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1. Background – the values and history

For more than 60 years, MS has been developing a people centred approach to fulfill the organisation’s vision of a World in peace and global equity. MS was formed in Denmark in 1943 by young people, who established work camps for a corps of nurses and other volunteers to work on reconstruction and reconciliation in war-ravaged Europe. During the early 1960ies MS developed into a personnel assistance programme that posted Danish volunteers as gap fillers – and later on as development workers (DWs) – to newly liberated states in Africa and Asia. During the 1990ies this was transformed into a global partnership program, posting both Danish and later also global DWs to NGOs and CBOs to the Global South. An MS travel programme was developed during the same period, facilitating the bringing together of young people from Denmark and many other countries in North and South in volunteer work camps. In the beginning, these work camps were held in Europe only, but later they took place in countries in the South as well. Some 10 years ago, a MTV programme (Mid term Volunteer) was initiated as part of the travel programme. The MTV programme has posted a large number of young volunteers for social work in developing countries.

All these efforts have been tied together by a belief in the universal equality of people in a world divided by national boundaries and special interests, and by facilitating involvement of committed individuals to upholding this promise. Over the years, the personal engagement in the personnel assistance programme has taken different forms, but the intercultural dimensions; the learning, solidarity and understanding has always been an important part of the equation – both in the personnel assistance programme and in the travel programme, today known as Global Contact. The personnel assistance programme initially focused on putting skills to use in developing countries. Later, the programme increasingly focused on training and transfer of skills. Until recently, the role of the MS DWs was mainly to facilitate capacity building of civil society organisations. With the adoption of the organisational focus on democracy from 2006, DWs are contributing with building specific technical and organisational competencies within the democracy theme. At the core of all approaches lies the conviction that when people from different parts of the world learn and work together, the sum is greater than the parts. The synergy caused by committed people and skills can provide solutions and improve situations, as well as transform the individuals involved. For MS, the transformation of people to become globally engaged citizens has always been an underlying focus. The challenge ahead is to reform or adapt this approach to recent globalization trends.

A recent review of the MS Personnel Assistance P rogramme acknowledged that a development worker can be a very effective tool in capacity building of Civil Society Organisations. There are clear examples of this in the current programme. The review, however, also raised a number of concerns. It pointed out that both in operational and programmatic terms MS has not made full use of the potential of the DW placements and the synergy of having a closer collaboration between the traditional Personnel Assistance Programme and Global Contact. In addition, the programme has become very expensive due to increasing focus on technical assistance with a conclusive use of highly educated DW’s specialising in international development. Too often, the programme has been supply-driven, without sufficient needs identification or careful planning for the envisaged results for the partner organisation. Currently, the programme is not sufficiently well incorporated into the new democracy focus. The Review therefore underscores the need to reform and create one new programme that fits with the current direction taken by MS.

In this light, such a new programme shall not be limited to the current categories and activities (DWs, MTVs & work campers) but facilitate developing a variety of flexible People for Change (P4C) activities. It will build on the Review’s recommendations regarding preparation, monitoring and evaluation of the different postings, their incorporation into the democracy focus, exploit the synergy between the different People 4 Change categories as well as between these categories and MS’ campaign activities in Denmark.

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2. People for change in a globalized century – challenges and opportunities

With globalisation the integration and interdependence between countries has increased considerably. Communication and information sharing has radically changed the outlook of the individual citizen. Massive increase in trade has made economies more interdependent and the financial sector has increasingly been developing as an international and interdependent system. Security issues have also moved from national or regional conflicts to conflicts that have wider global consequences for example through terrorism. Because of the interdependency, problems affecting poor people in developing countries cannot be addressed adequately at the national level. Decisions made by other countries and at the international level increasingly have consequences for citizens in all countries. The major crises that the world is now experiencing like food crisis, the financial crises and the huge ecological and climate change challenges cannot be addressed without joint international action. But nation states and the global leadership have proven unable to address even problems that there are easy solutions for. MS believes that there is a need for much more citizen engagement and for civil society to engage in global problems. There is a need for creating a sense of citizen responsibility beyond the nation state. There is a need for ‘Global citizenship’, where people see themselves as part of both the global problems and of the solutions. It is no longer a question about “us and them” but rather of all of us together.

In recent years, the argument has been made that in an increasingly globalized world, there is no longer a need for structuring personal meetings and direct cooperation between people. Knowledge and information are increasingly globally available through technology, and people living in both the global North and South lead increasingly mobile lives. Last year alone about 10,000 Danes visited Kenya – so why, one could ask, is it necessary for a Danish organization to facilitate global interaction and knowledge sharing?

