Roll up your sleeves and help make a difference

By Marisela Garcia

During these tough economic times, many people are looking for a way…a way to get out of debt, a way to employment, a way to survive. This article in the El Paso Times really caught my attention; “YWCA spurs many to give back to their communities.” How can you give back in these times when you have nothing to give? Maybe it’s not what you give, it’s how you give.

“People across the country ranked themselves as having the biggest obligation and greatest opportunity to effect change in their community- even more so than federal, state or local governments.” According to a survey conducted by the YWCA, (the data collected) 66% of Americans say their quality of their community is worse than a year ago and of these people, 34% take ownership of the solutions. Despite the economic challenges, more and more people are taking control into their own hands and finding the answers within. Act you way into a new way of thinking is the approach these individuals are taking.  With mediation from the YWCA and through volunteer work, tax assistance programs were set up, organizations around the communities came together to distribute toys to needy children and there were collections of funds and donations for financial assistance. Community attitude: there are needs in the community, so how can WE address these needs, rather than how can THEY address our needs.

PD is all about finding our solutions to our problems and if we have ownership of those solutions, the more likely we are to act. It is our actions that speak louder than their words. 

“Ideas Empowered”

By Jenny Cisneros

In keeping up with the theme of the class, I began exploring the TED.com website in hopes of finding a source of inspiration. Although I came across a number of valuable sources, I stumbled upon a wild idea. In May of 2009, TED.com held a TEDx event at the University of Southern California. At TEDxUSC, a number of educators, innovative thinkers and visionaries came together for a conference to explore the empowerment of sharing the wealth of knowledge. The pilot experimental conference consisted of nine different presenters. Some of the presenters included a UN goodwill Ambassador to a video gaming innovator. Each presenter was given no more than eighteen minutes to talk about their lives and how they have managed to make a difference in their communities. The thought provoking content of each speaker, left the audience with a sense of inspiration and ready to make an impact on the world. USC was the perfect setting for a conference of this kind. USC houses some of the most groundbreaking research and produces some of the most intelligent and talented individuals (including Dr. Singhal and my journalist brother, David!). 

After exploring the TEDxUSC event, I got to thinking about how as positive deviants we can create an event where ideas are “empowered” and exchanged with people from all walks of life. Last semester I was fortunate enough to attend to the Plexus Summit, hosted by the Positive Deviance Initiative. Although I had never attended anything quite like the summit, I definitely left with a better idea on the power of positive deviance.  Apart from learning more about the application of positive deviance and liberating structures in everyday life, the summit became a place where people were able to interact candidly with one another and share ideas. The best part of these personal interactions with complete strangers, were the ways in which each interaction took place. The interactions consisted of a simple one-on-one conversation, big or small group discussions and even better our very own words put into the lyrics of a song. Despite the structure of each interaction, the most meaningful aspect of the conference was to teach those in attendance the basic foundation of positive deviance, building trust.

As we move forward in learning to become positive deviants, I got to thinking on how we can take advantage of the resources available to us. A great way to end the semester would be to host our very own mini TEDxUTEP conference. Of course we do not have the time to host an actual TEDx event, but we can apply a similar structure but organize it around the notion of positive deviance. As a class we are already seeking out positive deviants in the community, perhaps if we found enough speakers, we could arrange a similar conference at our own university. Without the collective effort of the class and empowerment of ideas, the structure of our class would have been impossible. Perhaps if we applied a similar methodology to a small conference, there is no telling what we could achieve as a class in one semester! 

Let's Recap Shall We...

By Sandra Ramirez

As I mentally prepare for another class in Positive Deviance, I reflect on everything I’ve learned so far.  PD is one of those topics that you don’t mind learning about.  In fact, you can’t wait to learn more.  When Dr. Singhal suggested that we design or own syllabus, activities that came up included articles, videos and case studies.  Although it has been extremely helpful to read about PD, the most helpful information for me came from Ale and Patricia’s presentations in class last week.  I usually jot down two pages of notes during class and that might seem odd, but I just want to make sure I don’t miss any connections or forget something that makes PD make sense. I absolutely appreciated learning the method behind PD, and the importance of data.  In the Vietnam case study the “green dots” represented well-nourished children, and it was the mapping of those dots that resulted in measurable data of those engaging in positively deviant behavior.  In Ale’s teenage pregnancy study, we were privileged enough to have her reveal her step-by-step process.  Thank you, Gabby for asking her to break it down for us.  Determining the criteria is a part of the process that may not be as simple as it appears.  In PD we define a problem but contrary to our instincts we’re not looking for a solution.  Instead, we have to determine the risk criteria that make them deviant, then the specific criteria that make the case positive.  The criteria have to be very specific, and as Patricia’s study proved it may need to be altered…repeatedly.  Forgive me for this uninspiring and basic post that is nothing more than a tedious review of what we all heard in class…but it helps my thought process to recap everything and have a place to come back and review it (in case the pages in my notebook catches on fire or something).  Anyway, listening to how Ale and Patricia organized their projects made it seem less overwhelming.  I think completing a thesis based on PD seems exciting but I definitely have some reservations about seeing the process through.  Listening to the presentations helped me understand that there will be challenges but it’s possible to overcome them, and there is guidance in the advisors on the project.  The most encouraging aspect of the presentations is knowing that I can pursue the thesis topic I am interested in through a PD lens.

