Introduction to that

What can we learn from how change was effected already and how do we learn to continue that?

We all like to listen to stories, versions of the same story, or different types of stories, but what’s important is
that the narrative of a story has a powerful effect on us as people. We also like to tell stories, especially about
things that happened to us. In fact, this is how we communicate on a daily basis, when we catch up with
friends and family, we exchange stories. And the narrative of an event becomes even more important when
we experience a negative incident. In narrating that incident, we allow others to empathize with us, but the
narration also allows us to better process the facts and the emotional implications.

In a recent study on what we can learn from successful social movements, ‘supporting people speaking up’ is
one of the key findings. Civil society has been doing this very efficaciously. It works closely with
communities and individuals; it empowers those individuals and it supports them when they are ready to
speak up. And what is key here is to support voices who speak about different issues. It is a fact that society
is diverse, across age, politics, gender, etc., and each section of society has its own voices. Campaigns such
as marriage equality, living wage, etc. have been running at the same time and have been very positive. It has
allowed different groups in society to express their problems, and they have been very successful doing it at
the same time. The result has not been a dividing of society, but an environment where different people can
live together, contributing to social cohesion.

The role of civil society has been very important in mainstreaming the ideas expressed by social movements.
Big ideas such as banning single plastics, period poverty and living wage have started on the fringes of
society and it was through civil society organizations that these ideas have been taken up by the media,
politicians and businesses. Also, civil society offers the space for those ideas to be debated and analyzed,
before they gain the support of other stakeholders.

In an article on social movements, Francesca Polletta and Pang Ching Bobby Chen highlighted how society
responds better to stories than it does to statistics. In order to obtain change, storytelling has been more
effective for activists than the hard, statistical evidence. Therefore, it is important that people can talk about
their experiences in public, and that each of them is valued equally.

Looking at a few social movements, we can comprehend the value that people speaking up has had for the
success of those social movements and for our society.

#metoo
On 15 October 2017, actress Alyssa Milano asked women who experienced sexual harassment and assault to
reply ‘me too’ to her tweet and Instagram post. Although the phrase was started by Tarana Burke in 2006 to
help women of color who experienced sexual violence, it did not go mainstream until Milano’s post in 2017.
The stories of so many women, empowered to speak up, had a significant impact on the social relations.
Women from many walks of life and across the world have felt empowered to tell their stories of sexual
harassment, assault and rape. This has had a direct effect on the public opinion, making it aware of the
gravity of the problem. The campaign has also moved the societal barometer of what is acceptable in terms
of treatment of women in the workplace.

A journalist reporting on the movement has taken stock of the impact on America in a recent article on Vox:
non-disclosure agreements, which were very harmful to victims of sexual misconduct, have been banned by
some states for instances of sexual misconduct; self-employed people are enjoying greater legal protection in
some states now; funds have been set up to help people in low wage industries who have experienced sexual
misconduct at work access legal representation (Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund); some state legislatures are
moving towards abolishing the tipped minimum wage in order to better protect restaurant workers; Congress
itself has implemented changes to better support victims of sexual misconduct among its staff; monetary
awards for sexual misconduct settlements have risen since the start of the #metoo movement, by an average
of 50%.
However, one of the biggest effects of the movement was to show how widespread sexual misconduct,
assault and other misconduct really are. This has brought a light on the inequality of power distribution,
bringing this into everyday conversations. The effects of the movement on the courts, law and everyday
conversations is undeniable, and it would not have been possible without people feeling empowered to speak
up, share their stories and challenge social attitudes. We need to continue supporting people who speak up,
learn from past experiences and make it easier for future generations to challenge unjust practices.

Some studies have identified possible backlash following the movement, but the solution proposed in a
Harvard Business Review article is that companies invest in training about sexism and character. From the
study, it seems that employees know what constitutes sexual harassment, and that training should be focused
on underlining equality between men and women, rather than on learning what constitutes harassment.

Black Lives Matter

It is a bit early to evaluate the more significant effects of the Black Lives Matter protests, but immediately
there is a promise that change is possible.

In the face of unaccountable deaths at the hands of police, for years, there have been murmurs for defunding
the police. However, this summer, those voices have been heard and many police departments in the US are
facing reduced funding.

