Recent world events, have proven that local people no longer accept the status quo, whether it be host governments, extremists, or exploitive commercial enterprises. From Tunisia to Iraq local men and women are holding local and foreign enterprises accountable: using numerous forms of protests and demonstrations. Given rising information consumption and information interaction rates (dynamic, collective networking via IT and face-to-face interaction) in the developing world, risk mitigation for our current client-base is now seen in terms of not just accountability but also transparency. Not only local governments, also foreign contractors, NGOs, and international organizations can expect to be held to these new standards.
Our clients often ask us "What can I do in the beginning of our company's project ... to ensure we don't suffer the type of misunderstandings and perceptions down the road that lead to costly work stoppages and shutdowns?" We find at Blue Hackle that effective community outreach, is not only socially responsible, it is the best way to build a secure and stable operating environment for our clients, and more importantly the local communities we seek to partner with. Our approach begins and ends with consultation with and respect for local people.
Blue Hackle's experienced Outreach and Engagement team, led by Ed O'Connell, provides an unprecedented ability to understand and empathize with local people, not by "targeting" them with slick messages and tools, but by partnering with them and giving voice to their aspirations, desires and recommended solutions to local challenges. His team is able to access social-cultural-political-economic sub currents other human terrain teams overlook or find too daunting. Our recent success includes building sustainable face-to-face and digital networks in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Horn of Africa, Yemen, Syria, Bosnia and other conflict areas.
Our team of experts leverages a proven model that introduces and accompanies our client into the local society - in an impactful and sustainable manner. In this sense, our real client is the local people whose area we are operating in. We often find they have the most creative, innovative ideas and solutions, but lack a suitable platform for exchanging them with each other. We find this measured, preventive approach results in significant risk mitigation over the duration of our client's projects.
Community Engagement and Outreach Service
- Innovative and effective community outreach design and delivery
- Focusing on the increasingly important civil society and traditional groups
- Synchronizes security, informing and outreach operation
- Unique combination of face-to-face events and digital engagement follow up
- Builds positive networks among local youth, business leaders, media, women, cultural, tribal, religious actors and local government
Atmospherics Program
- Local narrative assessments (social-cultural structure) from grass-roots to district and provincial level
- Identification of key civil society and traditional actors and groups
- Identification of existing social, economic, and political networks and relationships
- Feeds our local Population Support (Information) Centers
- Identification of emerging social, economic, and political networks and relationships
Conflict Resolution / Mediation / Reconciliation / Reintegration Program
- Strategic advisory team combined with digital engagement module to ensure sustainable resolutions achieved
- Experienced staff available for deployment or reach back
Local Area and Site Familiarization Service
- "Seeing" your investment without initial risk
- Blue Hackle team sent out prior to project initiation in unstable area
- Local topography examined
- Local ecology examined
- Local culture examined
- GPS coordinates of key natural and man-made structures recorded
- Extensive video and still photos documentation of site(s) provided
Media Analysis
- Detailed local demographics
- Unique Society - Media Matrix used
- Information consumption and interaction trends tracked (F2F and Digital)
- Group profiles built for traditional and civil society actors
Positive Youth Development Program
- Unique four-step process
- Focused on prevention and disengagement of disgruntled teens and pre-teens
- Innovative and proven process enables the local population to adapt or apply our approach to their own programs and circumstances
- Ongoing and sustainable processes that are operated and supported by the local population
Strategic Communications
- End-to-end communication management
- Analysis and atmospherics to provide comprehensive needs assessment
- Multiple distribution options including audio, radio, web, mobile, print
- Messaging is tailored to culture and requirements
Local Workforce Employment Brokerage Service
- Initiate, consult and partner with Local Advisory Council
- Ensure proper traditional and civil society representation on the workforce
- Registry of local skilled and unskilled workers tailored to project or industry
Cultural Resiliency Training for Executives/Managers
- Three-day scenario-based, decision point, interactive curriculum
- Focused on developing countries
- Utilizes continuous learning approach
- 24/7 reach back support service after student deploys
- Manager's debriefed on return: insights input into collective awareness model
- Multiple languages supported
Outreach Facilitator Training
- Two-day, interactive curriculum tailored to developing country/area
- Deciding when and where to hold events
- How to balance security and community engagement
- How to balance engagement with traditional and emerging civil society actors
- How to balance face-to-face and digital engagement events and platforms