Standing Alone

By Mario A. Dozal

            First off, I would like to thank Alejandra and Patricia for visiting the class this past Monday. I will say on behalf of everyone thank you for telling us all about your personal experiences with PD, and with your ongoing thesis projects, which I’m sure that we all admire you for undertaking as they’re not easy tasks.

            The first article that I would like to contribute to the Popular Press section of the blog is an article from the Latino section of Fox News. After reading the article titled “Wrestler Grapples with Life After Both Parents Are Deported,” (http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2011/02/08/latino-wrestler-grapples-life-struggles) I began to think that this was a positive deviant at work. The article tells the story of a California high school wrestler named Arian Lucatero whose parents were deported five years ago yet he has motivated himself to be a positive deviant and succeed instead of becoming a negative one and falling into the traps that get so many others. Even with his parents being deported and him being forced to live in a car and not have a support system to remind him to do right instead of wrong and be there to cheer him on, Arian has managed to not become a negative statistic by joining a gang or becoming a teen father; instead he’s become a positive statistic by becoming a high school wrestler worthy of the California state championship and being driven to one day be able to bring his parents back to the United States permanently.

            I admire this kid a lot because I’ve never been faced with the situations that he’s faced. I’ve been lucky enough to always have a support system cheering me on and admonishing me when I needed it. I’ve also always been lucky enough to have a roof over my head. At the same time I ask myself: Would I just pick up and keep on keeping on if I were in the same situation? I can honestly say that I more than likely would not have had the same drive to just keep on going as this kid has, and to me that is what makes him a positive deviant. He knows the path that he needs to follow to achieve what he wants in life and he knows the obstacles he has to avoid, even when it’d be much easier to fall into those traps. This kid is a positive deviant if there ever was one.

Cashmere Scarf and Lunch Bags

By Gabby Morales

On a windy day like this, I sat in front of my computer and browsed the New York Times.  I remember having to do this for class back when I was an undergrad and the articles always seem to have the same words, war, hate, crime, death—all these words seem to be on every article posted on the site—that and the Oscars (I agree with you, Milena, finding something else is pretty impossible right now).  So I browsed and browsed and stumbled up an interesting title, Charity Begins With a New Home for a Lost Scarf.  The title is catchy so I decided to look into it.  It was a diary entry of sorts about a woman named Josie who never left her home without a bag of clothes to give to those less fortunate who happened to cross her path.  Throughout the years she kept doing this and actually got to know some of the homeless people by name.  The narrator goes on to say that when her son, Peter, came back from a trip, he couldn’t find his cashmere scarf and thought it lost.  A whole holiday season went by and the scarf wasn’t found.  It was until one day in the spring when Peter, and his mother Josie were on a walk that Peter found his scarf wrapped around the neck of a homeless man named Bill.  Peter continues to say that he made it a point to tell his mother that he had been looking for that scarf, but his mother’s response was a simple, “It looks so nice on Bill, doesn’t it, dear?”

I would like to call Josie a positive deviant and even though she is not with us anymore, I would like for all of us to remember this part of her life.  Imagine anyone of us leaving home with a bag of clothes and just giving it out to those we see need it?  I point the finger at myself.  Sometimes I have the luxury of getting rid of clothes without thinking that someone might need them.  Josie thought of the homeless people constantly and took a bag of clothes every time she went out.  She saw those she helped as people, not as people to be ignored.  I’ve heard people calling the homeless “dirty,” but Josie didn’t see them that way.  She didn’t avoid them either like so many people do.  She helped them the only way she was able to help them and that cashmere scarf was one of the highlights of her work. 

Tucson, Arizona is the place of residence to another positive deviant who has gotten herself in trouble with the law all because she feeds homeless people.  L. Karin Elliot cooks meals in her home and twice a week gives these meals out to homeless people at some city parks.  It is reported that in the past year alone she fed over 3,000 people.  It was major story.  This act of kindness was not overlooked and there was some coverage to Karin’s story, but not without consequences.  Since then the county has told her she is violating food code and will not be allowed to feed the homeless because they received an anonymous complaint regarding her work.  According to the country, they just want her to be in compliance. 

