Shifting perceptions of behaviour change
I regularly have epiphanies — I mean they aren’t world changing, complex problem-solving epiphanies, rather they are the process of deep thinking on one topic for a period of time. They often occur whilst out dog walking in nature but they are always inspired by something I’ve heard, something I’ve read or something that has been troubling me. I generally feel I’ve been subconsciously searching for an answer, waiting for the ‘aha!’ moment.
I know my thoughts don’t compare to those of great philosophers or scientists but there’s something in finding the words yourself to explain something. Do you know that feeling you get when you read a quote that resonates with you? It’s as if the author knew what you were thinking or feeling. To me, this is the beginning of trying to understand more. Reading a quote gets me closer to the thing or feeling I have been trying to comprehend, but only by putting it into a context or language that I can relate to, can I truly feel as though I’ve learnt something OR in my words, had an epiphany.
So lately I’ve been thinking about Shift, well I always think about Shift, but I’ve been trying to put my finger on what’s different about our way of doing things — why does it seem to be working? How is it unique to other sport and recreation programmes for young women? And I have a new theory — well, it’s not a NEW theory, it’s just a new theory to me and a way in which to explain the impact and participant behaviour change we are witnessing.
In a previous blog — ‘10 things about Shift’, I tried to articulate our way of doing things (we also talk about our approach and core values on our website). Both mention the focus on fun and building whānaungatanga — kinship, meaningful connections, with young women. I often think that funders of Shift must wonder what we are doing sometimes, having all these catch ups with young women, eating fruit and chatting. “Where’s the outputs?” I hear the voices in my head… to which I respond “These are outputs! We are just measuring different impact!”. I also hear whispers around the office that our “jobs look like so much fun” OR “Well, it’s not really work, is it?” to which I respond (again, in my head)…
“It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done. We are trying to influence change in negative behaviours alongside young women! You try convincing a region full of 12–20-year-old females that they are enough in a world that keeps telling them they’re not!”
For so long we’ve been stuck on this idea that we need to educate to empower, that imparting knowledge and words will be the key to creating behaviour change. If young women know that underage drinking could lead to a whole raft of issues then they won’t do it… Hello?! When did I get so old as to forget that when knowledge competes with coolness, coolness always wins. It’s only recently that I’ve really looked deeply at what Katie, Chloe, Liv, Emma, Caroline, Sarah and Cat do when they sit down with young women and I can tell you it isn’t a powerpoint presentation of the issues young women face or the benefits of physical activity and sport; instead it is providing opportunities to engage, creating feelings of connectedness and fun which in turn ignite the spark for behaviour change.
“…people feel that having a certain image has more value than knowing facts. People do things all the time that are bad for them, because it makes them feel good. If you want people to change, first get them to feel” — Dan Heath, Switch.
True behaviour change comes from seeing and feeling, not from being told.
A young woman is standing at the back of the room, nervous, shy, playing with her phone whilst her mind races ‘What am I doing here? Who are these crazy women?’ (Trust me… I’ve have seen it in their faces). The facilitators, for lack of a better word, scoop up the misfits, the stragglers, the one’s covering their faces with their hair and invite them to sit in a circle. “Oh god! Are we going to have to sing kumbaya, or worse yet introduce ourselves to a room of strangers?”… There’s no singing, but there’s always introductions — we are desperate to know who these young women are, why they came, what makes their hearts sing… and it’s this that begins the shifting of perceptions.
“Someone is interested in me. Someone wants to hear my thoughts. Someone thinks my ideas are awesome. Someone can see me”.
Slowly I’ve begun to realise the impact that social connectedness, a safe environment, learning through doing and laughter can have on changing behaviour, and it seems from the outside looking in that young woman can also see themselves growing in confidence, connecting with others, having a voice and being heard, learning new skills and having fun. It’s the Shift way.
We often ask young women “Have you learnt a new skill today?” they mostly say ‘yes’ but can’t always explain exactly what that new skill is. We ask if they are going to play a new sport that they might have learnt through Shift and they often say ‘maybe’. Nine times out of ten they won’t take up a new sport just because they tried it, but nine times out of ten they will attend another Shift event/activity because of what they saw and how it made them feel.
We can stand in front of a room of young women and talk about the Five ways to wellbeing to create behaviour change or we can model them, show them and help them feel the impact. A Shut Up and Dance class interspersed with face pulling from Clair, the instructor, is an inspirational way to ‘Get Active’. Helping shift the chairs back after class is a great way to ‘Give’. Making bliss balls as a healthy alternative to sweets is a hands-on and yummy way to ‘Keep Learning’. Meeting a group of young women from across the Wellington region is ‘Connecting’ and finally turning up is participating and we ‘Take Notice’ of every single human who turns up.
Shift is impacting behaviour change and improving the wellbeing of young women by showing them what’s possible and creating a feeling, a vibe, they can connect to. We are building a Shifterhood, not a school. We are creating change through fun and whānaungatanga, not words and silos.
And finally if you want to know how to make young women feel something when they engage with you or your services… ask them, or better yet let them lead. Only when we put the humans we are designing for at the center of our work will we really experience empathy and understanding of their needs. Only when we have understanding will we truly be able to provide the right environment for positive behaviour change.