Along with theorizing the causes and implications of racism, recent books such as White Frigility, I no
longer speak to white people about race and … have helped empower people to challenge racism. Following
the recent protests, these books have significantly increased their circulation, which shows that the
mainstream public wants to understand the implications of racism better.

People experiencing racism have continued to speak up and draw attention, and this culminated with this
summer’s global protests part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

This shows, yet again, how important it is to speak up and challenge problems of systemic inequality.
Although the recent protests are not complete, their effects can already be seen in how the public and
mainstream stakeholders talk about racism.

The Living Wage

The movement started in London in 2001, targeting the increase of wages for cleaners working in finance
and health organizations. In 2008, representatives of private, voluntary and public sectors developed the
Living Wage Special Initiative, aiming to increase the number of employers signing up for the Living Wage.
As a result of the initiative, in 2012, the Living Wage Foundation was created, providing a sustainable basis
for the campaign. The Foundation’s method of promoting the living wage is by providing accreditation to
employers who sign up for the living wage. At the moment, there are more than 6000 Living Wage
employers, which includes 40 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies. The government has also expressed
support for the living wage on a number of occasions, which also counts as a great success.

The community approach used in the campaign, where ordinary people were able to make their voices heard
on such an important issue as income, can be transferred to other issues. Although it started as a grassroots
movement, the trajectory of the campaign shows that the logistics provided by the third sector are necessary
for sustainability and success. The number of employers signing up for the living wage increased
significantly in 2008, when the Special Initiative was started.

Ice bucket challenge

The challenge has had a significant impact in making the general public aware of motor neuron disease or
ALS, as it is known in America. More than 17 million people posted videos on social media of themselves
doing the challenge and the attention is estimated to have drawn up to $220m in donations for ALS research.
A disability activist, at the time of the challenge, emphasized the spheres of society that ALS awareness
reached: "Do you think Anna Wintour, Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham were talking about ALS a few
months ago? No, I very much doubt it.”

It was a very positive campaign, cutting across political and class divides. Beside the 17 million, people like
George Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Barack Obama and Donald Trump have also done the challenge.
Using the power of social media, the campaign was able to reach wide sections of society. Future campaigns
could use the same technique to mainstream awareness of other diseases or issues.

Autism awareness
For three years, starting in 2015, the Too Much Information campaign was run in order to make the general
public more aware about autism. This was in response to autistic people, who felt that increased awareness
among the general public will improve the quality of their lives. Through various events, films and
promotional materials, the general public have become more aware of sensory overload, barriers to work
autistic people face, that autistic people need extra time to process information and the impact that
unexpected change has. The campaign was followed by other activities, including Autism Hour and Autistic
Awareness Week.

The method used here is somewhat traditional, designating a period of time to mainstream awareness on a
particular issue. However, the success of this campaign shows that it is a very useful tool.

Pride
What started as a riotous event in June 1969 has turned into a peaceful family event supported by
mainstream businesses and organizations. Exasperated by the regular police raids on gay bars in New York,
the crowed on the 28 June 1969 fought back against the police all night, with protests continued the
following week. The was marked a year later with people protesting in Central Park against the mistreatment
of LGBT+ people. Marches spread to other cities, and the movement became global. Now, Pride takes place
in almost every country in the world, and every year more and more cities start their own pride events. In
2017, Kirkcaldy held the first LGBT+ Pride in Fife, and the event continued ever since.

What was crucial for the success of Pride, was the empowerment felt by millions of LGBT+ people in
speaking up and sharing their stories of mistreatment with the wider society. This also contributed to a
significantly important event for every LGBT+ person: coming out. Telling your friends and family that you
are gay, lesbian, trans, etc. is a milestone, and the increased number of people coming out has contributed to
the acceptance that LGBT+ people should have the same rights as everyone else. In Scotland, this
culminated with the 2014 legalization of same sex marriage by the Scottish Parliament. Despite problems
significant problems still facing the LGBT+ community, the success already achieved is inspirational and
motivational to continue working for equality.

