Challenging Despair with Strategic Action – A Vincentian Approach to Sustainable Change
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Challenging Despair with Strategic Action – A Vincentian Approach to Sustainable Change
Despair is not a strategy, nor is hopelessness. And honestly, neither is hope alone a strategy. And we are in desperate need of strategic thinking and purposeful action in these tumultuous times. Those of us who follow the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac are ever mindful of the value that our energies, efforts and actions create in serving the poor, and how critical planning and strategizing are in realizing our goals.
These are not facile assertions. They come at a time when the impact of our work — whether it be in the field, as NGO representatives to the U.N., or in the general NFP realm — is not always apparent, is sometimes insufficient and is usually not immediately gratifying. The emotional toll can be overwhelming as we work tirelessly yet glean that the targets of our work appear unchanged. It is something we wrestle with as witnesses of the bulldozing effects perpetrated by the inhumane treatment of the marginalized in society, how they threaten civility, and how they empower those holding power and privilege over the rights and dignity of those devoid of power – those who have neither the influence, resources nor active voice to sustain positive change in their lives. Persevering under these odds can be daunting, Sisyphean even, but it remains up to us — the activists, advocates, volunteers, all in service of a greater good – to repair the damage that is done through callousness and sheer clout. How do we persevere? How do we ultimately succeed?
At a recent side event during the Financing for Development Forum this past month co-sponsored by the Association Internationale des Charités, the member of the Vincentian family that I represent at the U.N., I reflected on these issues and confronted my own sense of hopelessness and disillusionment in the face of the onerous challenges that put achievement of our goals at risk. Yet, I emerged not only hopeful but armed with strategies for effecting transformative and sustainable change. We operate in an arena of injustices – this is without question. And injustices are fueled in environments where financial and digital inclusion are denied to the most vulnerable among us. We know that establishing financial and digital access for all in society is required if we are ever able to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots. And we acknowledge that access must be accompanied by investments in good governance, oversight and regulatory frameworks to sustain growth and ensure continuity of the flow of benefits to the marginalized.
Similarly, in our work to end homelessness, we constitute meaning out of policy changes we help to enact that recognize that everyone has a right to a safe, secure and affordable home. As co-chair of the Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH) at the U.N., I was proud to help organize a recent event we hosted at the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) entitled “A Home for All is Justice for All” (https://www.wgehomelessness.org/events). Our distinguished panelists, including one with lived experience of homelessness, drove home the point that homelessness is “…Not an inevitable social failure. It is a preventable injustice”[1], promulgated by discrimination, domestic violence, a biased legal system, and (as with financial and digital inclusion) vulnerable populations’ lack of access to the tools needed to establish their rights.
Our job, as NGO representatives at the UN advocating for the voiceless and powerless, is to work with member state governments and to partner with each other to shape inclusive, transparent and unbiased systems and infrastructure. This is clear. Solutions are not impossible, nor are they costless or risk-free. We need to have the courage to encourage governments to enact policy change, to mobilize resources, and to educate the uninformed – all in the direction of positive societal change.
While many of the actions we propose at our various U.N. committees are for member state consideration, I personally felt the need to understand what one individual can do, in the company of like-minded global citizens, to create sustainable change. In the tradition of the Vincentian charism, I have considered the following practical strategies for us, the Vincentian advocates, in our quest for a more just world that feeds the hungry, houses the homeless, and addresses the financial and digital needs of populations otherwise relegated to the sidelines – especially women, the elderly, and the remote rural. They include:
- Make the global local – engage locally to foster community-led solutions
- Lobby officials – whether it be national or local government officials, keep applying the pressure to effect the change you want to see. This includes formal lobbying efforts, phone calls and emails.
- Organize and participate in rallies, protests and boycotts – every time you do so, you make visible the needs of those without power or a voice. Do not adopt complacency under the cover of “this can’t really matter”. It does matter.
- Utilize media outlets to communicate your message – make the voice of the voiceless heard in international, national and local published media and actively engage with stakeholders on social media, including LinkedIn and all Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads).
- Take an inventory of your skills and how to employ them – legal, counseling and training, financial and digital skills are all in demand among the populations we serve. Offer your services and support pro bono.
- Bring those with lived experience into your domain – include those who have experienced homelessness, poverty, hunger and joblessness in your efforts and seek to learn from them. It’s a two-way street.
- Collect data – numbers are persuasive and data determines who gets the benefits, or even who is included in the calculation. Do your research and collect relevant data to contextualize your arguments in undeniable facts.
- Promote voting rights – especially among low-income voters
- Coordinate efforts – build coalitions with other organizations, NGOs, and religious groups to scale up your impact.
At a time when we all struggle with despair, let’s choose hope and accompany hope with meaningful, intentional action!
Dr. Linda M. Sama, International Association of Charities (AIC), NGO Representative to the U.N.
[1] From remarks made by speaker and moderator Jean Quinn at the event
Tags: United Nations
Thank you. In these troubling times, we need to take time to reflect so that our work, which is so hopeful can continue to make a difference for people who are marginalized.