I remember watching this story on the news.  I thought it was an amazing thing this woman was doing.  She cooked the meals, delivered them, all without earning a single cent.  She did it out of love and respect and now she is facing the challenge of not being able to carry on with her work all because of an anonymous complaint.  The story had no end.  Nowhere did it say that Karin was going to give up and not hand out her home-cooked meals to the homeless anymore.  I do believe she will keep fighting in order to hand out her meals to those she knows need a hot meal at least once a week. 

The world needs more positive deviants like Josie and Karin. 

Oscar, baseball, Bahia, Ohio…jumping into different worlds

By Milena S. Murta


Almost impossible! Since the beginnings of this week get into a website without read at least one time the word “Oscar” is a difficult task. Glory, notoriety, fame…what is all that about? Beyond the dresses clothed and showed on the red carpet, I was thinking about the role of Hollywood industry…if there is one besides money and movies. And then, the first thing that came to my mind was the spell to deliver us from our world to another one…how we like the way that feels!

And then…when surfing on the New York Times website (trying not to look at all the “oscar” featured news) a sports report called my attention. Nothing to do with films, but all about (again) different worlds. The report (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/sports/baseball/27kershaw.html?_r=1&hpw) showed how the baseball player Clayton Kershaw came back from his trip to Africa. “It changes you,” he said. According to the report, the faces of the Zambian orphans Kershaw met during his visit have stayed with him, a rosin bag of images to help him maintain his grip on what really matters. “You come home and you see people striving to get more money, more cars, bigger houses and more possessions, thinking that will make them happier. You go to Zambia, it helps put things in perspective. You realize where happiness comes from, and it’s not from material goods.”

Movies make you travel to different worlds without move yourself, and it is just incredible. Real trips to different places make you think differently about the world you are used to live…and it is also great. I just started to realize how it is important to jump into different “worlds” to develop a sense of looking at things from different perspectives…then, I remembered a show I went to last night. “Balé folclórico da Bahia”… a Brazilian dance troupe that almost made me cry of homesickness (I’m from Brazil, and my family now lives exactly in Bahia, the most beautiful state of Brazil - in my opinion! haha). The sensation of listening to the songs I was used to in Brazil, here in El Paso, for a moment, made me question myself: where am I? Funny…and interesting at the same time! I know how much I’m enriching my life with knowledge and new experiences here in this world. But I also know how the “world” where I was raised in means a lot to me.

Finally, in this context, I couldn’t mention the world I’m so excited meet: the Ev Rogers’ mentorship symposium I’m attending in Ohio this week. More about that when I come back, but I can already say that it will be a great experience. Why? Because I’ll be jumping into a different world!           

Nerds and Positive Deviants Unite: A Weekend of Listening to Global Initiatives as Future Leaders Head to Washington

By Davi Kallman

This past weekend I traveled to Austin for an Orientation dealing with the graduate program of public policy in Washington D.C. for the Archer Center. Sixteen graduates were selected from the U.T. system at large, 9 were selected from UT Austin, 2 from UTSA, 1 from UT Tyler, 1 from UTEP, and 3 from UT system Medical Schools. The graduates chosen were chosen on their political interests, dedication to social justice, GPA’s, educational background, and their extracurricular activities. I knew this weekend could go either two ways: either the 15 other graduates were so extremely intelligent that I would not understand a word they were saying or I could be a complete nerd with them and talk Star Wars or about how urban development in particular areas actually has an effect on the poverty in a certain area. I was hoping that the second alternative would be true and as I was picked up by three complete strangers from the Austin Airport for the two hour road trip to a small town on the outskirts, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only were these individuals smart and outgoing, but they were hilarious and brought their own personal goals and talents to the group. Right away I got along with Jessica, a girl from UTSA, the driver of the tenacious trio. Two hours driving in that cramped Ford SVU made us realize we were meant to be roommates in Washington this summer.

      So I am sure many of you are wondering what this has to do with Positive Deviance? I was actually wondering myself when I was thinking about using this as a focal point for my blog contribution this week, but then everything came full circle. This contribution has to deal with listening, which I have mentioned in many of my works so far because I believe the concept of listening is so crucial to positive deviance that it needs to be restated over and over again to resonate in the ears of our listeners. When you have a room of leaders many times it seems difficult to get in a few words because everyone is trying to say something that is important to them, but this weekend I found that this was not the case. Not only did everyone give everyone a chance to speak but it was done without the help of a group coordinator of agenda. These 16 students took it upon themselves to get to know everyone in the room by asking questions about their initiatives, what they like to do, or simply asking questions to get to know the person better. Not once did I feel like I was not being heard, I was even able to talk about the positive deviance initiative that is happening at UTEP this semester. So if a smart group of top leaders are able to put their feelings and biases aside for two days in order to get to know their fellow colleagues, would it not be possible to do this in everyday circumstances? Why can’t we talk about five minutes of each day to get to know a classmate a little better or to ask our friends if they prefer ice cream or yogurt? Simple questions bring out heartfelt answers and allow for the positive deviance practice to take hold. If we try more to listen in our everyday lives then we might understand our surrounding community that much better. 

