IF WE DON'T CHANGE, WE DON'T GROW!
OUR THEORY OF CHANGE TRANSCENDS CULTURE AND STRUCTURE THROUGH SAFE-ACTING PLATFORMS
REFORM believes that any incompatibility between goals is a conflict. Where someone’s goal is hindering the needs and goals of others, goals are derived from human basic needs. Needs exist in people’s subconscious and we can only understand these needs by personifying them into the forms of goals. When two goals are contradicting, then two needs are hindered from being satisfied.
In our Theory of Change, we transform these contradictions in a way that promotes socio-cultural positive diversity within Palestinian society.
Geert Hofstede defines culture as: “The collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another”.
On the individual level, cognition is stimulated and incubated by attitudes, assumptions and perceptions; whereas culture is an implicit agreement between individuals, groups and communities within one society that differentiate them from any other society. Culture is the legitimizing factor for people’s behaviors within society. Through the years, deep culture generates customs, which are essential parts of deep structure.
Deep structure is a legalisation process of deep culture. Deep culture is the legitimisation factor; whereas deep structure is a legalisation factor. Therefore, deep culture is translated into a deep structure. For example, customs are major inputs in a law-making process and are further formulated based on what is right and wrong according to cultural perceptions.
Deep structure, on the other hand, is what is allowed and what is forbidden in a certain society. This knowledge is further catalyzed in our Diversity and Cohesion Program.
Incompatible goals of polarised groups can breed contradictions, which – combined with negative attitudes and violent behavior – generate conflict. It is only possible to transform conflict (contradictions) through shifting or transcending culture and structure, finding positive goals that meet all parties' needs. REFORM adopts a Theory of Change that works to increase social cohesion between different groups of people. This enables them to share and exchange experiences with one another within safe-acting platforms that are free of cultural and structural violence. In doing so, non-violent and non-discriminatory behaviors and assumptions are surfaced and replicated within communities. For more information on REFORM’s philosophy and interventions, please have a look at our detailed paper on our Theory of Change.