Collaboration, intercultural exchange, direct contact and opportunities such as P4C are still relevant – indeed more than ever – for a number of reasons:

1. Whose mobility? Though mobility and information sharing has increased, it is still highly unequal. It is governed by market mechanisms that distort the lofty promises of globalization. This means that wealthy and powerful people and institutions have much better access to the fruits of globalization. So the 21st century presents a situation where the problems people are struggling with in different parts of the world – lack of access to decision making, unfair trade policies, climate change, etc. – are increasingly similar and connected, but the people struggling against them are often improvising locally without access to the knowledge and experience of people in similar situations in other countries.

2. What form of interactions? Though knowledge and information is much more easily distributed in the 21st century, the forms of interaction in mass-media, research, tourism, etc. are generally one-way affairs, benefitting the more powerful and wealthy individuals and communities. They are seldom designed on the basis of the needs or forms appropriate to marginalised communities and their advocates. Thus there is a massive potential for putting globalization’s tools to work for the poor – using travel, electronic media, and centres of learning to promote their own advocates and methods. For MS, development is about seeking alternative solutions andapproaches and about forming alliances of interest groups to address issues of global poverty and inequality. This can happen if a diversity of people, men and women, who are committed to address these problems, meet and share ideas, perceptions and worldviews.

3. What issues and whose agenda? Globalization is often presented as being value free – as a process that ties countries and people together

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regardless of their interests and identity. But in reality the dominant drivers of change in the globalized world – corporations, governments of industrialized nations, etc. -- have particular interests in selected issues and particular positions. So even though democracy is a major buzz-word of the beginning of this century, this does not automatically translate into a global discussion on more genuine and significant influence for poor people in the global South. The same is valid for gender equality. These issues and agendas must be elevated to a higher level.

4. Who has the answers? In a globalized world, where solutions to poverty eradication are just as much transnational as they are national and local it becomes imperative to promote knowledge sharing both nationally and across boarders. The donors in the North and the elites in the South have often monopolized the answers on how to eradicate poverty. Bringing ordinary people from different cultures and a committed global civil society together will provide far better opportunities for the people concerned to raise their voice and provide potential solutions on ways to eradicate poverty and make the world a better place to live – locally, nationally and globally.

5. Distance or relationships? Presence matters to people as one aspect of having a relationship. Closeness and repeated interactions are essential aspects of common understanding, colleagueship and exchange among equals. You cannot build strong relationships if you are not there. Absence signals distance, and distance does not create a respectful relationship. Development agents, who are physically present, get an authentic and thorough understanding of the root causes of poverty. They also see and experience which methods and strategies work and which do not, etc. While lowering opportunities for learning and collaboration, physical absence also reduces the level of solidarity and loyalty – important ingredients in building a peaceful and sustainable global society.

The above sections have outlined some of the potentials of a P4C programme in a globalized context. Now, the challenge is to develop and further consolidate new approaches and best practices within the concept of Global Citizenship as an important mean to accomplish poverty eradication.

In MS the People4Change programme will be:

• Multifaceted and flexible – to meet the different and changing demands and needs of people and processes.

• Pragmatic – developing knowledge based on practice. The programme should be able to develop, preserve, and link together relevant knowledge and experiences and concrete change processes on the ground.

• Transformative – providing opportunity for moving beyond knowledge and information – creating change and development through action. It creates a sense of the importance of global citizenship and of acting together.

• Educational – promoting collective learning and commitment.

• Dynamic and innovative – able to combine the spirit of volunteerism with the professional approach to the fight against poverty.

• Inspiring – based on personal engagement. An important side of the programme is commitment and involvement. This aspect should be further promoted in the programme as a corner stone of all P4C components and in the organisation as a whole.

• Professional – based on standards for quality control.

• Political – by addressing root structural causes to poverty.

• Gender sensitive, addressing gender inequalities in the society, and seeking to strike a gender balance within the G4C programme

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3. People for change – possible activities

People for Change activities are about the ‘personal meeting’ between people with specific objectives in mind. These objectives must all fall within the mission of MS and our various strategies and thematic and geographical focuses. MS never facilitates meetings and travels just to satisfy a wish for adventure, curiosity or enhancing the professional career of individuals. MS facilitates the personal meeting in order to promote positive change, development and peace. All P4C activities must therefore be guided by clear objectives and these must be relevant in each context and related to other MS activities like our democracy development programs and our information, campaign and lobby and advocacy work. The outcomes of P4C activities will be closely monitored and documented. MS seeks to strike a gender balance on 50-50 among the G4C according to MS Gender policy (2007).