The meaning of education

By Mario A. Dozal

             After reading about the three stories from the field regarding education on the positive deviance website, what struck me was the importance of education is not only viewed differently but also how we put different meaning into the education we receive. For the parents of Hanan, Dermi, and Roba, they all saw the value of education as being one that was empowering, as being an opportunity that could change their girls’ lives for the best. Hanan’s family even said that “We understand that it is only by education, not by labor, that real change comes to life,” while Roba’s family claimed that Allah made the decision that Roba would go to school. For these girls, their parents are the facilitators for allowing their daughters to be positive deviants by going against what is traditional in their culture and trying to ensure the survival of their daughters through education. While they are bucking the culture, they manage to adhere to it enough so that they aren’t completely ostracized, as we see with Roba’s parents who encourage her to go to school yet still have her promised to her marry her cousin.

            When we sit back and look at where the focus lies in education, we can see that for these girls in Ethiopia the focus is on them using education to better themselves and for their own personal survival. Education is also something that is a privilege to have and they are very lucky if they can get a formal one. What popped into my mind while reading about these girls was the difference in how serious education is taken for those in other countries and for us in the U.S. When looking at these girls and reading about how one, Dermi, had a lot of challenges to overcome (including a letter from a classmate requesting a sexual friendship) it occurred to me how important that one chance at formal education is to these girls. In the case of Dermi, if she accepts that sexual friendship and gets pregnant then her story will most likely end there: as a young mother who lost her opportunity. These girls seem eager to learn and the best thing that seems to appear from all of them is that their families are very supportive of the girls attending school and learning. I read all of this and feel inspired and then I think back onto my own little foray into the field of education as a tutor and it upsets me to know that while there are those that are begging to be formally educated so they have a chance to feel like they succeeded, we have those that just piss away the opportunity and don’t care. When I worked as a tutor for GEAR UP, the biggest problem that the higher ups and I had was concerning our ideologies. The higher ups, who never went into the classroom, believed that every child was inherently good and wanted to be tutored, with the rate of students passing meaning dollar signs for their organization. I myself, as the tutor who attended these classes on a daily basis, believed that not all students wanted to learn and those who didn’t should be allowed to fail. I don’t think my ideology is as extreme as my bosses made it seem but when I look at what these Ethiopian girls go through to receive an education, it really makes no sense as to why we give so many chances here to those that don’t want them. I’ve seen the kids that don’t want to study and demonstrate they don’t want to even put forth an effort but the teacher can’t fail them with anything less than a 50 and  the district puts forth an effort that the kids must be passed. Even when high risk teens choose to get pregnant, here they are allowed to finish school and have regular health checkups and free lunch, while girls like Dermi get pregnant and their educational endeavors end there without regular free checkups and free lunch. It just boggles my mind and makes me wonder what positive deviance method would work to actually get these kids to take advantage of those opportunities instead of throwing them away.

Sexual Health in Little Bags and Conversations

By Jorge Luis Aguilar Cruz

Two years ago I had the amazing privilege to work at a city healthy clinic, in which we went to businesses, personal consultations, and even some high school to present on the topic of stigma and sexual health.  In this great journey, we met and spoke with teenagers, single and married people, people in their twenties. We spoke to truckers, teachers, dancers, strippers, sex workers, Chinese, and Mexican people. Our search and conversations were vast and absolutely amazing.

            The significance of a conversation about sexual health is in itself very important, groundbreaking and necessary, although from my experience, this sort of conversation is considered to be taboo, through the application of positive deviance, the conversations flowed for hours and days even.  Positive Deviance, at its very essence enables the participants to take a route not taken before, to act on the unknown and build from there.  In this case, social standards, personal and communicative barriers involving sexual health were torn down. Details of such accounts, involved conversations about condom use, pregnancy, abortions, sexual inadequacies and experimentation, HIV and STD testing.

            Significant progress with these individuals was made throughout the time I was there, and I had the opportunity to hear their stories about success involving sexual health, and how they have passed it on, paid it forward.  Applying positive deviance, compassion, and love in a very important topic of sexual health is something I have a great passion for.  To this day as a University Assistant through the permission of my great bosses, I still enact positive deviance with social awkwardness, for example, every semester, I hand out a little bag, the little bag contain lube, flavored condoms, oral contraceptives and more importantly, a sticker announcement with information where they or other people can get free HIV and STD testing and care.  Through Positive Deviance we can encourage people to enact the right action; their choice is ultimately theirs, as the power of choice is in their hands.

