Thomas Dunmore Rodriguez

Thomas Dunmore Rodriguez

I work at Oxfam supporting influencing, campaigns and advocacy worldwide. I am inspired by the activism of social movements that make change happen in Latin America and other parts of the world.

Location Mexico

Activity

  • I very much agree with this @HannahBlair Do you see any drawbacks in taking that more inclusive approach? How can they be overcome?

  • Great reflection @BenedictaAdebayo Thanks for that

  • Yes, this makes a lot of sense. Thanks, @RosemaryCairns

  • I completely agree @MichelleTredup Have you seen good examples of this?

  • Great @NalisoaAndrianarivo Welcome to the course!

  • Are you solely referring to power acquired through authority @ronaldyoung or also other forms of power as well?

  • Thanks @MARIAAYALA I sometimes wonder if asymmetric power relations are almost inevitable in some way - I'm thinking across human relationships, within our organisations, or more widely in society in the way democracies work, so how to avoid abuse of those inequalities is perhaps a key question. What do you think? Have you come across good examples of power...

  • Thanks @RosemaryCairns Would you be able to say a bit more about what you mean by appreciative and deficit approaches to change?

  • Enjoy the course @DaniaD Thanks for joining us!

  • I guess there is a lot to learn from contexts where the police are not armed, or even where the military have been disbanded or do not operate with civilian duties. I think increasing militarization is increasingly problematic in many parts of the world.

  • I'll kick off the discussion as it seems nobody has commented yet. I think being able to facilitate difficult conversations is a characteristic I would like to cultivate. In an increasingly polarised and divided world, I believe facilitating dialogue is an important skill to develop.

  • Yes, absolutely key @MichelleTredup

  • Interesting and important connection between wellbeing and sustainability @ShebaNjagi We'll be looking at that aspect more later in this course as well.

  • Are there specific areas of work you are addressing @NyararaiBlessedSambure ?

  • Thanks @PaulineKahuubire sounds very inspiring. Sorry, just for those of us who aren't familiar, what does WPS agenda mean?

  • That's true @BenjaminPeyrotdesGachons at best we can probably talk about "contributing to change" or "helping to catalyse change". Can you think of any campaigns that have managed to do that?

  • I love this @DanielePanzeri I often imagine what a world without borders would look like.

  • Lovely reflection, story - and listening with deep compassion seems a much needed skill in the world today, yet often lacking in many conversations. Thank you @AmiLee

  • Thanks for these points @AlexandraRichardson and @AmiLee In week 4 we'll go much deeper into the power of collective action, picking up on several aspects you have raised here

  • A wise reflection, thanks for that @ElisaMartínez

  • Thanks for being here and for sharing you blog @RosemaryCairns It looks great!

  • Great to hear @KaleighYee

  • Enjoy the course @JenaroOnegiPuringi

  • Amazing experiences @AllisonCBurden Thanks for sharing these. I know what you mean about what seems like a rollback on progress in more recent years.

  • Yes, I know what you mean @EmmaYoung I am very interested in understanding what makes the news and what doesn't, and how global events and trends are viewed in different parts of the world and by different groups of people. I think this also relates to Carlos' point above about the connections between climate and inequality crises. By some people the climate...

  • Thanks @EmmaYoung great points. Yes, covid is an important example of how change can occur very quickly, I guess the scale, and also the emotional impact, particularly fear, where important factors in that case.

  • What other changes are people here involved with, or would like to see? Remember to comment on the replies of others, it's an important way to connect with other learners on the course. Many thanks!

  • Thanks @NG I like the intersectional focus you bring.

  • Thanks @MadaMouti I tend to agree but am always interested in exceptions. From your experience, can you think of any examples of where changes in belief systems have happened surprisingly quickly?

  • That's great to hear @CamillaWilliamson

  • Thank you for this important reflection @MarjanB I completely agree, so many of the structures in our societies (political, economic, social) seem to demand urgent, short-term change. It's sometimes hard to make the case for a longer term perspective.

