Towards a policy framework for the empowerment of social movements

Abstract

As they move from responding to needs and demands to a more rights-based approach, some French NGOs are rethinking both their areas of work and their ways of working. ‘Empowerment’ has become a key concept in this changing context, although it is sometimes difficult to know how best to apply it and understand what it really means in an NGO setting. This article shares some thinking on empowerment, analysing its ‘object’ (individuals, organisations, networks, or movements) and the ‘process’ through which it is realised. Drawing on the author's own experience and on a brief literature review, it is illustrated by the examples of the international disability and US gay rights movements.

Keywords:

• Civil Society
• Social Sector
• Rights

The author

Philippe Villeval is a graduate of ISTOM (College of Advanced Studies in International Agro-Development) and of the Human Rights Institute of Lyon. For nine years he worked for a French NGO as a technical adviser and trainer in rural and local development, project management, and the capitalisation of field experiences. He is currently working on social development in a local federation of residents' associations in France.

Notes

Source: World Bank 2005

1. www.sdc.admin.ch/en/Home/Themes/Economic_integration/Renforcement_du_pouvoir, retrieved 9 October 2007