(The source for this section is: Margoluis and Salafsky, 1998, Chapter 2.) Before developing a plan, it is important to have a clear understanding of the body’s mission, that is, a vision for the future. A mission statement does not focus on specific details or tactics but rather on the desired outcomes and general strategy for getting there (Box 10.8). A mission statement describes:
● Purpose:What the body is seeking to accomplish.
● Strategies: The general activities or programmes the body chooses to undertake to pursue its purpose.
● Values:The beliefs which the members of the body have in common and try to put into practice while implementing the strategy.
A meeting or series of meetings are facilitated to develop the mission statement. While the co-management body may be the focus of this effort, the
Box 10.8. Mission Statement.
A mission statement describes the purpose of the organization in a few words. It provides an identity and unites the group’s energy and enthusiasm. Powerfully written, it acts like a magnet pulling the group in the direction that it wants to follow (Almerigi, 2000). (Note:
many Philippine groups would discuss a mission as the ‘dream’ of the organization so people can hold on to it even if there are many obstacles in their immediate and medium- term dealings.)
To write a mission statement, the following questions should be asked:
● What do we do?
● Who do we do it for?
● How do we do it?
● Why do we do it?
● What are our values?
A mission statement should:
● Be about who we are now, not what we want to be in the future;
● Be short, clear and usually less than 14 words;
● Stir up people’s passion;
● Be connected to our deepest interests;
● Be a unique description of the organization; and
● Not be fuzzy. Avoid words that mean different things to different people such as excellent, best, etc.
An example of a mission statement is:
To improve the standard of living of fishers through education and sustainable fishing practices.
Source: Almerigi (2000).
community is involved through visioning workshops where they identify desired outcomes or vision for the fisheries (Box 10.9).
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Box 10.9. Visioning Workshops to Support Sustainable Livelihoods in the Philippines.
Pamana Ka sa Pilipinas, Tambuyog Development Center (TDC) and the Network of Sustainable Livelihoods Catalysts (NSLC) are three groups in the Philippines working together to support community research and capacity building for sustainable livelihoods.
It is usual for livelihoods and economic development to be treated as a ‘component’ of a CBCRM project; however, these groups would like to view livelihoods in relation to organizational development support and resource management activities. They are supporting visioning workshops where communities are able to articulate their personal
‘dreams’ and vision for their communities. The outputs of these processes vary. In the case of NSLC, the visioning exercises provide an understanding of community needs, interests and assets and are used in developing training modules on capacity building for sustainable livelihoods (SL). Tambuyog envisions these processes to feed into the barangay planning. In a PAMANA site in Bohol, the SL visioning exercise led to the development of a community plan that relates resource management activities and livelihoods activities.
The SL visioning processes are led by the external organizations but there are strong partnerships with local groups and selected community members who act as local researchers. In the case of Tambuyog, four local researchers from the fisher cooperative and women’s organization co-facilitated the community orientation and the SL visioning exercises using PRA tools such as life histories on success, life cycle model analysis and asset pentagon mapping. NSLC calls the local researchers ‘community scholars’, following the example of Bolinao where fisherfolk leaders who were nominated by their organizations as community scholars subsequently learned the skills and attitudes of a community organizer with the intention of developing and strengthening local capacity.
Called local community organizers (LCOs), these leaders learned through sustained sharing and learning-by-doing activities.
As an entry point for support work in the community, these visioning workshops focus on questions such as:
● Can you describe your community?
● Can you describe your life in the community?
● Can you describe the livelihoods found in your community?
● Can you describe your own livelihoods?
● How can life be improved in your community?
● What are the needs of the community?
● How can your life be improved?
● What do you need to improve your life in the community?
● What can the community do to improve?
● What can you do to improve your life in the community?
The central element of these visioning workshops is the discussion on ‘livelihoods’.
These Filipino groups emphasize that talking about livelihoods is not the same as implementing a livelihood project. The visioning workshops initiate a discussion about livelihoods and how they can be improved. It deepens a discussion about life itself and gives people a chance to understand their own livelihoods and make decisions about their future. Visioning workshops may lead to implementing a livelihood project, but that
First, the representatives need to agree on the purpose– that is, what is hoped to be accomplished and what problems need to be solved to get there.
For example, to improve fisheries management and increase people’s standard of living. The purpose statement should indicate a change in status (to improve) and a stated problem or condition that needs to be changed (fisheries management, standard of living). The facilitator should work with the co- management body to state and agree on what the purpose should be.
Once a purpose is agreed upon, broad strategies need to be considered that will move the process forward – what will actually be done. For example, marine protected areas could be established at specific sites for marine conservation or there could be lobbying of the national fisheries agency for fisheries policy change. Although generally several strategies can be used to achieve a given purpose, only one or two strategies should be employed at the start. Each strategy should describe a specific set of actions that can be taken to achieve the stated purpose. The co-management body should brainstorm different strategies and rank each alternative based on: (i) what is needed to undertake the strategy; (ii) whether skills and expertise exist to do it; and (iii) whether or not it is enjoyable to do it. Each alternative can be ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 and the strategy(s) with the highest total is selected.
Once a purpose and strategy have been agreed upon, it is time to discuss values– the beliefs that will guide the work. Value statements should outline a belief that the body holds that will influence what it will do or what it will not do to achieve its purpose. Representatives should suggest and discuss values that are important to them. General agreement is reached on those values important to the co-management body. Unlike the purpose and strategy, there may be multiple values.
Once a purpose, strategy and values have been agreed upon, they should be written into a formal mission statement. The draft mission statement can be written by one or two people and circulated for review and comment. An example of a mission statement is:
We, the people of Hung Thang village, wish to promote our health and well-being by finding ways to better manage our fisheries resources upon which our children and their children’s livelihoods depend, now and in the future.
depends on the situation. In some cases, people may want to improve on their organization first before implementing a livelihood project. Holding visioning workshops for people to articulate their perspectives and dreams about their lives is not the same thing as implementing a livelihood project as an entry point. They are separate ideas. The latter is a narrow way of equating livelihoods with income-generating projects while the former takes on a more holistic view of livelihoods where people are fundamentally linked with resources.
Source: Programme reports and documents of Network of Sustainable Livelihoods Catalysts, Tambuyog and Pamana Ka, Quezon City, Philippines.
Once a mission statement has been agreed upon, it should be posted for the community to see and the representatives should discuss it with their organization’s members. There should be broad public consensus and affirmation on the mission statement.
It should be noted that if substantial disagreement exists among the representatives at any point in developing the mission statement, the leaders will need to make a decision about the mission statement or the co- management body will need to be divided to make decisions and reach consensus.
Upon broad community agreement, there should be a ceremony where the co-management body representatives sign a written document that outlines the mission statement including what is to be achieved and how it will be accomplished. This should be done in writing to formally define the partnership and provide clarity. Such a ceremony helps raise the mission statement to a higher symbolic level, making it valid. With this common ground, it can help all stakeholders reconcile controversies and conflicts that may arise (Borrini-Feyerabend et al., 2000).