Overall the P4C activities fall within the following categories:

• Those who promote capacity building of civil society organisations working within the democracy/governance programs that we support.

• Those that work on promoting the notion of Global Citizenship and establishing alliances and networks among Global Citizens (especially youth) that engage in campaign lobby and advocacy work.

The many potential People4Change activities and categories fall in three main components:

1. The Global Citizen Volunteer ( Branded as Global Contact)

In this category will fall potential agents of change who have started their journey towards becoming Global Citizens active in promoting positive change and addressing key development issues. The current Medium Term Volunteers MTVs are an example of this category. The youth start their journey by volunteering to stay and work with poor communities. Their direct work is not the essence of the activity (although they will increasingly be working within the themes of the democracy focus and with partners of ActionAid). The core of being a Global Citizen Volunteer is the understanding, friendships and solidarity that is promoted as part of their engagement. In addition to their travel and work, MS offers an educational component at the Global Platforms1 that prepares them for their voluntary work, helps them with putting their experiences into perspective, and helps them finding their role as global citizens (e.g. in the voluntary activities that MS members organise in Denmark). In the future, these Global Citizen Volunteers will be a strong resource for future development cooperation at all levels – from grass-roots to the multilateral.

Others will be more experienced activists that meet with peers in the Activista network (ActionAid’s youth activist/campaign groups in the different countries) and/or work on a voluntary basis for social movements and partners of ActionAid. This category is also given training at Global Platforms.

A ‘Work Camp’ is another entry point for youth to start their Global Citizenship journey. MS facilitates that young Danes can participate in work camps arranged by other organisations and also organises work camps, mainly in Denmark with youth from other countries.

Immersion tours may provide opportunities for people in powerful positions to experience realities of the poor in order to change their perceptions and motivate them for a changed practice as Global Citizens.

1 Global Platforms are a type of ’folk high schools’ that provide learner-centered education on development issues. MS currently runs Global Platforms in Tanzania, Kenya, India, El Salvador and Copenhagen. Platforms are planned in Jordan, Brazil and Vietnam.

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In terms of numbers the Global Contact Volunteers will be the largest group. A large part of those that MS engage with will be Danes, but MS will also support youth activists from developing countries meeting peers in other parts of the world. Financially, however, this is the smallest category, as the activities are largely financed by the participants themselves. This category of activities will utilise approximately 10% of the MS funding available for P4C activities. The allocated funding will cover parts of the training costs for these People for Change and some travel costs for activists from the South.

2. The ‘inspirator’/’facilitator’ (experience sharing and transfer among professionals/practitioners)

This category falls directly within the framework of the Democracy/Governance programs that MS fund in its countries of cooperation. The aim is to strengthen these programs and the partners involved by involving people from other countries that have experiences that may inspire the partner organisations and help building their capacity to meet the objectives of the thematic programs. The thematic focus of MS makes it possible to identify people with experiences that may be useful in other countries and programs.

One example could be a programme officer from a partner organisation in one country who has a special experience working with one of MS’ themes. This experience can inspire and build capacity in one or more partner organisations in another country. Another example could be a member of a youth group that has been successful in fighting corruption, accessing funding from local government for youth activities or initiating income generating activities. This person could stay with and help a youth group in another country to help discover and test how these experiences, methods and skills can be applied there.

In order to facilitate and manage the supply and demand sides of such an exchange, a system of ‘job-facilitation’ will to be established. Those professionals and practitioners that wish to inspire and capacitate partners in other countries will register and be screened and approved by MS, and their profile will be made available to partners from other countries. Other partners may then express a wish to host such an ‘inspirator’ for a specified period of time. All persons associated or affiliated with ActionAid partners may become ‘inspirators’ and all partners working with ActionAid may host an ‘inspirator’ – as long as they work with themes relevant to MS’ democracy focus.

Other examples that will fall within this category [or perhaps in future in a category of itself] may be young professionals (or interns) that will make their knowledge and skills available to an MS partner organisation in another country. Or it may be someone with many years of practical experience and good facilitation skills that can be placed in a rural setting and facilitate the work of weaker CBOs and their engagement and collaboration with other organisations within the theme.

