'Imagine a difference, imagine a change' An opportunity for participating science granting councils to "pause, reflect, celebrate" -three words by HSRC senior research specialist and project director Dr Lorenza Fluks which capture the essence of the final Learning Summit of the Gender and Inclusivity project of the first phase of the three-year Science Granting Councils Initiative held in Cape Town from 13-15 February 2023. More viewpoints from participants on the successes and unique characteristics of the project are captured in this video. A participatory approach saw councils identifying their own change priorities informed by their own contexts, according to Dr Ingrid Lynch, co-principal investigator. HSRC's key partner, Gender at Work, brought a unique methodology to the project which foregrounded peer learning and change at the level of both individual and institution. The summit created "intentional spaces to assist learnings" and embraced opportunities for embodied learning, Fluks notes in the video. Comments from Dr Lilian Hunt, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health (EDIS) lead at Wellcome Trust in the UK, provides a reminder of the exclusionary origins of global science and science granting councils, drawing attention to the value of intersectionality as a lens through which to analyse the "multiple layers of exclusion and discrimination" that have fed into the way science and research has been structured and conducted throughout the world. Dr madeleine kennedy-macfoy, executive director of Gender at Work, highlights the value of approaching issues from different perspectives to enable people to "think differently and imagine a difference, imagine a change". Cephas Mensah from the Ministry of Environment Science Technology and Innovation in Ghana argues that the fall in the numbers of women in science at upper levels of the science pipeline signals the need for a "conscious policy strategy" to sustain participation of girls and women. He notes how media partner Jive Media Africa, with its talent for creating stories, has helped to make complex issues come alive during the project. "People can feel what is going on," he says. Olivia Seabe from the Department of Research, Science and Technology in Botswana describes one of the challenges facing gender projects as a "lack of awareness". Describing the G&I Project as "incredible", Seabe says: "We have learnt and transformed as individuals and we see the light in the councils." Hildegalda Mushi from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, explains that while gender is "not a new thing", the project's approach is "a little different" so it took time for everyone to get onto the same page when it came to implementation. Deborah Kasule from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology explains that the emphasis in the learning methodology on accessing the "heart" and feelings, provides insight into what ultimately influences the adoption and mainstreaming of policies. As the video draws to a close, group executive of the HSRC Impact Centre and principal investigator Prof Heidi Van Rooyen notes that the work being done in the project is deep-rooted and requires time. "If we've left councils feeling this is very important work and that they want to take some of those steps towards mainstreaming gender and inclusivity, then it's been worth our while."
Human Sciences Research Council (Fri,) studied this question.