Digital Pulse - Ch 2 - Sec 3 - Reflect and ICTs

Summary

Reflect is an original approach to participatory adult learning and social change that was developed and pioneered by the UK-based NGO ActionAid in developing countries in 1993-95. In the programme, groups develop their own learning materials by constructing graphics such as maps, or diagrams, or using forms of drama, story-telling and songs which can capture social, economic, cultural and political issues from their own environment. The goal is to assist in the development of literacy and other communication skills while engaging the participants in thought and dialogue about the issues most pressing to their socio-economic development. Reflect has had considerable success and is widely recognized in the development community, over 350 organizations in 60 countries are utilizing Reflect strategies. Recently, the progenitors of Reflect have turned their attention to how these strategies can be combined with emergent ICTs to improve upon literacy and communication learning and partially bridge the digital divide. Reflect offers a potential basis for introducing ICTs in an equitable way, as part of a wider process of self-managed and directed change for development. Several pilot projects have been started within existing Reflect groups to see how ICTs can be integrated.

Key Points

The central assumptions underlying the project include (1) the belief that how the technology is chosen, not the choice itself, is a primary determinant in impact (2) that existing Reflect frameworks are ideal bridges to provide the poor with needs-based ICT access, and (3) that communities already have the knowledge they need for their own development but require more information, especially in situations that expand beyond the local level. The organizers objectives are to strengthen poor peoples ability to communicate through a selection of ICTs that they have chosen themselves and in doing so develop a “pro-poor” model for ICTs in development. The following “strategic issues” were identified in the concept paper that was the basis for this project:

• There is a linkage between information and power and ICTs are usually appropriated by the powerful. The poor, who have the most to gain from the information available through ICTs, are often unaware of these potential gains. Reflect strategies provide an intermediary that can introduce the required concepts and technical skills without dominating the learning process and reinforcing the existing power imbalance.
• The projects should be housed in a “Reflect Communications Centre” which provides participants with access to the needed audio/visual and computer equipment necessary. Initially, the centres would focus on providing for the most marginalized people in the community only – the target groups of Reflect processes.
• The Reflect circles will identify the information needed first and then facilitators will “access, edit and process it using the technology.” Accountability structures must be in place, however, that prevent the facilitator from exerting control over the editing process, because of its role in communications power.
• The pilot project must strive to continually decentralize the control of the processes down to the lowest levels through a series of staged transitions. The process also requires flexible accountability targets that allow communities to determine the utility of the ICTs.
• The key learning objectives will not be the use of the technologies but rather improved communication skills – the ICTs will act as tools towards this end. Communications must also be relevant to the needs and priorities of the community.
• The groups must be in control of defining their own virtual or knowledge communities.

The authors note that there is very little “best practices” established for integrating ICTs into development and they envision this project as being a contributor to this field of inquiry. They believe that Reflect can be utilized to overcome the power inequalities that are presented by the introduction of ICTs and to enhance the communications capacity of the poor.

Source: See Reflect Projects Description or Concepts orthe Reflect website.