THE HUMAN SPIRIT PROJECT AN ADVOCACY INITIATIVE FROM THE GDI Jonathan Smith, MPH, PhD (candidate) On behalf of GDI advocacy task force April 30, 2015 Geneva, Switzerland
Presentation Overview • Overview of GDI Advocacy Messages • Human Spirit Project Background • Human Spirit Project Approach • Monitoring and Evaluation
Framework and Approach GDI ADVOCACY MESSAGING
Key GDI Advocacy Messages • Three primary pillars: – Integrated, Patient Centered Care and Prevention – Bold Policies and Supportive Systems – Intensified research and innovation • Each one of these pillars has specific sub-goals
Pillar 1 Sub-Goals • Pillar 1: Integrated, Patient Centered Care and Prevention • Sub Goals: – Early diagnosis – Patient Centred Tx of all people with TB/MDRTB – Management of co morbidities – Focus on preventing high risk populations
Pillar 2 Sub-Goals • Pillar 2: Bold Policies and Supportive Systems • Sub Goals: – Political commitment with adequate resources – Engagement with communities, CSOs, and both public and private care providers – Universal health coverage policy; regulatory frameworks for sentinel data – Social protection, poverty alleviation
Pillar 3 Sub-Goals • Pillar 3: Intensified research and innovation • Sub Goals: – Discovery, development and rapid uptake of new tools, interventions and strategies – Research to optimize implementation and impact, and promote innovations
Approaching these Goals • To approach these three pillar framework – The “S 10 ” model was developed • S 10 model – Focuses advocacy messages on 10 different aspects of improving TB/MDR-TB in addition to prevention
The S 10 Model S tronger therapy S afer therapy S impler treatment S horter treatment S ocio-economically supported treatment S wifter case finding, screening, and time to treatment S calable to reach all people with TB S ystematic integration with universal health coverage policies S ustainable political commitment S tigma Free messages to address discrimination
Who do we want to engage with advocacy? • TB community – Patients, doctors, NGOs, Unions, Drug Companies, academia • Donors – Global Fund, Gates, USAID • Governments – Including leader in other areas (MCH, etc) • Wider community – Those unfamiliar with TB
Background and Concept THE HUMAN SPIRIT
What is the Human Spirit Project? • A collaboration of researchers, patients, policymakers, and innovators seeking to change the way we perceive the TB epidemic • Central Ideology: The TB epidemic is not one large epidemic, but a collection of individual battles fought every day • The purpose of the Human Spirit Project is to meaningfully change the conversation about TB
Human Spirit Project • Based on the central ideology, the project consists of: – A collection of story-based films aimed at showing various aspects of the epidemic – A website housing such stories as well as information and data on TB/MDR-TB
Approach • Uses the same three-pillar framework and seeks to address each of the S 10 goals • However, including all three pillars, sub-goals, and S 10 goals into one film was illogical – Too much information for any one product or output
Approach • We decided to break up this complex messaging into bite-sized pieces – Each story would address a subset of S 10 goals – Combined together, they would incorporate the entire framework
HSP to date • Three films to date: – Strength of a Woman: Thembi Jakiwe – Hear No Evil: Phumeza Tisili – A Bird in the Wind: Dr. Lucica Ditiu • Hopefully the project will grow into many stories – Create a community of discussion
S 10 Messages by HSP Film S 10 Message Thembi Jakiwe Phumeza Tisili Lucica Ditiu ✔ Stronger ✔ ✔ Safer ✔ ✔ Simpler ✔ Shorter ✔ Socio-economical ✔ ✔ Swifter ✔ ✔ Scalable ✔ Systematic ✔ Sustainable ✔ ✔ ✔ Stigma-Free
A Novel Approach • For this to work, however, we had to make people want to watch – Watching a handful of educational films would not be sufficient in audience retention • Used story based narratives that show what each of these messages mean – Aesthetic, emotional, and creative
A Novel Approach • We couldn’t take the traditional route – We were bold, and broke the traditional advocacy paradigm – We used narrative and purposeful emotion • Viewer’s weren’t ‘taught’ – they nonlinearly drew own conclusions
Emotion and Creativity Matters Just last week!
Publicity
What does this mean? • Both traditional GH outlets and non-traditional internet outlets are picking up the project • Using words like ‘experience,’ ‘emotion,’ ‘journey,’ battle,’ ‘ brings this epidemic beyond the data, ’ etc.
But are we shifting the narrative? Always have to keep success within the central goal of the project
Methodology and Outcomes MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Central Question • Can the Human Spirit Project change public conversation about TB/MDRTB to foster a more positive, patient centered understanding of the S 10 issues? – Can it change the conversation from numbers to people?
Evaluation • Used qualitative and quantitative research and message testing • Aimed to develop a set of insights about how to change the narrative and create a broader base of public support for global TB
Methodology Overview • Three Step Process Establishing “Control Group” 1. • Exhaustive review of existing research on public attitudes to build upon prior knowledge and the work of others in TB/MDRTB 2. Survey design • Team of social scientists, linguistics, political advisors and public-opinion experts designed focus group surveys 3. Testing and Analysis • Tested ‘traditional’ approach (more educational) vs HSP approach (more emotional)
Methods • 1000 people were randomized into either arm – ‘Traditional’ TB advocacy approach • Focused on educating audience of issues, progress made – HSP advocacy approach • Focused on having the audience associate with the issue, shared values
Participants • From US, Germany, UK and France • Audience was ‘engaged’ lay public – Meaning people that weren’t incredibly involved with global TB, but aware of it as a broader issue – Were not ‘ Nay- Sayers’ or skeptics either
Results • This analysis is still ongoing, but some key indications of what themes work are being drawn out
Messages that Work • Independence “TB programs help people in the world’s poorest places become independent and stand on their own two feet.” • Shared Values “Every human life is valuable and although cultures may vary greatly, the love for family and community is universal • Partnership “Everyone has their own fight in the TB epidemic, and only by everyone working together in concert can we overcome TB.” • Progress (i.e. “we are making headway,” or comparing TB to the success of HIV/ART drug development) – R egarded as ‘supportive,’ but not a major theme
Conclusion • The Human Spirit Project Approach has gained traction and proving to galvanize audiences otherwise turned off by traditional advocacy • It does this through themes of shared values and connections, not traditional didactic approaches – This seems to prevail in when compared to traditional approaches
Thank you • Stop TB Partnership • GDI Advocacy Team • TB PROOF • Visual Epidemiology Research Team • Interviewees Thembi Jakiwe, Phumesa Tisili, and Dr. Lucica Ditiu Questions? Contact me! Jonathan Smith: jonathan.p.smith@yale.edu
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