The Power of 'Consenso': Shifters Rewrite the Rules!
Okay, you might wonder what the big deal is about a video with young people simply saying “Consenso” (Trans. Consensus); but to appreciate this, we need to go back a few weeks.
Having supported a number of groups with different campaigns over the past two years (2022 and 2023), Fun Adults in Bolivia learned that while this approach had its upsides, it also led to conflicting messages and overstretched support towards the Shifters. That is why in 2024, Fun Adults decided to try a different approach: have 2 new youth groups work together on a single campaign.
Okay, you might wonder what the big deal is about a video with young people simply saying “Consenso” (Trans. Consensus); but to appreciate this, we need to go back a few weeks.
Having supported a number of groups with different campaigns over the past two years (2022 and 2023), Fun Adults in Bolivia learned that while this approach had its upsides, it also led to conflicting messages and overstretched support towards the Shifters. That is why in 2024, Fun Adults decided to try a different approach: have 2 new youth groups work together on a single campaign.
One of the two groups was the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Bolivia, an established group working to conserve biodiversity, cultural diversity and social equity. The other group (formed relatively recently) was the JCI Tunari and Partners Campus SS, an organisation of young leaders who create opportunities for continuous development via training and project implementation.
Given the (presumed) differences between the two groups, Fun Adults in Bolivia did what any good facilitator would do: anticipate the potential conflicts between the two groups and already put in place, a voting system to help Shifters in decision-making as they co-create their campaign plan. However, at the actual workshop, Shifters surprised the Fun Adults.
“NO, WE DON’T WANT TO VOTE BECAUSE THAT SHUTS OFF OTHER VIEWS AND OPINIONS.
INSTEAD, WE WILL COME TO A CONSENSUS AFTER DISCUSSING AND THEN LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE FINALLY AGREE ON”
At that moment, Fun Adults realised it was time for them to sit back and let the Shifters run the show. These small but truly amazing moments demonstrate how young people practice the values that we hold very dear at Shift: radical participation, genuine inclusion, co-creation, partnership, solidarity and collaboration.
As Fun Adults, there are two lessons to learn from Bolivia:
Be flexible in modifying the approach even if it deviates from what was initially planned
Prioritise and intentionally create spaces for young people to drive the process at every possible stage of your Shift journey
How Southwest Sumba ramped up young people's participation
When we say meaningful participation in Shift, we mean that excluded and marginalised groups of young people get the opportunity to tell us what issues matter most to them. It also means that they then, get the guidance and resources required to design a campaign around their issue and eventually go out into the world to effect positive change.
When we say meaningful participation in Shift, we mean that excluded and marginalised groups of young people get the opportunity to tell us what issues matter most to them. It also means that they then, get the guidance and resources required to design a campaign around their issue and eventually go out into the world to effect positive change.
Of course, none of this is possible if young people don’t even know that such a platform exists in the first place.
To Shift Power, we must begin by Shifting Participation. Fun Adults in Southwest Sumba know this fact very well. Gearing up for their Shift journey, they used an innovative and strategic approach to ensure large-scale sensitisation of Shift among young people in Tambolaka: a Roadshow!
Last year, roadshows were used successfully as a medium of campaigning by Barishal Shifters in Bangladesh to Break Barriers to Girls’ Higher Education. However, Southwest Sumba reimagines this and uses it at the beginning: to CONNECT with those would-be campaigners, encourage them to get involved, and grab the Shift opportunity with both hands.
BY THE END OF THEIR SHIFT SENSITISATION ROADSHOW, THEY REACHED 10 SCHOOLS, 1,159 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.
"I am really interested in and appreciative of the opportunity to assist in preventing child, early, and forced marriages, a practice that is unfortunately still considered acceptable in the region.”
(Female student, 16 years old, SMAS St. Thomas Aquinas)
Not only were they able to generate excitement about Shift in their region, but they also used this opportunity to educate young people and adults about an urgent issue that is seeing rising cases: Child, Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM).
“The activities conducted are positive and inspiring, encouraging children to actively protect themselves from violence. I support this organization and the type of positive activities it carries out.”