Fife Centre for Equalities – social changer

It is important to offer the space for different voices to make themselves heard because at times there will be
different issues that different groups will highlight. Civil society plays a key role in supporting people
speaking up and demanding change. In a recent analysis, The Social Change Project, the Sheila McKechnie
Foundation has highlighted four important ways in which civil society contributes to change. The Fife Centre
for Equalities is active in all four spheres.

Civil society is “working vertically to connect people with formal power and horizontally to bring people
and communities together across common interests – or disputes”. As a third party reporting center, Fife
Centre for Equalities has been able to observe trends and patterns in the community, which it can then further
report to public authorities. The insights gained by working with the public, has also allowed the center to
make important contributions to legislative public consultations.
In the public sphere, civil society, “plays a key role in raising awareness of issues and helping drive
attitudinal change”. This approach allows the public to become aware of problems different groups face, thus
triggering social change. The Fife Centre for Equalities runs Equality Collective, a project aiming to
mainstream equality. Individuals and groups involved are kept up to date with the latest issues in the equality
world, participate in events and workshops and have a space where to share their stories and experiences.

In terms of service provision, civil society organizations are enablers, offer support for individuals and
communities who seek to transform their lives. They are also social innovators, using new ways to tackle
problems. Fife Centre for Equalities provides tailored solutions to equality issues. In another project which
aims to mainstream equality in Fife, called Equality Pathfinders, the center assists organizations confronted
with equality issues work out suitable solutions.

In terms of community organizing, civil society organizations work with different entities in the
community to bring change together. Community organizing allows people to become organized in groups,
thus amplifying their voices and providing them with peer support. Following up from a previous project
aimed at including women in politics, the Fife Centre for Equalities supported the creation of the Fife
Women’s Tent. The group meets regularly, and its purpose is to promote the wellbeing for marginalized
women in Fife by encouraging them to be active in local communities.

Conclusion

It is important to offer the space for different voices to make themselves heard. (At time there will be
different issues that different groups will highlight.)
 Our society is composed of different groups of people, with different characteristics and different
needs.
 People are equal in rights and dignity, but they are different. Not one person is the same, each person
is unique, and that makes their problems unique.
 It is good for us to embrace different ideas
 It allows us to deal with negative experiences
 It is important if we want an equal society
 It allows people to talk about difficult issues, allowing us to know how things are for them.
 It allows us to understand each other’s pain.
 It provides us with a more solid and realistic ideas about how to bring everyone together and to make
everyone feel comfortable in society.
 It allows us to build a fairer society.
 It allows us to build a better society.

Fife Centre for Equalities aims to provide those resources to drive social change.

• Fife Centre for Equalities provides the space to understand people’s suffering due to inequalities and to
discuss ways to remedy and prevent the problems. The centre is the space
• It is perfectly ok to talk about single issues, because, if we don’t, we don’t know how bad it is for certain
sections of society. In an article on social movements, Francesca Polletta and Pang Ching Bobby Chen
highlighted how society responds better to stories than it does to statistics. In order to effect change,
storytelling has been more effective for activists than the hard statistical evidence. Therefore, it is
important that people can talk about their experiences in public, and that each of them is valued equally.
 • It is important to give space and time to different voices, because they highlight the issues they face at a
particular time. Before we can remedy those issues, we need to understand them. This allows us to
discuss prevention methods, implemented through social and legal norms.

The Social Change Project found a few things that we can learn from past successful social movements.

It is important to support people have a voice, and civil society plays a unique role in this.

Secondly, we need to support big ideas; people in civil society are early adopters of social change. Living
wage, banning single use plastics and period poverty area ideas which have been discussed in civil society
groups for many years and have gradually entering the mainstream.

Thirdly, governments need civil society to build a case for change, especially if there are risky decisions
involved.

Fourthly, civil society can create tailored solutions for change by working closely with local communities
and individuals.

Fifthly, social movements create the spark for change, but they need the resources of civil society
organizations to create lasting change.

Elderly awareness week

There are a few campaigns raising awareness of the problems faced by elderly people.

The United Nations has recognised the 15 June as the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in 2011, inviting
Member States and other stakeholders to observe this day. Elderly Abuse takes many forms such as
psychological, financial or physical.

Age UK is campaigning about the crisis faced by the care system, domestic abuse, saving free TV licences
for over 75s and security for private tenants.