Step 5: Make Greater Change By Synergizing

Although the actions you take on your own do make an impact on hunger, the change you can make when you synergize with individuals that have shared goals is much greater; or as Covey (2020) shares, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (p. 134). Individuals from local communities, local activists, and members from different organizations must work together to foster not only trust and collaboration between parties, but also to achieve better results in their efforts to fight hunger. We should not see people who are working on the same issue as a threat, but instead as allies we can join forces with to make a greater impact. In a review of the quality of partnerships between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2012) stated that the protection of refugees was enhanced when partners adhered to human rights principles, adhered to the principles of partnership (equality, transparency, and complementarity), had a common understanding of the purpose of their advocacy, and had a partnership that was well-balanced in terms of contributions. When looking to build partnerships with like-minded advocates, we must target "key individuals /influencers who are in a position to bring about the change you want, understand policy process and who can make decisions and have influence over your goals" (SIVIO Institute, 2018, p. 3). By creating synergizing partnerships in our efforts to end hunger, we can reach more resources, solidarity, wider audiences, and give our voice more power.

 

Do you synergize to generate better results? Read these steps to find out how you can.

 

 

As local activists and advocates we value the act of working together with different people or organizations to achieve our common goal, which is helping families gain more access to food. We also value and respect the differences each party brings to the table because this opens the door to new and creative solutions to address hunger. In other words, we celebrate individuals' different perspectives, ideologies, and backgrounds and invite diversity into our partnerships because we can use them as resources to develop ideas we might not have been able to develop on our own. 

 

There is a pressing need for advocates that strive to end hunger to create synergizing partnerships with individuals that share the same goals. We need to invite, celebrate, and put to good use the different perspectives, ideas, and backgrounds every partner has to offer so that we can create solutions to hunger that are unique and innovative. Instead of only working with our own limited skill set, we have the opportunity to build on the strengths of other advocates to make our work more effective and achieve high-impact results to end hunger. Take my own experience of building synergy as an example: I invited my former colleague who grew up food insecure to share with me how I could help families gain more access to food directly. Keep in mind, I have never experienced having a lack of food growing up so I thought it would be helpful to receive ideas from someone who has. His perspective made me realize I had not thought about the shame people may feel when they are gifted food, especially in front of others. Because of this, we came up with an idea to drop off food privately to families in need, which we would contact through a Facebook page. Boxes of uneaten, donated foods would be dropped off at families' front doors so they would not feel ashamed receiving assistance in front of others. I would not have been able to think of this solution on my own without the perspective of my former colleague. More families were willing to reach out to us and admit they needed help because they knew they could receive assistance away from the public eye. 

 

CALL TO ACTION! In order to produce a better combined effect on hunger, I want to create synergistic partnerships by inviting your own unique experiences, ideas, and perspectives on how we can help families gain more access to food. Are you or someone you know experiencing food insecurity? Have you volunteered in an organization that targets hunger? What resources or solutions can you offer that you believe will help us decrease food insecurity in our local communities? Please comment your thoughts and suggestions below so we can tackle this crisis together because together is better.

Information Sources

Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Simon & Schuster.

SIVIO Institute. (2018). Creating synergies for policy advocacy.  Sivio Institute. https://www.sivioinstitute.org/schools/wp-content/uploads/Local_Governance/07_Creation_Of_Synergies_For_Advocacy/Module-7-Lecture-Notes.pdf 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2012). Guidance note on partnership in advocacy for protection. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/en-ie/57348bc57.pdf

Image Sources  

Covey, S. R. (2022). Synergy is better than my way or your way. It’s our way. [Image]. QuoteFancy. https://quotefancy.com/quote/909761/Stephen-R-Covey-Synergy-is-better-than-my-way-or-your-way-It-s-our-way

Regality Academy. (2021). Together is better. [Image]. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/246290673355289884/ 

  

Step 4: Reject Stigmas by Listening With Empathy

This week, while developing more solutions to help people that suffer from hunger, we want to practice seeking first to understand them, then to be understood. This will require us to use empathetic listening which Covey (2020) describes as when we listen with the intent to understand, not just with the intent to reply. It requires to get inside another person’s frame of reference in order to fully, deeply understand their motives, thoughts, feelings, and experiences instead of projecting our own autobiographies. Now that we have covered what empathetic listening entails, it is important to note that homeless individuals have a significantly higher risk of food insecurity than the general population because homelessness has been proven to be one of the major predictors behind hunger (Fitzpatrick & Willis, 2021). Yet, society has dehumanized homeless individuals and refrained from lending them a helping hand due to the stigma they have created about homeless people being dirty, lazy, and deviant. In fact, in a survey conducted by Indiana University, 51% of Americans attributed “lack of will” to the reason people live in poverty, and 80-90% of Americans claim that those living in poverty should be working and receiving less assistance than they do, 57% say people are homeless because of lack of effort, and 50% claimed homelessness is due to drunkenness and loose morals (American Bar Assocation, 1993). How many of these individuals that have reinforced negative stereotypes about homeless people do you think have stopped and truly listened with empathy to any homeless person in hopes of understanding their thoughts, feelings, and experiences? Chances are probably not many of them, if any at all. For this reason, we must work to eliminate these stigmas society has created by interacting with those in need and encouraging others to do the same so that together, we can gain more supporters that want to take action against hunger.