(Female teacher, 28 years old, SMAK St. Joseph Freinademetz)
Following their sensitisation roadshow, the proof is in the pudding: 17 groups of young people have put in their applications for the upcoming Shift project! An impressive number for anyone implementing Shift. Out of this, only 2 groups will be selected to undergo Shift which is “a pleasant problem for us to have on our hands” as Andre (Fun Adult) puts it.
Southwest Sumba highlights the importance of adult-led, innovative outreach in creating spaces where young people feel seen, heard, and motivated to take action. This is how real change begins: with youth at the forefront, confident and supported in their journey to create a better future.
AGAINST ALL ODDS: How Ntcheu Shifters secured funding and continue to change lives
If you told me that an informal group of young people from a rural district of Malawi, with mostly secondary school qualifications, would go on to win funding within two years of campaigning, I’d say, “That’s not possible”. This can no longer be said ever since Ntcheu Shifters came onto the scene.
If you told me that an informal group of young people from a rural district of Malawi, with mostly secondary school qualifications, would go on to win funding within two years of campaigning, I’d say, “That’s not possible”. This can no longer be said ever since Ntcheu Shifters came onto the scene.
Ntcheu Shifters is a 15-member group (below 27 years) who were part of the Mgwirizano Youth Group. Mgwirizano first emerged in 2011 from Machira village, focusing on youth and child-led advocacy within their community. When Shift engaged with this already-existing group in 2022, they were clear in their vision: “End School Drop out” - a vision that responds to their lived realities and priorities about what issue is most important to them. Shift respects this important starting point; we let young people decide what matters to them and this becomes the soil in which their passions flourish.
During their first half year of campaigning to get children and youth back in school, Ntcheu shifters surprised local stakeholders and community (Head of Education, Ntcheu District).
“WHAT SHIFT HAS DONE WITHIN HALF A YEAR OF CAMPAIGNING IS SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO AS A DEPARTMENT FOR YEARS.”
(Head of Education, Ntcheu District)
3,894 community members and stakeholders reached
117 out of 160 child dropouts have returned to school
9 child marriages dissolved
Despite being informal and unregistered, Ntcheu Shifters’ demonstrated effectiveness, passion and recognition from their community made them a formidable force. Hence, when Save the Children Italy were considering partners to help deliver their localisation goals, Ntcheu Shifters found themselves with an opportunity to continue their work beyond Shift’s project cycle. Leveraging their hard-won partnerships, including local NGOs, they drew on the existing intellectual and human resources to put together their proposal to get closer to their vision of ending school dropouts. Having won the proposal, Ntcheu Shifters will not only become registered and receive support to grow their capacities, but also continue their campaign into the third year to ensure every boy and girl in Ntcheu pursue their education further.
The past two years of campaigning on reducing school dropouts have impacted both the community as well as the participants themselves. While they were initially looking outward in their campaign, the process has inspired Shifters to look inward; many of them including the Chairperson and the Secretary of the group have now decided to pursue higher education.
Freza Mbalu (Chairman) is now Form 3 (lower secondary level) at Madzanje Community Day Secondary School
Esnart Thamangani (Secretary) is now Year 0 studying Community Development at Zomba Vocational Training college
Will Chitsulo & Blessings Charlie now writing Form 4 examination in July, 2024
Conversation with a born Fun Adult
When we say someone is a 'Fun Adult', we mean that they are simultaneously a facilitator, mentor, partner, cheerleader, young-at-heart, believer and a cool uncle or aunt that young people look up to. We work very hard to create Fun Adults at Shift, but sometimes we find that some adults just get it. They are just born with it!
When we say someone is a 'Fun Adult', we mean that they are simultaneously a facilitator, mentor, partner, cheerleader, young-at-heart, believer and a cool uncle or aunt that young people look up to. We work very hard to create Fun Adults at Shift, but sometimes we find that some adults just get it. They are just born with it!
Last month we got an email from one of our champion Fun Adults in Bhutan, Deepika, who had just heard from Gajendra, an educator. Gajendra was present at one of the Shift workshops and was,
“really inspired and wanted to adopt and adapt the Shift model for social and environmental activism or learning”.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more from this born Fun Adult. We spoke to each other over a video call. The transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself?
