Your way, my way, highway or our way?

Sanjog's leadership development focuses on victims of violence build their leadership skills, individually and collectively. Sanjog chooses, for this programme, to work with people who are stigmatised and isolated (which makes them invisible - for example, people with mental illnesses, or people who are stigmatised because of their sexuality). The programme mobilises and collectivises such people to form groups, and embark on their journey toward self-determination. The programme aims to help these individuals express their desires, challenge psychological barriers, and build relationships with stakeholders to become allies in change processes. However, the path to this empowerment is complex, involving negotiation between the needs of sponsors and the evolving aspirations of the individuals.

The Core Assumption: Expression and Connection

Sanjog's mentoring program is grounded in the belief that true empowerment stems from the ability to express oneself, pursue ambitions, and overcome internal mistrust towards the system. For example, consider a collective of survivors of domestic violence named Anjali, who, through the programme, find their voice and works to build transparency in local governance. Their goal is to improve accountability within Panchayats, believing that participatory governance can empower the community, impact gender relations positively, and enable women to resist intimate-partner violence more effectively.

Long-term Journey and Sponsor Expectations

The journey of these individuals is long-term and multifaceted, often diverging from the immediate expectations of programme sponsors. Sponsors, driven by their organizational mandates, might focus on specific outcomes related to particular issues. For instance, a sponsor dedicated to combating domestic violence might expect survivors to focus solely on preventing domestic violence, protecting victims, and prosecuting offenders. This sponsor who has agreed to sponsor the collective based on this assumption will feel disillusioned if the survivors' organisations' actions do not focus on addressing domestic violence as an issue directly.

The Example: Divergent Paths and Expectations

Anjali’s collective might decide to work on transparency in local governance, hypothesising that such efforts will lead to community empowerment, ultimately impacting domestic violence. However, a sponsor focused on direct outcomes related to domestic violence might find it challenging to measure the impact of such a project. This divergence in focus can create tension between the funder and the funded, necessitating a negotiation strategy that aligns both parties' objectives.

Finding Common Ground: A Strategy for Negotiation

Addressing this complex problem requires a strategy that balances both perspectives without imposing hierarchical resolutions. A hierarchical approach would demand that the survivors’ collective change its actions to fit the financier’s framework or, conversely, require the funder to adopt the collective’s approach entirely. Neither is ideal, as both are inherently hierarchical and dismissive of the other’s priorities.

Instead, a third way must be found—one that incorporates elements of both perspectives. This strategy involves:

1. Open Dialogue and Understanding: Establishing a dialogue between the funders and the survivors’ organisations to understand each other’s goals and constraints. This dialogue should aim to build mutual respect and trust.

2. Flexible Frameworks: Developing goals that accommodate agenda of both organisations. For instance, Anjali may include an agenda of strengthening responsiveness and accountability of the local governance councils/ Panchayats towards addressing domestic violence - and demand actions on prevention, justice and victim-protection.

3. Shared Vision and Co-creation: Creating a shared vision that acknowledges the funder's immediate goals while integrating the survivors' long-term aspirations. This co-creation process ensures that both parties feel ownership of the project and are committed to its success.

4. An inclusive set of indicators of outcome: Anjali and its funder may build outcome indicators that not only measure the impact of the Panchayat's actions on domestic violence and its prevalence, it will also include indicators on how the movement for more participatory governance in the village has resulted in community empowerment and its impact on gender relations.

Negotiating the pathways in leadership development programs like Sanjog’s involves balancing immediate sponsor expectations with the long-term aspirations of marginalised individuals. By fostering open dialogue, developing flexible frameworks, co-creating shared visions, and regularly reviewing strategies, both the funders and the funded can find common ground. This collaborative approach not only ensures the sustainability of the programmes but also respects the diverse pathways to empowerment and change.