Civil society organizations face complex challenges in their work and strategic reflection processes within a closed civic space.
Arianna Bizzoni, Consultora senior en Colectivo Meta.
States can impose the following challenges:
- Through legal, fiscal, or administrative restrictions aimed at limiting our operational capacity, access to funding, and ability to carry out activities.
- Through threats, physical or digital aggression against members of organizations, or through criminalization and judicial processes.
- By censoring and controlling media and digital platforms to limit freedom of expression and access to information.
Conducting strategic reflection processes in a closed civic space is essential for organizations to reassess their advocacy work and political actions from different perspectives. This means reevaluating goals and strategies wisely, adapting them to the current environment
In a closed civic space, it is crucial for organizations to spend time analyzing the context in which we operate, identifying our unique contributions and areas of excellence. We need to consider our goals and achievable outcomes while being mindful of the associated risks.
What should we consider before starting a strategic reflection process in a closed civil space?
a) Before starting a process
It is essential to secure communication and information, establish safe environments for both in-person and virtual discussions, and identify potential physical and emotional states to enhance team cohesion and resilience
b) During the process
We need to conduct a thorough analysis of the context, including forecasting future scenarios and assessing their effects. Set achievable goals that match the available resources and the organization’s added value. Develop feasible strategies that take security considerations into account.
Steps for a strategic reflection in a restricted civic space
1. Ensure Secure Communication and Information Management
- Implement digital security protocols for handling and storing sensitive information.
2. Create Safe Environments
- In Person: Choose a secure and trusted location for strategic reflection sessions and consider security measures for participant’s transportation and session development.
- Virtually: Select secure platforms for holding sessions.
3. Consider Psychophysical Impacts of Working in a Close Civic Space:
- Recognize the potential physical and emotional effects of working in confined civic spaces. It’s beneficial to provide emotional support tools and create engaging spaces for interaction, fostering joy and connection despite the challenging context.
4. Context Analysis:
- Identify the implications, challenges, and opportunities in our work environment. Consider different scenarios (e.g., total repression, limited openness) and evaluate how these would impact the organization’s operations and security.
5. Set Realistic Objectives:
- Engage individuals who can provide complementary insights into our context analysis, helping to identify overlooked elements. This will enable us to define achievable goals more accurately.
6. Develop Strategies:
- In a restricted civic space, prioritize essential actions for our agenda and be prepared to abandon strategies that pose more risk than benefit for our desired change.
7. Maintain Hope and Optimism:
- Recognize that those who support closed civic spaces aim to paralyze organizations, instill fear, and create disillusionment about the possibility of achieving change. In response, it is crucial to nurture hope, envision possibilities, and consider actions that can lead to a different future, supported by the resilience and efforts of organizations.
We are the agents of change
Supporting organizations in their strategic reflection processes is an inspiring and motivating mission for COMETA. Through our work with the ECOS* Initiative, we have learned to collaborate with organizations facing challenging contexts, enabling them to continue their efforts sustainably and realistically to drive social change.
Share your experiences with us. Remember, COMETA is always here to assist you in conducting a strategic reflection process in a closed civic space.
*ECOS is a collaborative initiative aimed at strengthening critical capacities to enhance the sustainability of organizations, collectives, and civil society networks in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. COMETA provides support in strategic thinking and financial resilience.
