What we do

Partisan’s GOALS

We have the following goals, all of which centre marginalised and racialised communities: 

GOAL 1: Develop alternative help systems  

GOAL 2: Build capacity internally and within communities

GOAL 3: Embody approaches internally and with communities that share power, knowledge and resources

Partisan’s Planetary System

Partisan thinks about its ecology as the places, people and communities of practice who are pushing for a future world; where help systems centre repair and healing for marganalised and racialised communities. 

We know who some of these are already, but our strategy over the next 3-5 years is to grow our network beyond mental health and the youth sector, asking current and new relationships for help to do this. To develop more of a sense as to who else is trying to shift their mindset and unlearn that the current colonial system is fit for purpose, and moving towards alternatives. We imagine that these may not be mental health professionals, and could be campaigners, justice worker, lawyers, African Centred Psychologists, change makers etc. Practitioners in a different field but applying similar principles. We really want to test the boundaries and remit of who we can work and learn from, and with. 

Partisan is approaching it with an openness and willingness to let go of everything we thought to be true to discover knowledge old and new. Which is exciting because we don’t know where we might be next year, as we haven’t really tested the boundaries enough of what people are doing and what’s been done.

Partisan Planet: Our Approach to Change

We believe an approach to change to be more active than a theory of change. It’s the action that we are taking to start to address some of the challenges, problems, and inequalities we found marginalised and racialised communities to be experiencing in our analysis of current help systems.

Partisan’s Principles

Partisan’s principles, the 4R’s, have been specifically chosen to enable us to pull away from the capitalist and colonial systems that have been recreating the inequalities and harms we see in the world today (in particular for our marginalised and racialised communities) and towards a more equitable and collaborative future. 

Why we need them? 

• The principles are giving us the drivers 

• We want to learn through our work about what is needed 

• They all need to be present for us to do the work, but may be at different frequencies throughout. We ask ourselves why? 

We feel that both the individual and combined use of the principles helps us to explicitly create a different way of being between ourselves as a team, and those we work and partner with. We are seeking to learn how to bring these to life with the communities and partners we currently work with and as a way of reaching out to and collaborating with future partners.

The 4R’s: 

• Relationships

  We recognise that the current system doesn’t value the time it takes to build trust and relationships, which is core to change work at an individual, community and systems level. 

  Relationships move at the speed of trust; sometimes this is a two step dance between process and relationships, depending on what is needed. We take the time to understand ours and others relationship patterns and experiences before doing the hard work of change together. We expect rupture as a normal part of life and invest time in repair. 

• Repair

  We recognise that the current system has harmed and continues to traumatises marginalised and racialised communities. Repair requires a long term commitment; it is multifaceted. 

  We are re-defining what healing is with our communities. We are committed to learning more reparative practices and approaches to support the healing that needs to happen in order for people to live their preferred story.

• Regenerative

  We recognise that the current system is extractive and continues to uphold white supremacy, heteropatriarchy and all the dominant practices that oppress. 

  We recognise that communities hold ideas and strength, and believe in the Ghanaian principles of ‘Sankofa’; going back to acknowledge and learn from what has been done, so as not to make the same mistakes. This builds on ancestral and cultural wisdom, as well as existing strengths in the community to create change that can be sustained, retained and built on.

• Re-distribute 

  We recognise that power, knowledge and resources are currently held by a few. 

  We use approaches that actively disrupt this, focusing on participation of those who are most marginalised and racialised. We prioritise redistribution and give collective agency to make changes, not only because this is fairer, but because it makes most sense to centre those most affected by these issues as they have the most insight, ingenuity and value to add.

Test, Learn and Adapt over time 

As we are working with the complex and systemic issues facing communities, we need a way of learning that is dynamic and adaptable. A learning approach that can respond as fast as things change and is a way of life for Partisan, a culture and paradigm shift in itself. 

We work with a learning partner and build and learn in context and have structured the organisation around its weekly learning spaces. We draw on a range of tools to help us, developing a culture of collective responsibility and impact. We learn through failure and welcome the growth that it brings.