How to increase the public’s support for inclusive policies?
The series of Collective Learning events is an integral part of the Places to Grow program. These meetings are designed to share best practices and talk about specific challenges that the attendees face when promoting positive change in early childhood development activities in their respective countries.
In the first event, we got to know Omamas’ Journey to Break the Cycle of Poverty in Slovakia. In the second we held a discussion about the successes and challenges of the Early Childhood Development Platform in the Czech Republic.
At our event on February 8th, the Milan Šimečka Foundation presented its latest research outcomes on communicating inclusive policies with the public.
If you missed it you can see the recording here or read our summary below.
Milan Šimečka Foundation led a project that tried to provide replicable communication models for policymakers (both local and national) that would increase public support for inclusive policies. These policies were aimed not only at helping the Roma but also at benefiting the entire wider community. They based their advice on research conducted online at a national representative level, through an extensive survey of the Roma population and an experiment designed for a regional municipality.
Andrej Findor, a board member of the Milan Šimečka Foundation and an associate professor at the Institute of European Studies and International Relations, Comenius University, Bratislava, shared the outcomes of the research and policy brief with us. Zuzana Bošelová, project manager and researcher, and Veronika Fishbone Vlčková, director of Milan Šimečka Foundation led discussion in smaller groups on communication-related topics.
Andrej highlighted the importance of using people-centred language rather than community-centred one, especially when referring to disadvantaged individuals. This has started an interesting debate among the participants about their experience with various approaches to naming disadvantaged individuals or groups, whether in research or policy context.
Another takeaway from the research is the importance of aligning with the public’s core values: effort is regarded as a significant driver for individual and collective change, valued more than ability in terms of fairness and justice. This view is shared by both the general population and the Roma community. This means the policies should always highlight the active nature of individuals and think about this in any project/intervention design.
Additionally, the research advises favoring voluntary participation in programs over mandatory involvement. For example, social housing programs with opt-in options are more likely to attract strong support and active involvement from those they aim to help, ultimately preventing the reinforcement of negative stereotypes.
Moderated breakout rooms offered more space for diverse discussions. They generally reinforced the research findings with their experience, stressing the importance of sensitive language, individual stories, and common sense of shared “goodness” as a necessary starting point for difficult discussions.
The event was held in a positive atmosphere and the participants could feel they were not alone in their organisations’ moral and practical everyday battles. Inspirational ideas that were shared can hopefully now help move the causes forward.
The next event will take place on March 12th, from 09:00 AM to 10:30 AM (CET). We will present our Compendium of inspiring practices together with ICDI and Schola Empirica. If you want to join the discussion, let us know here, or follow our social media.
*Places to Grow is a catalyst for excellence in early childhood development in Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary. It strengthens relationships between organisations active in social services, education, advocacy, and research. Our mission is to create a collaborative community united by a single vision: to help every child realise their potential to contribute to society in the future.
