Op-eds, research , thought pieces, and resources around decolonising our sector. There’s lots of ‘whys’ and plenty of ‘hows’ so pick a place to better understand the context and why we need to decolonise and shift power, with practical tools to get started.
Feel free to use my work, but please be responsible and credit me. When I’ve shared others’ work, I’ve attributed them (as above). For example, I use The Barefoot Guide’s incredible collection of artists for each post’s title images. Everything else you see here is my intellectual property and is copyrighted.
How can I support you? I create resources based on what I think is needed, hear from others, and what people tell me. So please reach out if you don’t see what you’re looking for here.
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My Journey in RADIQUAL Approaches
A reflection on mainstreaming participatory, decolonial, intersectional, and inclusive approaches to social impact.
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My Hopes for Decolonisation in Social Impact
The SMC Group turned 5 recently which prompted me to reflect on our work and it evolution in our sector. I’ve been observing work to decolonise in our space for over a decade. These diverse strategies and ideas constantly inspire me, and they prompted this post around where I hope the next ten years takes…
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Resource: How to Decolonise Research Methodologies
Another great post in STEPS’ ‘Methods’ series, this one looks at the role of colonialism in knowledge creation/generation, the need to open up spaces for reflection and criticism, and five important ‘next steps’ for methodologies to decolonise. What do you think of these, and how could your work include some or all of these perspectives?
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Resource: A Pathway to Localisation Impact
This guide from the Humanitarian Advisory Group was released in April, and looks at how to better adopt a localised approach to working with crisis-affected people, and how to measure the depth of localisation efforts. It incudes case studies and other evidence around localisation at the community level, with ideas for how to better integrate…
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Resource: The Commitment Mural
This interesting project – and open access journal article – is an important step in opening up academic discussions around decolonising evaluation. It begins by asking MEL practitioners what their commitments to decolonising MEL is, and then shares these commitments back in a multimedia Mural board. Read the full article here, and you can submit…
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Resource: Decolonising Philanthropy
Another trending thinkpiece in the philanthropy space is around the role of knowledge, who owns it and why, a brief history, and why philanthropy needs to do better. It’s written by former clients at FRIDA, whose expertise I know is as sound as their commitment to practicing these values.
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Bond UK, Gatekeeping, and Performative Allyship
This is a long post, with a chronology of my experiences working directly with Bond. Read on for the irony of telling a UK-based organisation that words without actions are performative, that by gatekeeping based on race they’re building echo chambers of privilege, and that they need to do better, and all of this being…
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Resource: Ten Efforts to Decolonise Aid
I found this article by Heba Aly from The New Humanitarian that compiles ten ideas and existing practices to decolonise aid. It’s a good place to start for people who aren’t sure what this ‘trend’ means and would look like for them. You’ll also find links to useful frameworks such as the Start Network/Aid Re-Imagined…
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Resource: Anti-Racism and Decolonisation: A Framework for NGOs
Start Network and Aid Re-Imagined released this great framework for Anti-Racism and Decolonisation, with standards, external pressures, and targets or goals we can all work towards. It’s the result of a long-term collaboration with Arbie Baguios their consultant, and I really like how clearly it lays out both frameworks and opportunities for collaboration. I hope…
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Company Principles: Decolonisation
Key decolonial principles that I embed throughout my practice and business.
