About this toolkit

This Locally-led Action Toolkit (the Toolkit) has been developed by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) to help ACFID members progress their commitment to locally-led action.

The Toolkit is designed to:

• provide practical self-reflection tools to help ACFID members discuss, reflect on and take active steps to progress their organisation’s commitment to locally-led action.
• provide a common framework and language for ACFID members to use when talking about locally-led action.
• help ACFID members meet the requirements in the ACFID Code of Conduct.
• provide additional resources and examples to spark ideas and build understanding.    

ACFID recognises that efforts to progress locally-led action will require changes at a systemic, organisational and individual level. The Toolkit is deliberately focused at the organisational level.

ACFID members have a diverse range of operating models, approaches and practices, and there will be a variety of actions taken to progress locally-led action. This Toolkit is a stimulus to help organisations engage in discussions about their current practices and the possibilities for change.

The Toolkit is not designed to:

• compare organisations
• specify actions that must be taken
• be used as an assessment tool by ACFID

The Toolkit is a ‘living’ document, informed and updated by ACFID as priorities emerge through dialogue and research. It will benefit from ongoing collective reflection, iteration and improvement.

The Toolkit will support commitments made by ACFID and its members through Resolution 1-2022 Decolonisation, Anti-Racism and Locally Led Action which aims to advance the sector’s commitment to more equitable and just ways of working, which prioritise local knowledge, expertise, leadership and autonomy.

_{How was this Toolkit developed?}

The development of this Toolkit is the next step in a long-term journey towards more locally-led development and humanitarian action in the Australian sector. It builds on previous research, discussions, ACFID resolutions and global commitments and sits alongside parallel work on anti-racism and decolonisation.

This Toolkit has been informed by other international resources and guides, in particular the ‘Power Awareness Tool’ from Partos and the ‘Locally Led Development Guide’  from Bond UK. A small group of ACFID member organisations piloted the Toolkit in early 2024.

ACFID thanks the following individuals and groups who have contributed to and piloted the current iteration of the toolkit: ACFID Locally Led Action Community of Practice, ADARA, Alinea International, Localisation and Decolonisation Group of the Development Practice Community, Salvation Army International Development, See Beyond Borders, St John of God Outreach Services.

FOR FACILITATORS - Guidance for safe usage of this Locally Led Action Toolkit

Locally-led development, racial justice, and inclusion can be sensitive topics and challenging to discuss as a group. 

Some people who have experienced racism, marginalisation, and/or belong to a minority group may find this content distressing. Harm may be caused by these discussions. 

Some people may feel personally challenged by the concepts discussed, and their personal, unintentional role in structural racism, and exclusion.   

Sensitivity and/or harm in these types of discussions can include:

• Feelings of exclusion; guilt; implicit in an unequal system
• Microaggressions and othering (conscious and unconscious) 
• Dismissal of lived experiences and identities; people, identities, culture and communities are not a monolith
• Feeling uncomfortable as discussions will inherently challenge the status quo and our world views

To support a positive outcome from these discussions, it is important that participants feel safe to be open and share their thoughts and feelings.  

_{What can you do?} 

Creating safer spaces for these discussions in the workplace require planning and consideration. 

Do not begin a conversation until the organisational commitment (and resources) are there to finish it; remember it may take time, and several sessions, to work through this critical content. 

Ensure that all staff understand that participation in these workshops and discussions are to support organisational development and humanitarian goals by encouraging self-reflection and personal growth of staff. 

Provide opportunities for participants in these sessions (safe) options to step out, take a break, if needed. Consider if it is possible for people to choose not to participate in the session; particularly for staff that identify as First Nations and/or of colour. 

Invite participants to genuinely and critically reflect on:

• Privilege and power in relationships
• the differences between marginalisation, belonging to a minority group, lived experience, and identity
• the context of white privilege, and disempowering actions on an individual and collective level
• Power dynamics in different contexts – here in Australia, and/or overseas 
• Language and how it can be used to ‘include’, ‘other’, ‘harm’ and/or ‘disempower’

 Encourage participants to be mindful that others in the session may be finding discussions difficult or sensitive. Set a clear, group goal for the workshop – is it to learn; reflect; or challenge and be contentious? 

It is equally important to consider and refrain from culturally unsafe practices and interactions and, where safe to do so, actively challenge potentially unsafe practices and interactions, including such things as stereotyping, discrimination, and racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or other demeaning and harmful commentary. Be mindful that some participants (our colleagues and team members) in the room may have experienced one or many of these ‘–isms'. 

Remember that language is not neutral; decide on language and actions that will be acceptable, and what will not be acceptable. Actively plan for how to decisively attend to participants causing harm (intentional or otherwise) to others. 

_{Creating brave spaces}

These discussions will challenge the ‘status quo’. As such, some participants may feel the need to challenge, be contentious, and/or ask ‘controversial’ questions as part of their journey. While such attitudes do not belong in a safe, learning space - there is an opportunity to create ‘brave spaces’ where participants may channel ‘controversial’ questions. 

‘Brave spaces’ can be created by willing allies and/or a skilled facilitator. Colleagues of colour, or those that have experienced racism, marginalisation, and /or belong to a minority group, do not need to be a part of these discussions. 

A ‘brave space’ contains five elements:  

• “Controversy with civility,” where varying opinions are accepted
• “Owning intentions and impacts,” in which participants acknowledge and discuss instances where a dialogue has affected the emotional well-being of another person
• “Challenge by choice,” where participants have an option to step in and out of challenging conversations
• “Respect,” where participants show respect for one another’s basic personhood
• “No attacks,” where participants agree not to intentionally inflict harm on each other 

Creating change can be daunting. See these tools and accompanying discussions as opportunities to work together as a team, an organisation, as a community to find solutions for a more equitable distribution of power, agency, and benefits between all. 

We recommend that you also give a reminder about your organisation’s EAP in conjunction with this guidance.