Making Waves

Making Waves

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A Caribbean Social Innovation Guide

Understand the People Step 2 Who is experiencing the problem, and what is it really like for them?

03 . The Caribbean Social Innovator’s Guide

Once you have looked more closely at the problem, the next step is to understand the people who experience it. A solution may look good on paper and still fail in real life. Understanding can be a continuous learning process. What does the problem look and feel like in their everyday lives? What do they already do to cope, adapt or work around it? What matters most to them, and what might make a solution useful, realistic and worth trusting? The people who experience the problem often understand parts of it that others cannot see. Talk with them. Listen carefully. Notice what they already do to cope, adapt or solve the problem for themselves. This step helps you listen to and respect people, rather than making assumptions or decisions for them. It is easy to assume that you understand, especially when you care deeply about an issue or have experienced something similar yourself. But even when people appear to face the same problem, their needs, priorities and circumstances may be very different and they may experience the problem in very different ways.

Things to Consider Imagine that you want to create a project that benefits a r ural community. Before deciding what that project should look like, spend time with the people who live and work there. Ask about their daily lives. Listen to what they are proud of as well as the challenges they face. Learn what they have already tried, what resources they already have and what opportunities they believe are worth exploring. The goal is not to arrive with the answer. It is to discover and evolve it together. • Who experiences this problem most directly? • Who else is affected in ways that may be less visible? • Who have I spoken with, and who have I not yet heard from? • What have I learned by listening? • What strengths, ideas or resources already exist within the community? • What matters most to the people experiencing this problem? • What opportunities are they excited about? • How might I involve them in shaping the solution?