 

As local activists for hunger, we value humanizing impoverished individuals, regardless of how much or how little they have, and we value the power that empathy holds in creating positive change against hunger. Not only does empathetic listening help us build trust and respect for one another, but it also helps to clear up or prevent any misconceptions we have about individuals living in poverty. When we listen with empathy, we can understand other people’s frame of reference before expressing our own. In addition, we cannot create effective solutions for hunger if we do not truly understand the needs of those experiencing it – and the only way we can truly understand is through empathetic interactions. 

In order to build a community of like-minded individuals that see the remarkable need in taking action against hunger, we need to reject the stigma behind homelessness and impoverished communities. As mentioned before, we can only do this through empathetic communication so we can clear up misconceptions about those living in poverty. This will help us and others develop empathy for people who do not know where their next meal is coming from. We need to reject stereotypes about people living in poverty and be the voice for those that do not have one or that cannot defend themselves against such harsh perceptions created by society.

 

CALL TO ACTION! As local activists, we have the responsibility to engage with impoverished communities that suffer from hunger in order to not only humanize them again, but in order to understand their thoughts, feelings, and needs. We have the power to be a voice for those who do not have one in order to shift the issue of food insecurity in a positive way and we can do this by practicing empathetic listening with those in need. Below I have included a YouTube video for you to watch that contains a number of people experiencing homelessness telling their story about how they got where they are (you can see that many of the previous misconceptions made about them are not true). I challenge you to seek out a person in need today, whether it’s someone who is homeless or someone who suffers from hunger, and seek to understand their struggles and their needs, with hopes that you develop empathy for impoverished communities along the way.  If for some reason you are unable/uncomfortable to, I ask that you repost this video to help others develop empathy and show the importance in listening to the stories of impoverished individuals so we can break the stigma behind poverty. 

 

Comment your experience below or share any comments you received from reposting this video.  

 Information References

 

American Bar Association. (1993). Stigma and lack of personal dignity. Urban Geography. https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/homelessness_poverty/blueprints 

Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Simon & Schuster.

 

Fitzpatrick, K. M., & Willis, D. E. (2021). Homeless and hungry: food insecurity in the land of plenty.

 

 Food Security, 13(1), 3-12.

 

Media References 

 

Maronesy, T. (2019, May 30). Homeless people answer: WHAT'S YOUR STORY? [Video]. 

 

YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjc1PiCg0nA&t=260s

Step 3: Be a Social Change Agent

Being a social change agent means you work to influence others in order to address social issues, such as food insecurity. Part of being a social change agent for food insecurity means taking on a win-win approach where you show others that helping to decrease food insecurity is in their best interest (Walden University, 2021). So, the question here is how exactly do individuals benefit from taking action against food insecurity? How do they win? When we help to end hunger and malnutrition, we help increase productivity within our communities and help to make positive impacts on health and social development (United Nations, 2022). What happens when we increase productivity and help make positive impacts on health and social development? We are able to live and raise our children in a world that is sustainable and has strong health and education systems. Many may refrain from taking action against hunger because they do not see the direct and immediate impact it has on them, but there are negative long-term effects that ultimately affect us on an economic and social scale. We can avoid the negative impacts it makes on our world and that is how everyone wins – that is how you influence people to make a change.

 

As social change agents for hunger, we value having awareness about what is happening around us and the world, and we use this as a tool to influence others. We notice things that others might not and this is how we figure out what changes need to be made and how they will occur (Walden University, 2021). For example, as a social change agent for hunger, I have noticed that government assistance programs, such as SNAP, have let many impoverished individuals down by turning away hundreds of thousands of them from receiving assistance due to their exclusive, bureaucratic processes. The change that needs to be made is not relying on the government to feed ourselves and our families. We should lean on each other to get ourselves out of this crisis and this is why I have created this blog. In addition, a social change agent also values being fearless. As advocates and local activists, we run the risk of being ridiculed for trying to help the ones in need. Many individuals possess an “every man for himself” mentality which inhibits them to shame activists for helping those struggling with hunger. However, as social change agents, we must not let these ridicules or any setbacks lower our determination and keep us from trying to influence others. 

