Training Kit Personalised Social Support 2012 Module 6

Training Kit : Personalised Social Support 2012 Module 6: Empowerment Shirin Kiani and Annie Lafrenière (Technical Resources Division) Handicap International 2012

Overview 1. What is empowerment? • Process or result? 2. Measuring empowerment • • • Within yourself Towards life Towards others 3. Path to empowerment 4. Special considerations when empowering… • • • Someone with a disability Women Children older persons minorities

What is empowerment? Process or result?

em. POWERment is… • Knowing what you want and being able to get it • Having more control over your life and making choices • Thinking for yourself and taking action on the things you want.

Process AND result Empowerment is a process that we go through daily, weekly, monthly to learn how to gain more control over our lives. Empowerment is a result that we reach with the daily self-work that we do. Empowerment is a life long project and though we can achieve some satisfactory level of empowerment (result), there is always more work to do (process)!

Empowerment varies with each culture The need for empowerment is universal but…. It will vary from culture to culture What does empowerment look like in your culture?

Measuring empowerment • Within yourself • Towards others • Towards your life

1. Empowerment… within yourself What does it mean? What does it look like?

Empowerment…within yourself • Understand accept your limitations • Know and use your strengths • Choose goals based on knowing and valuing yourself • Willing to make difficult decisions yourself • Problem solve or know where to get help • Desire to acquire skills/knowledge • Self-esteem/confidence in who you are and what you can offer the world.

Within yourself • Locus of control: who controls my life? • Reflection: self-observation & evaluation • Self knowledge: How do I think, feel and behave about different things? • Choice making: what do I prefer? • Decision making: what do I want?

Key to empowerment within… is deciding where to put your LOCUS OF CONTROL

Locus of Control • Internal LOC – Person perceives him/herself as responsible for certain things. – his or her actions would have a direct affect on the result. • External LOC – one would most often blame (or thank) fate, destiny, luck, society or some other force beyond his/her control.

Are you internally or externally controlled? Questions to ask yourself

Questions to ask yourself • Do you like to have other people help you make decisions or you make decisions by yourself? • Do you think people’s unhappiness is due to bad luck or their own fault/choice? • Do you think it is common to get our parents’ personalities no matter what or you think we develop the personalities we want to be? • Is getting a good job a result of luck or hard work? • Will a good leader decide for a group, or help group members decide for themselves?

People with an External LOC… • think outside circumstances caused their mistakes • credit their successes to luck rather than to their own efforts • are readily influenced by the opinions of others • are more likely to pay attention to the statements of the opinionleader.

People with an Internal LOC… • take responsibility for their actions • are not easily influenced by the opinions of others • pay more attention to the quality of someone’s opinion not WHO has the opinion • tend to do better at tasks when they can work at their own pace

2. Empowerment towards others What does it mean? What does it look like?

Towards others • Self-expression: I can defend my position and my choices • Non-abusive relationships: . I know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’. • Negotiation and communication: We can agree on what is fair for both of us. • Self-advocacy: I can explain my rights to others when they are disrespected. • Leadership: I speak and act on issues that matter to me • Acceptance of others: I accept others as they are, just as I ask others accept me as I am.

3. Empowerment… towards your life What does it mean? What does it look like?

Towards your life • Know how and where to access to resources/money/ people and how to use those things to improve your own life – how to get help, where to go, who to speak to, how to speak to them to get the things you need. • Know about and use support systems • Able to take risks e. g. financial risk to start business, make decisions to become allied with various people that you may not know well, but where benefit may be. • Participating fully in different activities and opportunities

Taking risks… a part of empowerment I have missed over 9, 000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. 26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan

Self-reflection w w w Before we can empower others, we first need to be empowered and know what this means. Reflect on what we have discussed so far & what you have learned about yourself What work do YOU still have to do, to be empowered? Areas of empowerment Within: Towards others: Towards life: How to develop them

Empowerment Within yourself Empowerment Towards others Empowerment in life

Path to empowerment: Process of personal change

Change happens all the time (p. 21) • Sometimes change happens to us impairment as result of accident • Sometimes we make change happenempowerment Change is a normal part of life and being human and building our lives…. but it can be difficult and we need to help people through it!

Change is not easy… and takes time Mourning process is normal

Think of one personal change you made in your life Do you remember going through these stages?

Special consideration when empowering… • Someone with a disability • Women • Children • Older persons • Minorities

Empowering someone with a disability What are the challenges and opportunities in empowering someone with a disability?

Empowering someone with a disability Challenges • Common that decisions were made for them by family, throughout their life. • May have experienced isolation, lack of power, lack of idea on opportunities. • Accessibility needs have to be met, for them to participate in community life. Opportunities • Role models with disabilities exist and are good inspiration for PWD. • EVERYONE has abilities and can find ways to contribute to their own life.

Empowering women Do you think some women are oppressed (or treated unequally) in your society, and why would that be so ? What are the challenges and opportunities in empowering women?

Empowering women Challenges • Long history oppression from men/society due gender roles and cultural norms. • Economic dependence on husbands • High risk of abuse and disabling situations Opportunities • There are women’s groups almost in all villages, to link up women with peers • Women are creative and resourceful as they manage many things at once (family, work)

Empowering children What are the challenges and opportunities in empowering children?

Empowering children Challenges • Physically small/invisible, have small/no voice • Risk of abuse/oppression if vulnerable • May agree with adults, and not express needs Opportunities • Absorb new attitudes/behavior better than adults • Can be creative, resilient and forget past difficulties if presented with new opportunities

Empowering older persons What are the challenges and opportunities in empowering older persons?

Empowering older persons Challenges: • Invisible and vulnerable to abuse • Multiple needs and dependence on others (economic, physical, emotional) Opportunities: • Have wisdom and life experience, which may make them more resilient. • May have contact/support from life

Empowering minority groups What are the challenges and opportunities in empowering minority groups?

Empowering minority groups Challenges: • Long standing oppression from majority. • Systems around them may discriminate. • May be afraid as have experienced hardship. Opportunities: • Minority community may be supportive and close-knit, find mentors/role models.

Link to practice • Give participants 10 minutes to answer these questions individually on a piece of paper, and then do a roundtable with each person sharing some of their answers. • What are the most memorable things you have learned about empowerment? • Do you find that you are empowered enough in your life ? What do you need to do. • Do you think you could become a role model to empower other ? • Do you have examples of empowerment in your own life ? • How will you work to help others deal better with personal change?