The Struggle for Health

Learning objectives

This topic has been developed to enable participants to:

• identify and analyse the kinds of skills and knowledges that are needed to support activist work in the particular settings in which they are working;
• work together to identify the knowledge and skill areas needed to support activist work which different members of the group bring and can share;
• identify their own particular learning needs and develop plans for acquiring what they identify as priority knowledges and skills in this area.

Why does health matter? My health? Your health?

Compassion and fairness. It matters to me to be able to live life to the full. Why does your health matter to me? It matters because your pain is my pain; I feel your limitations. Unfairness matters to me also: the inequalities in resources and opportunities and the consequent inequalities in health and access.

Levels of struggle; degrees of sharing. Sometimes the struggle is very personal; hard to share with others. They may have glimpses of what you are going through. You struggle with the pain, the limitations, the sadness because you living is worthwhile; although perhaps not for everyone. It is also a family and community struggle; for a safe and healthy environment; for healthy ways of living; for access to care when we need it. We struggle together because of compassion but also because our futures are bound together; although not always. How shall we globalise our solidarity?

Giving and loving as well as struggling. Struggle is important but it is only half of the story. Loving, listening and giving are the moments which make the struggle worthwhile and the glue which helps us to struggle together. How far can they extend? Without the loving, listening and giving, the struggle is cold and mechanical.

Contents

• Theories of social change
• Working in groups
• Meetings and governance
• Using modern computer and information technologies
• Working with communities
• Conscientisation and Popular Education
• Building the Movement
• Practical Skills in Organising
• Learning and Sharing

Theories of Social Change

Activist practice is based on theories of social change. Not always articulated. One of the benefits of articulating our theories of social change is that we can criticise and develop them and perhaps practice more effectively.

Presentation
Developing our theories of social change

References

Virginia Coover, Ellen Deacon, Charles Esser and Christopher Moore (1985) Resource Manual for a Living RevolutionPhiladelphia PA & Santa Cruz CA, New Society Publishers.

Working in groups

We spend a lot of our time working in groups. There are some common principles about making groups work well as well as some common problems. It is useful to have the language to speak about group processes (facilitation, group dynamics, active listening, I statements, etc.

Presentation
Working in groups

Reference

Wikipedia: Storming, norming and forming

Virginia Coover, Ellen Deacon, Charles Esser and Christopher Moore (1985) Resource Manual for a Living RevolutionPhiladelphia PA & Santa Cruz CA, New Society Publishers

Meetings and governance

Watch this space

Working with communities

Learning objectives
This topic has been developed to enable participants to:

• broaden their experience of working with communities through sharing stories within the group;
• identify some of the key principles (and traps to avoid) which might guide effective practice in working with communities; and
• develop their own skills in and approaches to working with communities.

Notes
people power as a force for change; empowerment as a path to health; working in communities; working with communities; popular education; community development; participatory action research; collective self-help;

Presentation

Working with communities

(Also bilingual, English and Spanish)

Discussion Questions

Acknowledgement
This topic developed with input from Hari and Prem John.

Conscientisation and Popular Education

Consciousness raising

Pre-reading and websites

Helping Health Workers Learn by David Werner: How Human Relations Affect Health

Healthwrights Publications

Take Coca Cola down

Karmabanque

Books and articles on Freire

This topic developed by Maria Hamlin-Zuniga.

Building the Movement

Structures and history of PHM. Strategies for reaching out. Creating a culture of support. etc

Practical Skills in Organising

Project planning and project management.
Planning, budgets, timelines, resources, funding,
Strategic planning

See also the Information and Communications Technology page

Learning and Sharing

Learning opportunities. Mentoring. Action Research.

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