“Let Silence Speak!”

By Gabby Morales

The title of this blog entry comes from the PD Guide and it says it all, “Let silence speak!”  Last semester in our healthy communities class many of us got to experience this without even knowing until later on in the semester.  We would speak and listen and we practiced this every time we met in class and we carried it over to our everyday lives.  We wrote about it, we talked about it, we listened and we let silence speak.  What amazes me about that class was how comfortable we all were with our ideas and our opinions.  We never allowed anyone to feel like they weren’t important, we never allowed anyone to feel that their voice wasn’t strong enough.  We did exactly what this PD Guide says to regarding the approach of PD.  We were a small community, we held our ground and our task was to be able to aid in creating healthy communities and we did.  Even though most of us had never heard of positive deviance, we started to understand what it truly meant by ACTING on it.  That is yet another thing which stood out in the PD Guide, “PD is best understood through action and is most effective through practice.”  Practice is what carries the action and I quote one of my favorites characters from The Office, Michael Scott, “Because you can’t get anywhere without practice.” 

The TED.com videos that we were invited to watch were so unusual.  Here was Jane McGonigal and Neil Pasricha talking about two very different yet similar things that are so ordinary, yet powerful.  Pasricha’s message was undoubtedly inspirational.  For those of us who have had the world crash down on us not once but various times, we can see the power in his words.  His “Awesome” motto is PD.  It took him and his community (his family) to realize just how the most trivial thing can bring that special kind of happiness that one always looks for in the wrong places or takes for granted.  The reason why I say PD applies is because he was able to get out of his gloom by focusing on something greater and he and his community (his family) did it together.  They became the experts of their own happiness.

McGonigal spoke about gaming.  She explained this world in a way I have never heard before.  Usually what I read is how online gaming, video games and anything else regarding video games are ruining today’s youth.  How these games are ruining youth by showing that violence is acceptable and fun.  Yet, McGonigal brought up a different way of thinking and wants to be able to harness the determination and concentration found in gamers to make a better world.  I saw PD all over this video and started thinking of gamers as positive deviants who have everything going against them.  Their skills have always been targeted as negative.  Their skills have been dubbed as useless, but McGonigal doesn’t see it that way and neither do a good percentage of gamers.  Who is to say that these positive deviants cannot create a change that leads to an EPIC WIN!

Best understood through action; most effective through practice

By Milena S. Murta

When I started reading the PD guide, this particular phrase called my attention. “PD is best understood through action and most effective through practice”. Then I carefully went through all the definitions, steps and hints that the document provided. What a treasure…It seems that in every word, not only the meaning is attached but also a considerable dose of excitement, of encouragement.

Even though I’ve already read the PD approach case studies (PD being applied in different locations) I considered that, after reading the guide, it was very important (almost a mandatory following reading!) to  take a second look at them. To use a metaphor…I guess the guide provides us the dots, and the case studies provide the connections. Using both, we connect the dots.

Something like this: while the guide says that one of the first steps is to verify the presence of potential PD individuals, groups or larger entities within the organization or community through secondary data, the study in Vietnam (where PD was used to combat malnutrition) showed that “PD caregivers were feeding their children three to four times a day, rather than the customary two meals; PD caregivers were actively feeding their children, making sure there was no food wasted; and PD caregivers washed the hands of the children before and after they ate”.

While the guide says that the PD approach should be used when the problem is not exclusively technical but also relational and requires behavioral or/and social change, the study in rural Argentina (where PD was used to combat student retention) showed that young children in that location play a key role in generating family livelihoods. “For them, and their parents, school attendance is a relatively low priority. Survival takes precedence over education. However, not every elementary school in Misiones has high dropout rates. Some schools do better.”

While the guide says that the leaders can extend the invitation to their constituency by first exploring the issues to which PD can be most appropriately applied and that everybody should be involved in the process: including individuals from policy level to front line staff, the study in an US hospital (where PD was used to control and prevent MRSA) showed that “In studying the maps with her team, Iversen found several “unlikely suspects,” people who were highly connected with others and served as a resource, but who were not previously recognized as leaders.”

While the guide says that sample tools or activities such as “participatory photography and drawing” can be used to help the community to define or reframe the problem, the study in Uganda (where PD was used to empower child protection) showed that through a collective sketch made by several “PD girls”, “we see how they share their knowledge about farming and work together to maximize their time and profits”.

While the guide says that “the community owns the entire process” and that they designs ways to practice and amplify successful behaviors and strategies and unleashes innovation, the testimony of one young mother in Pakistan (where the PD approach was used to enhance maternal and newborn care) just explains all: “When people come from outside, it does not feel good. But if we see the new things with our eyes, and try them, and see some people practicing them, that definitely has a stronger effect.”

