealth of resources, toolkits, and ideas, which can help you develop a strategy for building a movement for change.
Branding Your Organization through your Website - Your website says a lot about you, but is it saying the right things? For help, check out this resource.
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©2011 Tamarack — An Institute for Community Engagement