I'm Gajendra Rai, and I am currently a teacher at Damphu Central School.
I teach chemistry and ICT.
Could you talk about how you saw Shift and what you thought of it? Basically what inspired you to connect with Deepika and initiate that conversation??
I feel Shift is really inspiring, especially because you don't need lots of things to do it. Even within a short duration of time, the youths can come up with very creative initiatives and solutions on whatever issues they feel is appropriate.
And another thing I also feel is that this is one of the powerful programs where the voice of the youth has been captured and they are given the freedom to share their thoughts, discussions, and ideas for collaboration.
As a much closer observer and a mentor to most of these students, what were your observations and reflections on how young people experience Shift?
You know at the end of the program, I could feel that the individual participants in the group felt that their voices had been heard; even those that were very silent by nature. I asked some of them “So how did you feel today?” and they shared that “Today, I feel I could thoroughly express myself. My thoughts have been counted”.
I feel that I also have to give the ripple effect to Shift but before I could even share my thoughts the participants were coming up to me and saying “Sir, why don’t we combine Shift with a project that we already have that has been funded to make it even bigger?” Shift program has ignited inspiration within them. They don't want to stop. They want to involve as many of the people as they can.
What challenges do the young people and students that you teach face?
As an educator, I also had that same question for myself. How can we improve the mentality of always blaming the systems or blaming themselves? Basically what I feel is that they are lacking the inspiration within and they reach a point where they stop believing in themselves. They are not taking up the opportunities. They have the talent but lack the confidence in themselves to come forward. They need the guidance. This changed when I experienced Shift last time because they were trying to move towards positive change and also wanted to transfer that type of quality to their friends. Youth-to-youth bonds are much stronger than the elder-to-youth ones.
Is there anything else that you would like to add that I haven't had the chance to ask you?
I'm also planning to include Shift as a Professional Development course for my teacher colleagues and for our school leaders, captains, and counsellors because I feel that it would be useful in resolving any sort of problems if they have the skills nurtured by Shift.
UNLEARNING
Yes, shifting power requires us to move the dial on power towards young people and track this movement; but before this can happen, it calls us to undergo a mindset shift first. It calls us to unlearn.
A Psychological Prerequisite to Shifting Power
Yes, shifting power requires us to move the dial on power towards young people and track this movement; but before this can happen, it calls us to undergo a mindset shift first. It calls us to unlearn.
Our colleagues at CUBIC tell us about confirmation bias - a notorious feature of our psychology that actively seeks evidence confirming our pre-existing beliefs and ignores information that challenges us. Applied to youth and child-led campaigning, people who uphold beliefs about children as human becomings (rather than human beings), often unconsciously seek out all the reasons why youth and child-led campaigners can’t be approached as equal partners in social and environmental change.
HOWEVER, YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS CONTINUE TO PROVE US WRONG, TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
UNLEARN: “It is always more efficient to solve social and environmental issues using already entrenched powerful institutions.”
There are already existing institutions working in adolescent health space in Bhutan. However, when Y-PEER Bhutan launched their campaign to heighten young people’s awareness of their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, they were able to do it much more effectively.
The reason: they took an EduTainment approach that spoke to young people in a language they could easily understand and relate to. From the multitude of testimonials that were collected from young participants by Y-PEER Bhutan, most talk about how it was not the usual classroom teaching but rather something exciting and different.
By complementing the energy and mobilising strength of grassroots, with partnerships and longer-term lifespans of formal institutions, we can most effectively move towards solving persisting social and environmental problems.
UNLEARN: “Children and youth groups do not have the requisite capacity to manage funds, at least not to the level that financial systems require.”
Scrutiny around the child-friendliness and risk appetite of current financial systems to work with young people are gradually coming to the fore. However, despite immense existing challenges, youth and child groups supported by genuine adult partners find innovative workarounds to live up to their commitments.