Practice, action, involvement. Aren’t all other things in our lives best understood through action and most effective through practice? I think so.

And just to mention: thanks Dr. Singhal...the "awesome" TED talk is just a "must see!" Some people have the talent to say what I really think, but sometimes I just don't find the suitable words. Neil Pasricha is definitely one of them!

PD class this Monday...Golden Nuggets

Dear Class Participants:

  

Several things as we look forward to Monday. So, spend a few minutes going over this note.   It has some gold nuggets!   

1.      Read the blog and keep making your weekly contributions to expand the discursive space  [it is coming out beautifully].   I have greatly enjoyed your insights: http://positivedevianceatutep.blogspot.com/

2.      Presentations

You will each get an opportunity to discuss [3 to 5 minute presentations] on PD case studies/insights you derived on account of your extensive browsing ofwww.positivedeviance.org  

Also, we will have two guest presentations/interaction sessions in class:

Alejandra Diaz, who will present her MA thesis project on PD and teenage pregnancy

Patricia Ayala – who will present her MA thesis proposal on retention and graduation of at-risk students

3.      Here is PD Field Implementation Guide --  attached.   It was prepared with a lot of care for those who wish to apply PD in different field settings. (See it in the Resource Center)

 4.      And, here are some PD case examples collected from popular media…..  In the coming weeks, we will encourage you to enlarge this pool of experiences by your own diggings.

Greening of Niger: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/world/africa/11niger.html?_r=4&pagewanted=1&sq&st=nyt&scp=2

Students give up wheels: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/europe/27bus.html?_r=1&ref=health

Radiologist with a Human touch:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/health/07pati.html?ref=health

5.      Here is a phenomenal TED talk on gaming and a better world.      You can watch this at your leisure.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

6.      Also, enjoy this “positive world view” TED.com talk

http://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome.html

And, I am hoping we will have a full house on Monday – something which we have not been able to do so far on account of various individual and weather-related contingencies.  

Onward…

Cordially

Arvind

Listening leads to Action

 By Jenny Cisneros

After reading “Preventing Girl Trafficking Indonesia,” I began to think about how the PD process could help so many other countries in attempting to ameliorate this growing problem. Every time I think I have finally understood the basic foundations of the positive deviance approach, I read another case study and quickly realize there is so much more to learn. As I finished reading the case study, I was amazed, yet not surprised, at how elementary the initial process began. Often times we are led to believe that experts have all the answers, however, positive deviance shows us this notion of collective wisdom that can come from any source. 

A few years ago I attended a lecture hosted by UTEP’s Political Science Department. A panel of speakers from the State Department addressed the issue of human trafficking around the world. They discussed how the State Department ranks countries based on their compliance with U.S. Policy known as, Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.  Essentially the goal of the TVPA is the prevention of human trafficking overseas and help protect victims of human trafficking by providing them the necessary help and support. The act ranks countries based on three tiers and each tier is determined through the country’s compliance with the rules outlined in the act. Tier 1 status indicates that the country is compliant with the act’s minimum standards. Tier 2 status indicates that the country is not complying the minimum standards, however, is making progress towards complaisance. Finally tier 3 status are countries who do not comply with TVPA standards and are not making any significant efforts towards a tier 2 status. After reading Dr. Singhal’s study in Indonesia, I began to do a little research on Indonesia. According to the U.S. State Department, Indonesia is at a Tier 2 status. Although, human trafficking continues to be a problem in Indonesia, the government is making more of an effort to reduce the amount of women and children forced into prostitution. The State Department's Human Trafficking 2010 report indicates that in 2010 a significant amount of government funding was allotted to the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection. The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection used their funding towards coordinating awareness meetings and hiring awareness trainers around the country to speak with at risk women and children. 

I was inspired by Dr. Singhal’s Indonesian positive deviance research and I got to thinking how the same methodology could be applied in other countries. By building a solid foundation of trust, Dr. Singhal and Lucia were able to go into a foreign country and instill change without coercion. The comfort and trust that was built with the village of Kedoyo and the Gadungasari people was created through listening. Through the collective wisdom of the deviant families that managed to keep their daughters from being trafficked, the people of these villages were able to come together and work towards a better future. Instead of taking on the role of the expert, Dr. Singhal and Lucia, facilitated the necessary communicative tools to help these people seek a solution to their problems. Change in possible by taking action but before one can act but we must stop and listen. Listening is the first step towards finding a viable solution to any problem.

Don’t Be Silly Cover That Willy: Applying the Positive Deviance Approach one Condom at a Time

By Davi Kallman

After searching numerous case studies on the positive deviance initiative website, tears started swelling at my tear ducks… the familiar cotton mouth sensation swept over my mouth and that gut wrenching feeling formed in my abdomen. What got me so overwhelmed and worked up about the situations that are occurring all over the world is that these victims of sex trafficking, malnutrition, and poverty feel like they have no other choice but to endure such conditions.

