Core Modules 4 - Rights and Responsibilities
Within the CAPIR process, the rights and responsibilities referred to are those, which accrue as a result of belonging to the learning partnership. The rights and responsibilities that each participant has in the world outside the learning partnership are part of the 'package' that each brings to this relationship.
Rights and responsibilities are built on shared values or ethics. To be ethical we must be able to justify what we do with respect to the community at large, not just for any partial or sectorial group. This does not mean that we abandon equity, but that we understand that if any group in a community is more disadvantaged, then all the community suffers.
Why do we need to start with rights and responsibilities?
Partnerships formed to produce changes and solve problems in communities, are supported by the knowledge, experience and resources of those involved. In order to combine resources, common goals need to be developed collaboratively.
Talking through and writing down each member's rights and responsibilities, when they engage in a learning partnership, clarifies the purpose of the activity and brings people into strong relationships with each other and builds individual self esteem.
In this way, responsibility can be redistributed between governments and the community - community rights increase and equity in decision making develops.
Common characteristics of ethics include:
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respect for self and others
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valuing ownership of resources
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valuing integrity
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valuing heritage and relationships.
A right is a secured value, offered by others, and which participants expect to be available to them within the learning partnership eg. trust.
A responsibility is an action that participants are obliged to take to ensure their rights, and those of others, are secured within the partnership eg. meeting deadlines.
Examples of rights
A participant has the right:
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to participate, eg. speak for themselves, engage in decision-making, and to be heard by others
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to have their experience valued, eg. recognition that their experiences are not wrong if they are not the same as other peoples - they add to an understanding of the issue
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to learn, eg. to feel free to acknowledge when their long held beliefs are no longer true and not to be accused of inconsistency if they change their position for the right reasons
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to access support, eg. from other group members or funds to enable their participation.
A facilitator has the right:
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to include theory in the way facilitation is performed
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to make decisions concerning how the group is facilitated, guided by the group's stated values
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to use a variety of methods from their own experience to raise questions about process
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to evaluate the impact of a process on group outcomes
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to be treated with respect by the participants.
A funding body has the right:
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to participate in activities and training
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to receive regular reports
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to support participants if needed without reducing their participation rights and responsibilities
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to work on the differences between community-based priorities and political priorities.
Process driver
Work through the Process Driver to help set rights and responsibilities for you and your group.
Do this as a group and record your set of rights and responsibilities. These can be used to help group members remember the commitments they made on joining the group and will also help if a re-negotiation of commitment is needed.
Related modules
Links
Related readings
Goff, S. 'The facilitator's rights and responsibilities', pp. 68-80, 'Draft Facilitator's Participatory Action Research Kit'.
Tools
Link to useful tools on this module.
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