Raising Voices

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A Commitment toLearning

We can prevent violence against women! Our own research and practice-based learning have meaningfully contributed to this evidence base. Using an expansive, open-hearted approach, we are discovering the what, why and how behind impactful programming on violence against women.

Why?

Our feminism demands that we question knowledge hierarchies and challenge frameworks that privilege “scientific research” above all else. So, at Raising Voices, we intentionally embrace a more holistic approach that brings emotional and experiential learning to the fore. By remaining curious and taking steps to systematically learn (and un-learn), we create space to be reflexive and adaptive in our work.

How?

Our Learning is organized into three areas: practice-based learning, research collaborations and organizational frameworks.

Across each of these, we explore pertinent questions that impact our work, such as: What does it mean to “go to scale”? How can we provide quality technical assistance to a growing global community of partners? And how can we nurture our own activism as staff?

We aspire to share our findings in creative formats to spark meaningful exchange and enrich the existing knowledge base with a more grounded perspective. 

Learning Highlights

Practice-Based Learning
Research Collaborations
Organizational Frameworks
Taking Stock & Synthesizing What We Know

Through our practice-based learning, we are helping to connect the dots from program design to implementation and impact. Our Learning From Practice Series collates many of these insights, articulating the “how-to” behind essential program components that are often overlooked. For instance, we unpack what it means to create an organizational culture for social justice activism (Paper 1), ways in which organizations can demonstrate solidarity in action (Paper 5) and considerations for designing programs that can simultaneously address violence against women and violence against children (Paper 7).

For a deeper dive into programming details, we created the Programming for Prevention Series. This collection includes tools and other resources informed by Raising Voices’ direct experiences in safe and ethical programming and is intended for organizations that are implementing SASA! or similar prevention methodologies. Each program brief provides specific guidance around a common challenge—for example, how to ensure fidelity to the SASA! approach (Brief 2), how to adapt SASA! for humanitarian settings (Brief 6) and more.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, our practice-based learning is currently oriented around understanding how this crisis is altering the landscape of violence against women prevention. We’ve conducted interviews and surveys, as well as engaged with partners around the world, to better understanding the gendered dynamics of the pandemic and the realities of feminist organizations stepping up and showing inspiring leadership during this time. As part of our commitment to actionable learning, findings have informed our Practice in terms of new programming materials and Influencing initiatives.