In these P4C activities there will be reciprocal learning and experience exchange and transfer. The objective will thus not only be to capacitate the partners that host the ‘inspirator’, but the inspirator will also use his/her gained knowledge and skills in the context where he/she usually works (and this will also be monitored).

The placement of people from this category to and among partner organisations in MS supported thematic programmes will always be based on an expressed need and wish by the host organisations (and thus never be supply-driven). The outcomes in terms of increased capacity and effectiveness of the hosting partners and the thematic programs that they are involved in will be monitored as part of the M&E systems integrated in the thematic programs.

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In terms of numbers this will be the second largest group. ‘Inspirators’ will not get a salary as such, but will be compensated for (some of the expenses and lost income) related to their involvement in this activity. With time it is envisaged that approximately 50-60% of the MS funding for P4C activities will by used for this category2.

It is the intention that the majority of the people that fall within this category will come from MS programme countries or other ActionAid member countries. MS however also has a wish to provide opportunities for supporting the Danish resource base and make sure that the learning from this type of placements also benefits this resource base. Whereas some priority will be given to Danes, this will never compromise the principle of addressing an expressed demand by the hosting partners. It is envisaged that Danes will make up no more than 25-30% of this category.

3. The Advisor

This category includes experienced professionals3 that are necessary in order to ensure that the thematic programmes deliver on their objectives and outputs. The need for ‘non-national’ advisors will form an integral part of programme planning and development. It will be agreed upon in the process of negotiating programme and partner agreements and be part of the budget (although this is taken from another (P4C) budget). Monitoring of the outcomes of advisor inputs to the programs will be an integral part of programme reporting, M&E.

Advisors are recruited (internationally) on the basis of their qualifications and are paid a salary that is in line with their ‘market value’ or a bit lower. (This will be harmonised with ActionAid salary policies). Advisors cannot be recruited for positions in their own country, as the P4C budget is reserved for the meeting between different nationalities. By numbers, this will be the smallest category and will take up app. 30-40%4 of the P4C budget.

Communication advisors5 are also part of this category and are seen as an important part of MS’ contribution to programmes. Communication advisors train partners in communication, enhance internal communication among partners and link partners up to international forums. They also help partners to access media both nationally and internationally and thus become an important resource in international advocacy.

4. Other activities

As mentioned, the P4C programme will be flexible and can also cater for other activities that are in line with the overall strategy, but does not fall within the above three categories. Such activities may for instance include study tours; organisational twinning and exchange trips.

2 Please note that the percentages mentioned are indicative of a priority rather than a rigid frame. Specific needs and opportunities will in practice also be guiding the size of the various groups. The Board will annually receive a report on the statistics and the rationales for fluctuations and may then decide also to change the guiding percentages.

3 Less experienced (and cheaper) advisors may also be used, when this is found relevant

4 Pls. Se note 3.

5 Similar to todays information DWs

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4. The way ahead

The previous sections describe the P4C strategy which shall be finalised in the coming months and implemented during the coming years. National ActionAid organisations will be important partners in this. It will therefore be important to plan for the integration of the MS P4C strategy into ActionAid International.

Especially in the transition (the next 2 years) it is important that the MS structure that handles the P4C component is able to support the work at the field level. This may call for MS seconded staff at regional and/or national level. It will probably be necessary to recruit and post a number of P4C facilitators in order to ensure the intended implementation of the programme. This will be further negotiated with ActionAid in December.

What will happen within the coming six months?

1. Board Meeting 04.11.08 The Board discuss and adopt the People for Change Strategy outline

2. Joint Workshop with representatives from ActionAid International at TCDC 2-3.12.08 The objectives of this workshop is to discuss potentials for ActionAid to build on MS’ experience with – and plans for P4C activities and develop proposals for mainstreaming this into ActionAid International.

3. Meeting between Secretary General and representatives for the Development Workers in December 2009 The main objective of this meeting is to discuss the implementation of P4C in MS and the transition period between the existing DW Programme and the coming P4C programme.

4. New P4C Director starts – January 2009

5. Meeting with Danida – January 2009

At the annual negotiations MS will present the new strategy and get Danida input as well as acceptance to fund this through the Framework Agreement.

6. Plan of action and P4C handbook – march 2009 A plan of action for the next two years is drawn up – this includes clarification of structure, staffing, systems and budget. The P4C programme will be reviewed January 2011.

7. Board Meeting – august 2009

The Board reviews the P4C strategy in the light of the further work on putting it into practice and the experiences so far.