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Making change ‘stick’:
combining techniques across multiple settings
Single techniques employed in single settings may well
have positive effects, but these will likely be limited to
those participating, and – if a ‘one off’ project – may not be
sustained. For example, a single schools-based program may
change participating students’ attitudes about gender and
violence by the end of the program. However, those same
students live in a society in which structural gender inequality
is entrenched and pervasive and rigid gender norms and
stereotypes predominate at multiple levels. They are likely
to experience sexist and violence-supportive messages in
multiple contexts – from the media to broader peer groups, in
their home environments and in recreational settings.
The impact of initiatives such as schools programs can
be ‘dampened’ when they occur in isolation, and broader
community or social and cultural norms and practices do not
support their message. 110 Conversely, the effects of prevention
initiatives are strengthened when their reach is maximised,
such as where a schools-based program is supported by
government education departments to ensure greater reach by
requiring all schools to implement it, and when their messages
are reinforced by simultaneous complementary initiatives in
other settings, such as when the same schools program is
accompanied by a social media campaign, a local community
initiative, and a sports or recreation-based program. 111
A multi-setting approach helps strengthen the impact of
different prevention initiatives – a mutually-reinforcing effect.
In order to achieve this mutually reinforcing effect, different
techniques need to be employed simultaneously across
multiple settings, in a coherent and sustained way. This requires
a number of higher-level mechanisms for coordination and
support – and these are discussed in Element 4.
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