I came across a case study of a girl named Kay Thawe also known as K.T. from Myanmar, a 19 year old girl who was forced into the sex worker profession for money when her father died of cirrhosis. Obligated to take care of her other siblings K.T. used the sex trade to make money for her family. Unfortunately K.T. is only one of millions of young girls and boys who are forced into this professional whether voluntarily or coerced.

 I remember when I was 19 I had no intention of having sexual intercourse, not because I was unaware of pregnancy and disease protection, but because I felt I was not ready yet alone prepared to handle the emotional stressors that come with sex. K.T. on the other hand works as a commercial sex worker every day and until recently did not use condoms during sexual intercourse. It was not until she met her most recent boyfriend who cautioned her about the downfalls of having unprotected sex. Since then K.T. started to use condoms to avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases. While continuing to be a commercial sex worker might not seem like a positive deviance approach, the actions leading up to the intercourse is what deviates from the norm. Now K.T. uses a condom before she has sex and for foreigners who do not know what a condom is she will reinforce the word to get the message across. For those clients who refuse to use a condom she tells them she has an STD in order for them to use the condom. While this single act might not seem important, it does have serious outcomes and serves as a prevention technique. 

While it is very difficult to stop a person or a group of people from continuing such practices, the way you handle and reinforce these practices is just one stepping stone to changing the entire situation. Just like the story I mentioned in my previous blog post about the 70 year old man wanting to change the whole world immediately, while idealistic, it proves to be impossible. If we want to change the situation first and foremost we have to begin with a realistic goal, once we have that goal, we cannot carry it on by ourselves. As positive deviance reinforces, in order to make a change we must enlist the help of others, those “unusual suspects” who bring their ideals and knowledge to the equation to make a lasting effect. In this case K.T.’s boyfriend and K.T. were the “unusual suspects” who were proactive in disease and pregnancy prevention. K.T. not only helped herself in disease prevention but by spreading the message and meaning of condoms, it serves as a ripple effect for her clients who did not know about condoms in the first place. If there is one thing I learned about this case is that simple acts make a big difference. Eventually we would like to help K.T. and people in similar situations be detoured from joining the sex worker business, disease prevention techniques is the first step to deviant from the norm of unwanted pregnancies and diseases. We are just one condom away from changing the world.

Case studies of PD commercial sex workers

Sector: Public Health (HIV/AIDS prevention and eradication)

Organization: Population Services International (PSI)

Location: Myanmar

Miss KT's Story

K. T. is 19 years old and is the eldest of four siblings ( three girls and one boy). She comes from Mandalay. Her father died of liver cirrhosis. Since then her mother is selling seasonal food at the market and is unable to support the family. So K. T. dropped out of school when she passed 7th standard and entered the sex trade to help her family.

She lost her virginity with her first boy friend whom she dated for 2 years. During that relationship she had unprotected sex and knew nothing about condoms. She started working as a commercial sex worker 3 months ago and works every day.

She met her first broker who sent her to a brothel house at 8 miles Junction, where she worked for one month. There her clients volunteered to use condoms. After that, she was sent to Ma Sein (female pimp) by another broker.

She started using condoms after she met with her most recent Madam who told her to use condoms whenever she is having sex, especially with foreigners, to prevent getting AIDS. Therefore she has been using condoms systematically during her sex work, except for three occasions when her Myanmar clients brought her to their homes and could not purchase condoms because they were unavailable in the neighborhood or it was late at night.

She always uses a condom with foreigners especially with Taiwanese who use double condoms whereas Thai, Japanese and European clients use only one. She has now a second boyfriend, who has been her client for two months and uses condoms whenever they have sex.

Specific factors which enable her to practice this unusual behavior

Since she was young, she has seen information about AIDS on television. When she married, she was afraid to get this disease from her husband. Her recent pimp told her about a driver she knows who has HIV/AIDS. Since then Kay Thawe always uses a condom to prevent this disease. She also takes three months Depo-Provera injection for contraception. Her pimp chooses clients for her and she has never chosen drunkards or a client who asked for oral sex. But she has had to perform this unusual sexual behavior twice and used condoms on both occasions. She has never been asked to perform anal sex.

She does not worry about being arrested since her pimp has protection from a captain in the army who is responsible for the area where the night club is located.

Action to overcome problems engendered by unusual behavior

She said the word "condom" to a foreigner who did not want to use a condom and he agreed to wear it. She says that "she has a disease" to Myanmar clients who refuse to wear a condom and most of them comply. When some clients still refuse to wear it, she threatens to give their money back and not go through the contract. They usually give in. She has never been beaten or threatened when she has asked clients to use condoms. Nor has she experienced having a client requesting to have unprotected sex for extra-money. On one occasion, she has found herself with multiple Myanmar clients instead of one but was able to negotiate for everyone to wear condom and got extra money for each one. She is willing to come and meet with PD team at PSI.