For instance, Ethiopia’s two youth-led groups - Lenege and Bekere Lewt - were faced with the challenge of transferring funds to carry out their campaign in 2023. Against this, Ethiopia’s Fun Adults forged a partnership with Kishene, a youth-led theatre company that then helped channel the funds to the two campaigning groups. SHIFT Ethiopia was able to find a creative workaround for the existing barriers.
UNLEARN: “Youth and child-led groups have weak and often limited human resource capacity, which means that they can only affect small-scale and local impact”
Given the highly mobile nature of young people's lifestyles often having to move around for education, employment (their own or their parents) or in pursuit of other opportunities, it does play an important factor in their group dynamics. However, youth and child-led groups often have extensive networks that can amplify their initiatives beyond their localities.
Lilongwe Shifters from Malawi are a part of the National Youth Network for Climate Change (NYNCC), which they used as a platform to provide a youth and child-centred perspective to the COP28 national deliberations and dialogue in 2023.
WHAT WE NEED TO RELEARN
Such evidence encourages us to become more cognisant of our confirmation biases around why young people can’t become true partners in change-making. Instead, it calls us all to unlearn - learn - relearn so that we can prime ourselves to shift power meaningfully.
Shifting Power begins here
We are beginning to generate insights into the critical factors that enable impactful campaigns. It would be a shame if we kept this to ourselves; actually, we probably couldn’t, even if we tried.
Kuzuzangpola! I’m Rigsar from Bhutan (which you probably heard of as the first carbon-negative country or as the country with a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index). I’ve had the privilege of working with some of you over the past 2 years; but even if we haven’t met, I’ve been cheering your campaigns from behind the scene.
HOW EXCITING IT HAS BEEN TO BE SURROUNDED BY SUCH OPTIMISM, ENERGY AND CREATIVITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE!
SO WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SHIFTING POWER NOW?
Actually, this conversation has been ongoing for some years and continues to gain importance (as reflected in SCI’s 2022-2024 Strategy) as we move forward. From the SHIFT standpoint, we believe that we have reached a critical threshold:
As we continue to work with and learn from accelerating child and youth-led groups in over 20 countries globally, we are beginning to generate insights into the critical factors that enable impactful campaigns. It would be a shame if we kept this to ourselves; actually, we probably couldn’t, even if we tried.
WHAT’S UP WITH THE LOGO? WHY PIZZA? WHY SEVEN SLICES?
Firstly, pizza because who doesn’t like pizza? There are endless ways to customise pizza centred around a few key ingredients - much like SHIFT - and make it so anyone can enjoy it. We have seen this in action with Shifters and our awesome Fun Adults in 3 continents so far.
Secondly, seven, because we believe that for us to meaningfully shift power to young campaigners, there are seven key dimensions (dare I say slices?). And it’s not us that’s saying this. It’s our organisation. We are only doing what we do best at SHIFT: make it child-friendly and show it in action.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
The content for Shifting Power has been prompted based on findings from a survey circulated to Shifters and Fun Adults in 2023 where we asked what the main barriers to empowering young people were.
Here are some of the most cited responses from a total of 152:
“PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS WITH POWER STILL DON’T FULLY TRUST US.”
…so, how can organisations shift society, culture and child-unfriendly bureaucratic practices, so that true partnerships can be fostered?
“AS A FUN ADULT, I AM NOT ENTIRELY SURE HOW AND WHAT ASPECT OF POWER TO TRANSFER TO THE SHIFTERS.”
“MOST YOUNG PEOPLE ARE EITHER UNWILLING TO TAKE UP LEADERSHIP ROLES; THEY ALSO LACK THE SELF-ESTEEM AND CONFIDENCE TO COME FORWARD.”
How can we build the capacity of adults working with young people so that they can guide and empower young people?
“I AM NOT SURE HOW TO BALANCE THE OPINION OF ALL MY PEERS SO THAT EVERYONE FEELS INCLUDED.”
How can we be intentional in the space we create for young people so that they are able to, and value diversity?
Shifting Power will also disseminate insights and lessons into cutting-edge approaches on other dimensions of funding, partnerships, visibility and policy influence. In short, we will provide you with the knowledge, practical skills and lessons to help you in your goal of shifting power to young people - which will ultimately generate locally owned, sustainable and meaningful impact.
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