Following an in depth analysis of their context, Reflection-Action participants will come together to identify the problem or rights violation that they want to focus on and plan for action. A number of participatory tools can be used to support this process.

Identify the problem

During the context analysis process a number of problems / rights violations may have been identified by circle members. These can be prioritised and a single issue selected for further work using a pairwise ranking matrix.

Understand the problem

A number of tools may be used to deepen understanding of the problem identified. A problem tree, for example, is particularly useful for analysing the causes and effects of a particular situation. A river can help to understand how a situation has changed over time. When seeking to deepen understanding of a particular issue it is important to remember to take into account a number of different areas of analysis, e.g. rights, power, actors and institutions, gender, vulnerability, communications, risks and feasibility.

Identify the change you want to see

It is important to be very clear about the change you want to bring about. A number of tools can be used to help participants to create a vision for the future. One way of doing this is to create a future version of the tool that was used to illustrate the problem in the first place. For example, if a map was used, an ideal future map could be created to show the change that people would like to see.

Decide how you can bring about the change

Participants then need to decide what is needed to achieve that change. What are the small changes (outcomes) that will help them to achieve the big change (impact) that they want? A number of participatory tools could be used to help members of a Reflection-Action group to visualise the path to change. These include:

• A river could be used to visualise the small changes (outcomes) that need to take place to get from where we are now (the start of the river) to where we want to be (the end of the river).
• A bridge is another useful tool that can be used to identify the individual planks (outcomes) that will get you from this side of the river (current situation) to the other (ideal situation).
• A tree can be used to identify actions (roots) that need to be taken to achieve the desired outcomes (branches).

Plan for action

Once activities have been agreed, a simple planning matrix can be used by participants to plan for action:

References

• People’s Action in Practice, ActionAid International, 2012, p219-223.
• Reflect Mother Manual, ActionAid International, 1996.