My Approach to Being a Critical Friend

My approach to being a critical friend to individuals and organisations is informed by my values: Hope & Positivity; Curiosity & Creativity; Social Justice & Responsibility; Diversity, Equity & Radical Inclusion; Relationships, Collaboration & Co-Creation and Transparency, Integrity & Accountability.

My approach to being a critical friend is:

Needs-Based and Adaptive – I carefully listen to establish the needs of the individual and/or civil society organization and develop a plan for how I can help them to ensure my support is as valuable as possible. If any needs change during my involvement, I carefully adapt my support to reflect that.

Safe Spaces – I create spaces that foster psychological safety where individuals feel confident in sharing their experiences, challenges and concerns with me and where we can have open conversations and discuss responses to critical questions.

Trust-Building – I listen actively, show empathy and vulnerability, communicate transparently and own mistakes to help build trust with the individuals and organisations I am working with.

Curious and Creative – I value curiosity, because it encourages me to be open-minded, to explore diverse perspectives and to embrace complexity, when I act as a critical friend. I use creativity to think outside the box and develop new ways to effectively address complex problems and bring about positive change. I also use creativity to present complex findings in alternative ways that are easy to understand and action.

Research Informed – I always use the latest research to inform the advice I provide.  

Bridging Theory and Practice – I use case studies and real-world scenarios to illustrate how theory should inform practice.

Hopeful and Positive – I utilise a strength-based approach that identifies and builds on what is already known to be working well. This means identifying promising practices and critically reflecting on how they can be applied in different contexts.

Using a Critical Intersectional Lens – I apply a critical lens to highlight how intersectional identities such as gender, religion and ethnicity affect people’ lived-experiences especially concerning the impact of systemic inequalities and agency.

Promoting Social- Justice and Responsibility – I am committed to providing advice that help develop fair and just communities, where everyone has equitable access to fundamental rights, opportunities and resources, is treated with respect, empathy, fairness and dignity and feels valued and a sense of belonging. I believe we are all responsible for developing such communities and for addressing any obstacles and barriers that hinder this vital development. I will always reflect our social responsibility in the advice I provide.

Based on Transparency, Integrity and Accountability – I always ensure that objectives and expectations are carefully and clearly negotiated and agreed on before I commence on supporting civil society organisations. In addition, I also always adhere to the highest ethical standards including maintaining confidentiality and protecting individuals’ safety, privacy and dignity. Finally, I always strive to deliver what has been agreed on time.