Vincentian Systemic Change Fall 2017

What is Vincentian Systemic Change? “Systemic Change among those living in poverty aims beyond providing food, clothing, shelter, and alleviating immediate needs. It enables people to engage in the identification of the root causes of their poverty and to create strategies, including advocacy, to change those structures that keep them in poverty. Systemic Change requires transforming attitudes.​”

Wait… what? In its simplest form, Vincentian Systemic Change recognizes community difficulties and aims to explore long term solutions in addition to meeting basic needs.

Vincentian Roots St. Vincent was never content to simply give food, shelter, or medicine to the poor. He always looked for ways to help them overcome poverty in all its forms in a more sustained manner.

Five Criteria of Systemic Change Projects Sustainability Replicability Scope Innovation Long-Range Social Impact Five Criteria of Systemic Change Projects

1. Long-Range Social Impact Long-range social impact ensures that the project helps change the overall life-situation of those who benefit from it.

2. Sustainability Sustainability confirms that the project helps create the social structures that are needed for a permanent change in the lives of the poor.

3. Replicability Replicability allows for the project to be adapted to solve similar problems in other places, in a variety of circumstances.

4. Scope Scope calls for the project to be spread beyond its initial context and be used successfully in other settings.

5. Innovation Innovation encourages that the project has brought about significant social change by transforming traditional practice.

Three Steps of Systemic Change Projects Step 1: Systematize Step 2: Institutionalize Step 3: Evaluate

Step 1: Systematize Take stock of the current situation. Focus not just on the individual aspects of the problem, but on the system as a whole, with its many aspects. Create a vision of what you want the system to look like and accomplish. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the current system in light of the vision. Discern where to attempt to break into the cycle of poverty. Target several priority items for improvement. Establish a plan for addressing these priority items and for measuring success. Plan to involve the poor themselves, including women and young people at all stages.

Step 2: Institutionalize Like buildings, projects last only if they are well-structured. If a project is to be sustainable, it must be “institutionalized”; that is, structures must be created for planning, governing, financing, modifying and continuing the project as time goes on.

Step 3: Evaluate Evaluation is an indispensable follow-up to action. A periodic review of a project provides the opportunity to assess positive and negative aspects and, as problems arise or circumstances change, to adjust its goals, methods, and means. Assess progress regularly and revise actions as needed.

Remember… Changing Structures – Changing Lives In works among the poor, our focus must be broader than any one particular problem; we must aim beyond providing food, clothing and shelter to alleviate immediate needs. Systemic change focuses on assisting the poor to change the overall structures within which they live. It looks to their being able to develop strategies by which they can emerge from poverty. Charity vs. Justice

Example The Flat Tire Click on the link to the right and follow the scenario (using the arrows at the bottom) in order to get a better idea of systemic change in daily life.

Quick Recap! Click below… A Story of Systemic Change

References Systemic Change Resources. (famvin400). Retrieved May 17, 2017, from http://vinformation.org/en/vincentian-formation-resources/systemic- change-resources/ http://vinformation.org/en/vincentian-formation-resources/systemic-change- resources/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9psa7iYkNfE