THE HUMAN SPIRIT PROJECT AN ADVOCACY INITIATIVE FROM THE GDI - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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