The issues that we care about the most are rooted in inequitable systems. Creating a fairer world requires systemic change. Yet, so many of the nonprofit sector’s solutions are rooted in an individual's choice.
I struggled with programs that offered ‘individual’ choice as the goal. It felt messed up, but I couldn’t grasp why. I’m not a social worker, yet I remember the moment, over a decade ago, when I stumbled across Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model.
Source: @clinpsych_ind
The thinking went…if they had only changed their diet, completed this certificate program, or changed their thinking, then the problem would have been solved.
As a former front-line service provider, I rarely saw that approach work. People couldn’t afford healthier foods, and those value meals were much more attractive and available. The certificate they completed was helpful, but the jobs they represented weren’t accessible by public transportation. It was hard for folks to maintain their new thought patterns when they lived in a family that kept unhelpful ways of thinking.
Deliberate Disruptions
I love this image because it defines the dynamics so beautifully. The principles of Bronfenbrenner’s Model can be adapted to any challenge society faces. The model is a way to understand how macro and micro systems work together to keep unfair systems in place. To deal with one means to deal with the other. Both must be deliberately disrupted simultaneously to avoid reproduction and reinforcement.
Strategies
· Make the connection by noticing the macro and the micro elements of systems m in your organization. At what level are your programs working?
· Can you design your programs to address more than one level?
· Seek balance by paying attention to the levels while developing outcomes for your organization’s programs.
· Find an accountability partner to help you clarify your thinking as you make your connections between the levels.
Guiding Questions:
1. What levels in your programming do you notice?
2. How are levels represented in the communities you serve?
Notes:
Systems Theory Definition
Science Direct
Systems Theory - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
Girls Talk
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory- GT (youtube.com)