Changemakers' Toolkit/Analysing the problem and planning for change/Moving from problems to solutions
Introducing the tool[edit]
In the previous section, you identified a range of root causes underpinning the issue you are working to address. Now it's time to prioritise those causes and consider where you can make the most difference. This will help to determine your campaign focus.
To assess priorities, transfer the causes from the problem tree onto a table like the one below. Using this table, score and rank each one according to two key measures. First, how big a part of the problem it is. Second, your ability to influence or change this cause.
| Root cause | How much a part of the problem? (1-5) | How much can you affect change? (1-5) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
The causes with the highest scores could be the best places to focus your campaign. But it’s important to take an honest, pragmatic view of the situation. The issue that you or your team is most passionate about won’t always be the best place to focus your efforts.
Next, it’s time to match the priority causes you’ve identified with actions that can achieve change.
For example, if the cause of a problem is government policy, you might choose to focus on high-level lobbying. If the cause is lack of public awareness, you might focus on mass communication. Or if the cause is that a community is being ignored, you might prioritise local organising.
By applying this method, you can develop a set of problems, priorities and actions that will form the backbone of your campaign.
Case study[edit]
Using the problem tree, we identified some causes and impacts of hunger. If we transfer the root causes to access information onto the table, the results might look like this.
| Root cause | How much is it part of the problem? (1-5) | How much can you affect change? (1-5) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No internet | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Time | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Active disinformation | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Privacy restrictions | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Poverty | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Lack of access to platforms | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Unsuitable devices | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Three of the highest-scoring barriers to information access are no internet, privacy restrictions online and active disinformation.
Wikimedians have taken action to tackle all of these. For internet access, in 2018 the Peruvian Ministry of Education partnered with Columbia University to take “internet-in-a-box” devices from Kiwix to Cusco, Peru. This area had no internet connectivity and people there mostly speak Quechua. The Kiwix boxes enabled students to access information from both Spanish and Quechua Wikipedias, not just at the time, but several years on. Privacy restrictions imposed by governments can obstruct access to online content. In the Philippines, joint advocacy from telecommunications companies and the Wikimedia Foundation, led to a veto on the SIM Card Registration Act. If it had been adopted, it would have effectively criminalised online anonymity. This would have affected all those accessing Wikimedia, but especially women, LGBTQ+ people, human rights activists and journalists.
Access to trusted information during the COVID-19 pandemic was accelerated due to a partnership between the Wikimedia Foundation and the World Health Organisation. They openly licenced content to be shared across Wikipedias.
Sources[edit]
- Erhart, Ed (14 March 2019). "To bridge Peru’s digital divide, these researchers are taking Wikipedia offline". Medium.
- Wikimedia Policy (2 August 2022). "Ray of Light: Successful Joint Advocacy Led to Veto on Philippines SIM Card Registration Act". Medium.
Homework exercise[edit]
Look back over the causes of homelessness you identified earlier. Using the approach outlined in this section, identify your priorities using the table and suggest 3–5 campaign actions that you could take to drive change.
You might find it helpful to plot your campaigning actions on the Social Change Grid, which is covered in the previous module.