Change Agents And Targets Analysis
Identifying the Change Agents and Targets
When doing work in your community, the first thing to decide is what is the issue or problem you want to address. Whether you are teaching kids to read or trying to create safer neighbourhoods, it's your group's reason for being; it's what you're all about.
But, you and your organisation are not alone. There are people who can benefit and people who can help. That is, there are people for whom your initiative has things to offer and people from whom you can learn and get assistance. We need to be clear about who should benefit--youth and parents, for example--and people who can help address the issue or problem--including youth, parents and guardians, teachers, service providers, and others. …show more content…
Who can help with the improvement (the agents of change)?
Next, you'll want to look at potential agents of change. Who can influence the people and the conditions that contribute to the problem or issue? These are the key individuals or groups who, if they put forth an effort, can help address the issues that matter to your community.
Sometimes, agents of change can be members of the same group as the targets of change you identified earlier. You might concentrate part of your "Healthy Eating" campaign on high school science and health teachers, for example, so that they in turn will pass on nutrition information to their students. In this instance, the teachers are the people whose behaviour you are trying to change, and also the people who can help make improvement happen. Similarly, gang members may be in a position to contribute to reductions in gang-related violence; peers, in a position to influence academic achievement of other youth; and people who have experienced trauma or loss, in a position to help others with similar experiences cope with the …show more content…
If they are working with someone who is directly affected by the problem, they will probably do the following:
Establish a strong relationship with the person most affected. If the target of change sees them as someone credible, trustworthy, and caring, it is much more likely they will confide in the agent of change, and listen to his or her advice.
Diagnose the issue or problem. In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells his young daughter she must walk around in other people's shoes if she really wants to understand them. A good agent of change does the same thing. To help someone change unsafe or harmful behaviour, she needs to really understand why that behaviour is happening.
Convince the person experiencing the issue of the need for (and of the possibility of) a change. The support person might be responsible for convincing someone that her behaviour is a problem, that alternatives exist, and that things really can change. A surrogate "big sister" might convince her "little sister" of the importance of school, and of what her opportunities might be if she finishes. Finally, she could convince her that she is plenty smart enough to get her
When doing work in your community, the first thing to decide is what is the issue or problem you want to address. Whether you are teaching kids to read or trying to create safer neighbourhoods, it's your group's reason for being; it's what you're all about.
But, you and your organisation are not alone. There are people who can benefit and people who can help. That is, there are people for whom your initiative has things to offer and people from whom you can learn and get assistance. We need to be clear about who should benefit--youth and parents, for example--and people who can help address the issue or problem--including youth, parents and guardians, teachers, service providers, and others. …show more content…
Who can help with the improvement (the agents of change)?
Next, you'll want to look at potential agents of change. Who can influence the people and the conditions that contribute to the problem or issue? These are the key individuals or groups who, if they put forth an effort, can help address the issues that matter to your community.
Sometimes, agents of change can be members of the same group as the targets of change you identified earlier. You might concentrate part of your "Healthy Eating" campaign on high school science and health teachers, for example, so that they in turn will pass on nutrition information to their students. In this instance, the teachers are the people whose behaviour you are trying to change, and also the people who can help make improvement happen. Similarly, gang members may be in a position to contribute to reductions in gang-related violence; peers, in a position to influence academic achievement of other youth; and people who have experienced trauma or loss, in a position to help others with similar experiences cope with the …show more content…
If they are working with someone who is directly affected by the problem, they will probably do the following:
Establish a strong relationship with the person most affected. If the target of change sees them as someone credible, trustworthy, and caring, it is much more likely they will confide in the agent of change, and listen to his or her advice.
Diagnose the issue or problem. In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells his young daughter she must walk around in other people's shoes if she really wants to understand them. A good agent of change does the same thing. To help someone change unsafe or harmful behaviour, she needs to really understand why that behaviour is happening.
Convince the person experiencing the issue of the need for (and of the possibility of) a change. The support person might be responsible for convincing someone that her behaviour is a problem, that alternatives exist, and that things really can change. A surrogate "big sister" might convince her "little sister" of the importance of school, and of what her opportunities might be if she finishes. Finally, she could convince her that she is plenty smart enough to get her