Manifesto of Purpose:
Do’s and dont’s

The Voice Group

THE PURPOSE OF THE DEVELOPMENT SECTOR:

“The purpose of the Development Sector is
to awaken the potential within all of us
to work for the greater and common good.”

WE CAN ACHIEVE THIS GOAL BY:

1. respecting the sacredness of personhood while building community;
   
   
2. acknowledging the complexity of life and the interdependence between people and the environment;
   
   
3. creating space for people to ‘name the world in order to transform it’ (Paulo Freire);
   
   
4. facilitating social change;
   
   
5. Promoting and modeling consistent practices which are in line with our shared values;
   
   
6. Bringing hope for the future.

 

WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT SECTOR SHOULD START DOING (OR SHOULD DO MORE OF)

As Development Practitioners we should start:

• thinking for ourselves and developing our conceptual abilities – really thinking about how change happens and engaging with theories, philosophies and practitioners of other disciplines who have opinions about this;
  
  
• connecting with people in poor communities who are actively resisting;
  
  
• embracing diversity and escaping the prison of our comfort zones;
  
  
• speaking with an authentic voice about our successes;
  
  
• making more music, more poetry, more dance – more enjoyment!
  
  
• integrating our work, wherever possible;
  
  
• listening to children and to the youth;
  
  
• being forward thinking – being aware of the crisis curve;
  
  
• engaging in critical collaboration and promoting inclusive development partnerships;
  
  
• learning from one another;
  
  
• addressing the divide between rich and poor;
  
  
• amplifying the voices of the poor and excluded;
  
  
• reflect on what we are doing;
  
  
• promoting a world where everyone has sufficient without depleting the planet;
  
  
• believing in the value of what we do;
  
  
• being more inclusive and spiritual in what we do;
  
  
• working with polarities – and accepting their existence!
  
  
• thinking more holistically;
  
  
• singing at least twice a day!

 

WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT SECTOR SHOULD KEEP ON DOING:

• Working with and for people
• Networking and sharing
• Asking questions of ourselves: What are our values? What do we know? What do we fear?
• Listening, reflecting, trying
• Creating more spaces and dialogues that bring together people across the ‘sectors’
• Loving and thinking
• Acting consciously
• Working for Systems Change!
• Not taking ourselves too seriously!

WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT SECTOR SHOULD RISK DOING:

• Talking and listening to those who seem closed.
• Having opinions – and showing ourselves!
• Asking “What would happen if…?”
• Exploring new ways of interacting with people.
• Researching, publishing, sharing sound best practices.
• Acknowledging the importance of theory as a powerful motivator in our work and in the world.
• Declaring the naked emperors!
• Telling people how we really feel.
• Being vulnerable and admitting our shortcomings.
• Being more playful in our facilitations.
• Bringing more poetry, and less prose.
• Simply playing.
• Making mistakes.
• Taking on the big guys and working to change their practice.

WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT SECTOR SHOULD STOP DOING:

• Reacting in inadequate, inappropriate and underprepared ways.
• Being defensive and seeking justification for our existence.
• Agreeing to ‘go to scale’ and to ‘replicate’.
• Separating ourselves from connecting with others.
• Giving up.
• Doubting our own role or practice.
• Thinking we have all the answers.
• Competing.
• Being victims.
• Failing to exercise our power.
• Being donor driven.
• Doing unnecessary harm in the world.
• Running away from our mistakes (if we do we can’t learn from them).
• Acting as ‘know it alls’ – rather than acknowledging people’s potential.
• Making promises that can’t or won’t be kept.
• Taking development projects into communities that domesticate their own ways of mobilizing and making people passive.
• Thinking ‘project’.
• Deciding for others.

to top...