 

In order for this movement against hunger to be effective, we need to dedicate our time and effort to make a real difference in our communities by influencing others using the 6 tactics listed in the article: 1) show others how supporting this movement benefits them, 2) listen, 3) have a clear vision, 4) be aware, 5) be fearless, and 6) have something someone wants. A movement does not stop at you and me – momentum needs to be built and this begins with a chain reaction of influencing others to address hunger. As ultra committed change-makers, we need to initiate dialogue with others about food insecurity to raise more awareness and influence others to make changes. 

 

 

 

CALL TO ACTION! This week’s call to action is to read the article about the six tactics social change agents use to influence others, then practice at least one tactic this week to influence a fellow neighbor, family member, or friend to participate in Step 1 or Step 2 of this blog to decrease food insecurity. After you have completed this call to action, reflect and comment on this blog about your experience and which tactic you practiced. We can all work to make a difference and make the world a better place; this will all depend on how many people you can influence to think and act in impactful ways. 

 

Information References

 

United Nations. (2022). Zero hunger: why it matters. Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Goal-2.pdf 

Walden University. (2021, March 25). Six-ways-social-change-agents-influence-others. Walden University. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/resource/six-ways-social-change-agents-influence-others

Image References

Buchanan, L. (2022). Never underestimate the influence you have on others [Image]. Quote Master. https://www.quotemaster.org/Influence#&gid=1&pid=4

Demaree, D. (2011). Agents of change [Image]. Blogger. http://d-demaree.blogspot.com/2011/12/agent-of-change.html

Step 2: It's Time to Spring Clean Our Pantries

Before we get into the next step towards helping impoverished families gain access to food, we must remember to put first things first by keeping in mind our priorities. When we remind ourselves of the purpose behind this movement, we can work to execute priorities of highest importance, while also retaining our personal integrity (Covey, 2020). Our highest priority is to help our neighbors that struggle with hunger by fulfilling our own responsibilities as local activists -- This includes changing our own habits at home and seeking ways we can help support those in need. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2022), the average American household wastes 30-40% of food they obtain and this is partly due to the fact that was are throwing away our uneaten foods at home instead of allowing someone in need to have it. Have you ever over-prepared too much food at home only for the leftovers to sit in your fridge for weeks collecting mold? What about realizing you are not going to eat the 6 cans of baked beans you bought on special that were left to be forgotten in your pantry, resulting in them getting thrown out? 

 

According to Feeding America (2022), "food rescue, or food recovery, is the practice of collecting high-quality food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to people facing hunger" (para. 8). Throwing away uneaten foods from our homes does not align with our ethics and values as local activists fighting to end hunger. Wasting food that could be someone else's next meal is not only unethical, but it shows a clear lack of empathy for those that suffer from hunger. We need to strive to work our way towards practicing food recovery in our households by approaching this priority with empathy and remembering that whatever food we may think to be of low value to us, is of significant value to the next hungry child, mother, father, or homeless individual.

 

If we can all collectively agree that throwing away edible food is wrong and that it makes a negative impact on food insecurity, then we can understand the pressing need to start being more conscious about what actions we take with the unused food in our homes. We need to start donating our unused foods to not only promote food recovery, but to also benefit the overall well-being of impoverished families so that they can live long, healthy lives and be contributing members of society. This need was prompted by a discussion I had with my partner after an attempt to organize our food pantry--we realized we were never going to eat the surplus of canned chicken noodle soup we had leftover from our camping trip over a year ago. It filled us with guilt to throw away so much food knowing that we live in a community with an astonishingly high homeless population.

 

CALL TO ACTION! As local activists and concerned citizens, I urge you to conduct a spring cleaning of your own within your kitchen. Instead of throwing away food you realize is not going to be eaten, donate it to your local food bank in order to give it directly to people in need. HERE I have provided a link to FoodFinder where you can locate nearby food banks to donate your uneaten food to and a picture of a list of foods below that most food banks accept and are in desperate need of. If you take participate in this call to action, please comment below about your experience, thoughts, and feelings or simply repost the list of foods with the FoodFinder link on one of your social media platforms to spread the word!

 Information References

Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Simon & Schuster.

Feeding America. (2022). How we fight food waste in the US. Feeding America. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-food-waste 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2022). Food Waste Faqs. USDA. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs

Media References

Feeding Missouri (2015). What do food banks need? [Image]. Feeding Missouri. https://feedingmissouri.org/what-do-food-banks-need-2/