What is the Power Awareness Tool?
As the name suggests, the PAT makes actors in international cooperation aware of power relations in partnerships by making them visible. In any partnership, decision-making power can be a silent yet critical factor. Who gets to decide what and how can make or break a collaboration. The Power Awareness Tool (PAT) is an online tool that helps you shine a light on these dynamics and explore how power can be shifted while ensuring that all partners are involved.
Why is it important?
This is necessary because in many partnerships for development, donors and international NGOs have too much power, and local NGOs in the Majority World* too little. There is widespread agreement that this should change. Despite this consensus, the power imbalances persist. Therefore, Partos developed the Power Awareness Tool.
(*Majority World refers to the term “Global South”)
What does it do?
The PAT offers a first step in the direction of making your decision-making in global partnerships more equitable. Here’s how:
- Identify key decision-making topics and who holds the power in your partnership.
- Avoid misunderstandings and frictions that can undermine your collaboration.
- Have open, honest discussions about decision-making processes.
- Agree on how to involve all partners in decision-making in a way that works for everyone.
- Automatic Reporting: Auto-generated reports for sharing content beyond the platform
- Centralized Resources: Integrated FAQs and resources on power awareness in one environment
- Language flexibility: The tool is now available in French and English.
How does it work?
First, Create your Power Awareness Tool (PAT) account. This account gives you access to the PAT Dashboard, where you can start a PAT session as a facilitator and join a session as a participant. We highly recommend you work with an (external) facilitator to guide different partners through the reflections of power and decision-making. Once you’re in a PAT Session, you just follow the steps and trust the process
- Convene with a partnership and start a PAT session.
2. Identify important decision-making topics together.
3. Reflect on the actual & desired level of decision-making.
4. Agree on action for Change.
Check out the online Launch of the Power Awareness Tool to learn more.
More on Shifting Power
Partos and ngo-federatie facilitates a transition towards more equitable partnerships within international cooperation. We do this by investing in practical solutions and innovations that help accelerate a power shift for more equitable systems, together with members and partners. Learn more about Partos & ngo-federatie
Who are the partners of the Power Awareness Tool?
Woord en Daad, Oxfam Novib, Cordaid, Wilde Ganzen, Liliane Fonds, Akvo and of course Partos and ngo-federatie.