  • Role modelling is a good way to influence I think @WilsonLi Have you found it to be effective? What approaches do you use when people aren't meeting the standards you set (or perhaps don't feel like they are meeting them)?

  • Thank you @JulieS All the very best!

  • That's very good to hear @RACHEALWAMBUIWAHOME Thank you!

  • All the very best @HannahHendry Thank yo for your active participation.

  • I'm glad it has been helpful for you @PremalBhatt Thanks so much for taking part!

  • Gracias a ti @ValeriaFloresSandoval por participar en el curso!

  • Thank you for the link to a great video @HannahHendry

  • Sorry for the delay in responding @RACHEALWAMBUIWAHOME This section is supposed to focus on an action you have already taken.

  • Nos alegra mucho @ValeriaFloresSandoval Muchas gracias!

  • I agree @RACHEALWAMBUIWAHOME it is a very moving speech

  • Thanks for this reflection @EuniceMuturi Your point that numbers can actually dehumanise an issue is very powerful. I think sometimes figures/numbers are used precisely for that reason, for example when governments give figures for economic growth, etc and yet many sectors of the population see no benefits to this whatsoever. Would you agree?

  • Muy de acuerdo contigo @ValeriaFloresSandoval

  • @ManuelS you probably know them already but a couple of organisations doing work in this area that I follow are RINGO https://rightscolab.org/ringo/ and also Sherwood Way https://www.thesherwoodway.com/en/home/ Do you know others?

  • Very interesting @ManuelS I know what you mean, sometimes a good image or visualisation can be worth many thousands of words.

  • Thank you for this personal story @EverestMarandi which is such a good example of the power of changing people's beliefs.

  • Thanks @maymoonahkhan and welcome to the course

  • Welcome @Mohammadghanbarzadeh I hope you find the course useful

  • That sounds like a very timely and apt change area to be working on @ManuelS

  • Thanks @AnaSanz this reminds me of the change analysis tool we introduced in Week 2, which helps in thinking about these different levels of change and how they interact

  • Great points, thank you @BS

  • This is great @CamillaWilliamson Asking the right question at the right moment can be very powerful!

  • Thanks for this @LeaHoek Very important changes you are involved with.

  • Thank you for your refections @mehnazhossain

  • Thank you for this suggestion @CooperKing and I am glad the course has been useful for you.

  • I hope, like me, you've been inspired by the inputs from the interviews with this amazing set of changemakers, throughout the course. We are so grateful to them for taking part in Make Change Happen.

  • Thanks @CooperKing I can completely understand, and I think pause for thought and further reflection is sometimes a very wise decision.

  • Thanks @JulieS you are right, some of this information may need updating, particularly after the pandemic. We'll look into this, and see if we can update for the next run of the course.

  • Thanks for these reflections @JulieS

  • Great reflection @CooperKing building an authentic and meaningful "we" is not always easy.

  • Thanks for these recommendations @LeaHoek Your comment on windows of opportunity, and having people "prepared for change" is very interesting. We are often asked to demonstrate outcomes and impact, yet for the work involved in "preparation" as you put it, that can be a challenge, right? It might be years to reach a point where there's real opportunity. Thanks...

  • @SarahRavakiniainaRAKOTONDRATSIMBA Could you say a bit more about what you mean about strong entertainment creating social change? Do you have examples?

  • Thanks @SarahRavakiniainaRAKOTONDRATSIMBA I hope the course is useful for you in taking your changemaking further.

  • Great example, thanks @JanMole This made me think of the 1-2-4-All methodology, might be of interest for your work https://www.liberatingstructures.com/1-1-2-4-all/

  • Sounds like you and Boris (see comment above) have a lot in common in relation to your change goal @DomPartridge

  • I can really relate to this. Finding joy and happiness in the work we do seems like a really important goal. I like the emphasis you have placed on both employer and employees. I was left wondering about people who are not employed, but maybe self-employed, freelance, or work in the informal sector. Do you think your change goal could also relate to them...

  • Valuable insights @BevHall Thanks for those!