Women and Positive Deviance, “Nos Sobran Motivos”

By Jorge Luis Aguilar Cruz

Positive Deviance in any setting is sometimes very subtle, and not as apparent, but it can also be seen across the world, as many case studies and stories told by our professor have shown.  I am huge fan of subtle, encouraging, and inspiring Positive Deviance.  The way I have done this is by providing you with a personal example of a case and the great people I worked with and what we accomplished, but first being that it is the day of love, I have no greater love than for women, especially the one who gave birth to me, my sister, mi Tia’s and primas, my grandmother and great grandmother, and a many young ladies I have met along the way.

            

The young ladies I speak of are at a local alternative high school, this high school is for young ladies who are pregnant, have recently become pregnant, or had recently given birth. We had the amazing privilege to work on campus with these wonderful young ladies. Our position on campus was one of let us say, a mentors and university outreach. My goal was to mentor them and try to get them to go to college, but we focused more on trying to fix their relationships and being available to them emotionally.  SOME of these young ladies had a lot of problems at home, with the father of their child, issues with teachers and counselors. After some time there, I too felt that energy, SOME teachers felt sorry for girls, basing their harsh judgments on race and income levels, and they treated them indifferently even in the classroom.

The center in which I worked at along with some amazing ladies who cared for the young ladies and their children did some amazing work, at the time we did not think about it, some of the things we did could have gotten us fired, and truth be told, I did get fired after my 6month stint there.  It was positive deviance, compassion, and love all in one.  We provided emotional support in conversations about their relationships with their parents, and boyfriends, and since I was the only man working in the whole facility, and the girls knew I was raised by a single mother, the girls felt very compelled to come to me. Hugs, and other exchanges of affection and “buenos dias, y Gracias,” and serenades on Mother’s Day and birthdays (on my behalf) were always and often used. We helped them financially by buying them baby formula, giving them rides home, buying them baby clothes and school supplies (all things we were not supposed to do.)  I provided them with additional outside academic resources, we tutored the girls in math, speech and taught them how to use the computers to help them in the classroom.  We also implemented discipline, I was known for my positive comments to the girls, “punctuality not apologies, andele apurese apurese.” Discipline in the form of careful consideration to change some of their manners in cursing, referring to one another, etc.

We went outside our job duty, that is safe to say, but we did what was right, since no one wanted to help, we did.  Women in my opinion are the supreme being, and they should be treated with care and respect, especially when they are young and impressionable, like the young ladies we had the privilege to work with. We instilled in them values and appreciation in them for things they perhaps had never considered, all we settled for was a Thank You, a hug and a hope that they would pay it forward. “Nos sobran motivos,” one young lady said to us, she said “you are left with many motives; why not try to help people, instead of beating them to the ground.” This student had C’s and D’s in class, by the time we were done surrounding her with compassionately positive deviantly love, she graduated with honors, changed her life around, and enrolled at EPCC Valle Verde.

Posting three Positive Deviance videos

Enjoy. 
Your good professor, 
Arvind.

The first film, Reflections on Positive Deviance by Monique Sternin, offers a first-hand account of the philosophical and practical groundings of the Positive Deviance approach. Monique Sternin, co-pioneer of the PD approach and director of the Positive Deviance Initiative @ Tufts University offers her insights on topics such as underscoring the wisdom of ordinary people, the discovery of already existing solutions, the emphasis on practice, community ownership, the role of the facilitator, and relationship-building.  The second film, hinges on the wisdom of a Javanese proverb: “Let go of the tiger’s head, but hold on to the tail.” The Positive Deviance approach was piloted successfully by Save the Children in Gadungsari, a community of East Java in 2003 and has since been expanded to other nearby villages. The film shows some of the challenges young girls and their families face in order to make an honest living in rural Indonesia. Former Save the Children staff person, Titing Martini, and local government official Pak Kasmadi share their experiences with the project, highlighting the small, seemingly insignificant practices used by Positive Deviants that have made a difference in reducing girls’ trafficking from the project’s inception to the present. The third film, The Music Catches Me and We Rise Again, is a field-based account of Positive Deviance as it was used in Northern Uganda to address the successful reintegration of formerly abducted child soldiers and vulnerable mothers after over 20 years of civil conflict. Upon escaping or being rescued from abduction, girls who had been victims of the treacherous acts of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) were faced with an unwelcome return into their former communities. In order to survive, many girls resorted to transactional sex. But amongst them there were outliers who did not. They are the Positive Deviants. In this film, girls and their mentors share the everyday practices and behaviors that helped them defeat the odds.