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Family-Based Social Change
Model: |
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As a result of over 10 years of community engagement work,
HWAT is developing a
Family-Based Social Change Model (FSCM) which is
culturally specific whose purpose is to improve the
lives of Hmong women and girls by engaging families in
creating social change.
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Improve the lives of Hmong women and girls by engaging
families in creating social change.
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1. At least 40 people (20 men, 20
women) will participate in piloting the FSCM.
2. The FSCM strategy will be
tested in 3 Hmong home- and family-based gatherings.
3. The underlying logic model and
the FSCM strategy will be refined based on participants'
and facilitators' evaluation of their experience.
4. HWAT will develop a plan for
full implementation.
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Hold family-based gatherings in someone's home. After
sharing dinner, guests participate in facilitated
conversations about gender issues in the Hmong community.
If successful over time, these gatherings should:
▪
Engage family members in a discussion of gender equity for
Hmong women and girls.
▪
Bring male supporters to the table and enlist them as
allies.
▪
Create a safe and trusting environment that will allow men
and women to engage in a conversation about gender issues
and social change.
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This project comes out of HWATs recently completed
community engagement process. Over 3 months, HWAT engaged
Hmong community members in a discussion of gender and
equity issues and their perception of HWATs operations and
services. Six key themes came out of the process:
▪
Double-bind messages permeate discussions of gender roles
and responsibilities.
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Fear is a barrier to holding discussions on gender and
equity.
▪
Language is powerful, and the language used with which
audiences and when plays an important role in promoting
gender and equity.
▪
Coalitions of support including Hmong men and non-Hmong
allies will help communicate HWATs messages and move the
issue forward.
▪
Hmong men who support HWATs cause need support themselves
to discuss gender and equity openly.
▪
Gender and equity and gender and equity issues need to be
defined as they apply to Hmong culture.
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These Key Themes Led HWAT to
Five Next Steps: |
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1. Develop and implement
strategies to cultivate community supporters and allies.
2. Create targeted key messages on gender and equity
work.
3. Explore education and information forums, talking
circles, or dialogues to increase visibility and
participation in HWAT's work and to inform HWAT's
stakeholders about gender and equity issues.
4. Support Hmong men as they address gender and equity
issues in the community.
5. Create an organizational brand identity. HWAT's new
Family-Based Social Change Model is an outgrowth of these
recommendations.
It is story is one of grass-roots mobilization to
organize Hmong women and girls for the purpose of building
on their assets and strengths so that they can break down
the cultural barriers that prevent them from assuming
leadership roles and being recognized as key contributors
in the community.
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