  • I completely agree @AgneswilheminaDodoo

  • Muchas gracias por la reflexion @ValeriaFloresSandoval

  • Great @NwabuezeOris-Oriaku Choosing the right spaces, groups and channels to influence through is key.

  • Thanks for that @RACHEALWAMBUIWAHOME Week 8 of the course also looks at some of these challenges, and strategies for resilience, as you put it, a bit more.

  • Thanks for sharing your perspective @AkuaObisi It's inspiring!

  • Thanks @PhonethipThevongsa Can you tell us a bit more about GESI, what is it? I'm not familiar.

  • Thanks for these reflections @JanMole

  • Yes @JanMole I think we the rise of authoritarianism in many contexts, it's certainly cause for concern. That said, on many fronts, it seems some progress has been made in global terms (positive trends in reduction of extreme poverty, increase in access to healthcare, in life expectancy, in access to education, etc). It makes me think about the importance of...

  • Interesting reflection @EuniceMuturi Thanks for that!

  • Great @PhonethipThevongsa Welcome to the course!

  • @ShaafiYalahow such an important point on the importance of perspective. One thing I try to do actively on this, when I find I am disagreeing with someone, is to ask myself genuinely, with humility, "I wonder why this person believes what they do?". Sometimes I might even ask them directly if the situation allows it.

  • That's true @HannahHendry I also think connections with diaspora networks is really key here. I remember coming across Oxfam materials on Latin America for the first time when I was about 15 years old, in Leeds, UK. I was amazed how much there was, and how through the Latin American community in the UK I'd never come across this before.

  • Thanks @SamanthaThomas Great reflections

  • I found your reflection on human relationships in terms of kinship interesting @mehnazhossain Of course power and influence are present within close family or personal relationships, but as I think you are saying close emotional ties like love and compassion will undoubtedly also have an effect on how these dynamics evolve. Thank you for these reflections.

  • Many thanks for your reflections @mehnazhossain I think this often comes down to context. I believe in some contexts, perhaps at certain moments, a more confrontational or aggressive approach can help drive change, but I agree that at other times or in different contexts, this can also be counter-productive or even harmful. I think thoughtful power analysis is...

  • Well done to everyone making it this far, you are halfway through the Make Change happen course!

  • Yes, the ability to bring people with you as you lead to bring change seems like an important characteristic @OmofehintolaAkin-Oduwole

  • What an interesting and inspiring story of solidarity and change @HannahHendry

  • Thanks for your key take-aways @NwabuezeOris-Oriaku

  • On what aspects of work on climate change do you think collective action has made a difference @mehnazhossain ?

  • Thanks @OmofehintolaAkin-Oduwole What kind of power do you see "the incentive of money" to be? What forms of power does the media hold? How do these relate to the specific issue you are interested in?

  • Can you say a bit more about learning to let power go, and why that is important @NinaArévalo ?

  • Thanks very much for the reflection @AbigailNaaAdjekaiYebo I guess you are talking about voter apathy, although I think withholding your vote in itself can be a statement of the need for change in some contexts. I sense in many places of the world people feel that electoral politics is not providing the changes they would like to see. That's on one hand a...

  • Enjoy the course @LuciaChiponde

  • Muy bienvenida al curso @ValeriaFloresSandoval

  • In Latin America we sometimes use an expression "trabajo de hormigo" @CooperKing It means ants' work literally, and refers to the ongoing, perhaps initially small work, but which when connected to the work of others, achieves significant change.

  • I hope that your question will be answered, at least in part, in following weeks on the course @RACHEALWAMBUIWAHOME Thank you for that

  • Hi @NinaArévalo I wasn't sure which term you don't agree with using in relation to indigenous communities. Could you clarify? Do you mean power?

  • Many great points here @HannahHendry I was drawn to your point on showcasing success and progress, and how that helps boost power, the power to convene, the power to draw more people to your cause.

  • Welcome @ThearyLuy It sounds like interesting work you are engaged with. I like the focus on widening knowledge in civil society of legal frameworks.

  • Great reflections, thanks for these @NwabuezeOris-Oriaku