Unit 3: An Introduction to The Three Strategies of SBCC
Introduction | Challenge | Activities | Reflection INTRODUCTION Characteristic #3 of the SBCC framework offers an appropriate mix of the following strategies to address change at all levels of the socio-ecological model.
These key strategies are mutually reinforcing:
advocacy to raise resources and political/social leadership commitment for development actions and goals
social mobilization for wider participation, coalition building, and ownership, including community mobilization
behavior change communication for changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices of specific participants/audiences in programs
There is a "Planning Continuum" between these three strategies. The graphic below illustrate how these strategies interact.
You can begin with any one of the key strategies, depending on such factors as: the problem being addressed, policies in place to deal with it, and organizations/resources already addressing the issues. If leadership isn't ready for advocacy on a certain issue, you might concentrate instead on building social networks or coalitions, which can later put pressure on leadership through a well-defined advocacy strategy. If resources allow, you might start with a broad-scale BCC effort at a community level, which—when linked with mass media—can eventually affect leadership's perspective and engage it and others into a social movement.
SBCC should always be linked to services or to products which people can access. If these are not in place, SBCC efforts remain toothless and people lose trust in communication activities.
Three Key Strategies of SBCC
As indicated earlier, SBCC operates through three key strategies:
Advocacy is an ongoing process of gathering and organizing information into an argument for the purpose of raising resources or gaining political and social leadership acceptance and commitment for a development program.
Social mobilization is a process of bringing together all practical inter-sectoral social partners to determine felt-need and to raise awareness of, and demand for, a particular development objective. It involves enlisting the participation of institutions, groups, networks and communities in identifying, raising and managing human and material resources. It aims to strengthen self-reliance and sustainability of achievements.
Behavior change communication is a research-based, consultative process of addressing knowledge, attitudes, and practices through identifying, analyzing, and segmenting audiences and participants in programs. BCC provides relevant information and motivation through well-defined strategies, using an appropriate mix of interpersonal, group and mass media channels, including participatory methods.
These strategies are not mutually exclusive. In fact, SBCC programs often combine these strategies for optimum impact. Below is an example:
Example: Combining Advocacy, Social Mobilization, and Behavior Change Communication
In December 1998, we witnessed the birth of Africa's most powerful HIV and AIDS lobby group, the South African Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). When it started as a small group of concerned individuals, its main aims were to get pharmaceutical companies to drop their prices, and to put pressure on the ruling government to give free AIDS-related drugs at state hospitals.
Following legal victories, and facing continuing refusal by the government to make antiretrovirals (ARV) available, TAC began a campaign for universal access to AIDS treatment through the public health system. In 2003 the group began a civil disobedience campaign, which was suspended once they got assurances that a treatment plan would be forthcoming. As of 2008 TAC has 250 branches across South Africa and some 12,000 members on its database [1]. One of TAC's strategic objectives is to "train and develop a representative leadership of people living with HIV/AIDS on the basis of equality and non-discrimination irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, sex, socio- economic status, nationality, marital status, or any other ground."[2]
Although antiretroviral access is now official policy in South Africa, its implementation has been spotty. TAC continues to protest and sue the government in order to speed and support ARV access. TAC also puts particular pressure on industry to make sure workplaces have proper treatment strategies on site.
TAC is one of the developing world's most recognized HIV and AIDS activist groups. Over time TAC's strategic approach has been broadened to include treatment literacy activities using health education and promotional activities. For example, their Prevention and Treatment Literacy (PTL) program provides high quality training and public-health education on the science of HIV and TB prevention and treatment to patients and partner organizations. TAC's PTL program also monitors access to essential HIV and TB services and treatment at a facility level in the districts in which TAC operates. In addition, TAC's Community Health Advocacy (CHA) program has recently begun to intensify its women's rights work by leading campaigns to end violence against women and mobilizing communities around women's rights.
Learning Outcomes At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
Differentiate across the three strategies.
Select strategies that are appropriate for your SBCC efforts.
Consider a SBCC project you are working on or have worked on in the past. How could this project include/have included all three strategies of SBCC? Which strategy/strategies would you have focused on and why?
You'll find a link to discussion posts for this unit at the bottom of the page.
Look at the following video cases highlighting advocacy, BCC, and social and community mobilization.
Fancy Stitch - Part 1
Fancy Stitch - Part 2
Read at least TWO of the following articles: (More, if possible - or feel free to skim the two you don't read in depth, so at least you know what is there, for later)
After going through the readings and case studies on the three SBCC strategies, address ONE (ore more, if you choose) of the following questions to the discussion board on the activities discussion area for this unit:
Describe a project you’ve seen or worked on which included advocacy. What do you see as the value of advocacy?
Describe a project you’ve seen or worked on which included social and community mobilization. What do you see as the value of advocacy?
Describe a project you’ve seen or worked on which included behavior change communication. What do you see as the value of BCC?
