Book Aid International is a UK-based INGO with a mission to “give people around the world who lack access to books the opportunity to read”.
INTRAC had previously worked with Book Aid International to support the development of its partnership approach and wider theory of change. In autumn 2024 Kate Newman and Carmen Clarke built on this previous work to support Book Aid International to have an organisational conversation on decolonisation and develop a shared language and understanding of the term, responding to the charity’s current thinking and values. The organisation is considering how best to take this work forward – whether this is part of a wider decolonisation journey, or a way to further consolidate its commitment to equitable partnerships and practice.
Framing and facilitating dialogue: what we did
The process included a series of one-to-one conversations with board members and the senior leadership of Book Aid International. These were used both to understand where each person was in relation to the ideas of decolonisation – in terms of how they understood and engaged with the topic and the relevance to Book Aid International – and also to reflect on current strengths and challenges facing the charity, and future expectations regarding the organisation. Input from these conversations, and from wider literature on decolonisation (both academic and sector focused) was then used to frame a workshop discussion, involving the senior leadership and board. We identified some hallmarks of decolonisation:
- Interrogate thought patterns, assumptions and processes that may perpetuate harm or exploitation
- Anti-racist understanding and practice is key to meaningful change
- Be willing to redistribute power and resources
- Value and centre the knowledge, cultures, and wisdom of people from former colonised nations
- Empowerment not dependency
- Global majority and global minority working in solidarity
We considered what these might mean for Book Aid International using a series of small group work sessions, and ‘thinking rounds’ to enable participants to engage with the ideas and consider implications. We considered different aspects of the charity’s work: international partnerships; UK partnerships/funding and communications; leadership, governance and internal functioning, and future strategy.
The topics under discussion were challenging, and not all the participants had engaged with them in a professional setting. INTRAC aimed to foster a safe space for these conversations, in which Book Aid International staff could engage positively, whatever their past experience with decolonisation narratives. Participants came away with a shared vocabulary for and understanding of decolonisation, to serve as a key grounding for future work in this area.
Next steps for Book Aid International
The discussion was lively and engaging and Book Aid International are now taking forward some of the ideas in different parts of their work. This will begin with a deeper piece of research to understand the impact of the books they send, asking what positive and potentially challenging impacts these books create. This will help answer the question of what types of impact (intended and unintended) the books contribute to, and what factors enable or hinder these outcomes. It will also help the charity reflect on what this might mean for their future approaches, programmes and partnerships.
Reflecting and learning as INTRAC
Staff in UK-based INGOs can find it challenging to talk about issues such as decolonisation. The concepts might appear theoretical and complex; and the ideas can give rise to reflections on issues such as identity, meaning and contribution to international development. We found through this work that grounding the ideas, focusing on practical hallmarks, and creating a safe and brave space enabled a good quality conversation. Ongoing organisational commitment both enabled that space, and will support the work going forward, as it moves from conversation to action.