You'll find a link to discussion posts for this unit at the bottom of the page.
Consider the challenge you have just completed, the readings you have completed, as well as your own experiences. Share your thoughts on the challenge. What do you see as limitations of advocacy, social and community mobilization, and BCC? Are there instances where these strategies would be inappropriate and/ineffective? What are some challenges you have encountered/might encounter in trying to apply the strategies in a more participatory manner?
Introduction | Challenge | Activities | Reflection
INTRODUCTION
Characteristic #3 of the SBCC framework offers an appropriate mix of the following strategies to address change at all levels of the socio-ecological model.
These key strategies are mutually reinforcing:
There is a "Planning Continuum" between these three strategies. The graphic below illustrate how these strategies interact.
You can begin with any one of the key strategies, depending on such factors as: the problem being addressed, policies in place to deal with it, and organizations/resources already addressing the issues. If leadership isn't ready for advocacy on a certain issue, you might concentrate instead on building social networks or coalitions, which can later put pressure on leadership through a well-defined advocacy strategy. If resources allow, you might start with a broad-scale BCC effort at a community level, which—when linked with mass media—can eventually affect leadership's perspective and engage it and others into a social movement.
SBCC should always be linked to services or to products which people can access. If these are not in place, SBCC efforts remain toothless and people lose trust in communication activities.
As indicated earlier, SBCC operates through three key strategies:
Advocacy is an ongoing process of gathering and organizing information into an argument for the purpose of raising resources or gaining political and social leadership acceptance and commitment for a development program.
Social mobilization is a process of bringing together all practical inter-sectoral social partners to determine felt-need and to raise awareness of, and demand for, a particular development objective. It involves enlisting the participation of institutions, groups, networks and communities in identifying, raising and managing human and material resources. It aims to strengthen self-reliance and sustainability of achievements.
Behavior change communication is a research-based, consultative process of addressing knowledge, attitudes, and practices through identifying, analyzing, and segmenting audiences and participants in programs. BCC provides relevant information and motivation through well-defined strategies, using an appropriate mix of interpersonal, group and mass media channels, including participatory methods.
These strategies are not mutually exclusive. In fact, SBCC programs often combine these strategies for optimum impact. Below is an example:
Following legal victories, and facing continuing refusal by the government to make antiretrovirals (ARV) available, TAC began a campaign for universal access to AIDS treatment through the public health system. In 2003 the group began a civil disobedience campaign, which was suspended once they got assurances that a treatment plan would be forthcoming. As of 2008 TAC has 250 branches across South Africa and some 12,000 members on its database [1]. One of TAC's strategic objectives is to "train and develop a representative leadership of people living with HIV/AIDS on the basis of equality and non-discrimination irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, sex, socio- economic status, nationality, marital status, or any other ground."[2]
Although antiretroviral access is now official policy in South Africa, its implementation has been spotty. TAC continues to protest and sue the government in order to speed and support ARV access. TAC also puts particular pressure on industry to make sure workplaces have proper treatment strategies on site.
TAC is one of the developing world's most recognized HIV and AIDS activist groups. Over time TAC's strategic approach has been broadened to include treatment literacy activities using health education and promotional activities. For example, their Prevention and Treatment Literacy (PTL) program provides high quality training and public-health education on the science of HIV and TB prevention and treatment to patients and partner organizations. TAC's PTL program also monitors access to essential HIV and TB services and treatment at a facility level in the districts in which TAC operates. In addition, TAC's Community Health Advocacy (CHA) program has recently begun to intensify its women's rights work by leading campaigns to end violence against women and mobilizing communities around women's rights.
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
[1] http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Aids_Focus/0,,2-7-659_1842267,00.htm
[2] http://www.tac.org.za/community/about
back to top
CHALLENGE
Consider a SBCC project you are working on or have worked on in the past. How could this project include/have included all three strategies of SBCC? Which strategy/strategies would you have focused on and why?
You'll find a link to discussion posts for this unit at the bottom of the page.
back to top
ACTIVITIES
Watch
Look at the following video cases highlighting advocacy, BCC, and social and community mobilization.
Fancy Stitch - Part 1
Fancy Stitch - Part 2
Read at least TWO of the following articles: (More, if possible - or feel free to skim the two you don't read in depth, so at least you know what is there, for later)
OPTIONAL discussion assignment
After going through the readings and case studies on the three SBCC strategies, address ONE (ore more, if you choose) of the following questions to the discussion board on the activities discussion area for this unit:
You'll find a link to discussion posts for this unit at the bottom of the page.
back to top
REFLECTION
Consider the challenge you have just completed, the readings you have completed, as well as your own experiences. Share your thoughts on the challenge. What do you see as limitations of advocacy, social and community mobilization, and BCC? Are there instances where these strategies would be inappropriate and/ineffective? What are some challenges you have encountered/might encounter in trying to apply the strategies in a more participatory manner?
back to top