How we talk about what we do‌ The PEPY voice
Why we’re sharing this We believe that what you communicate, how you communicate, and why you communicate are important choices for any organization. We believe they are particularly important for organizations working in the development sector and representing communities they are not themselves a part of. We have some strong values and beliefs in this area, and have done our best to articulate them in the following presentation. We want to share these values with our supporters so that we can be held accountable. We are committed to practicing what we preach, and if, for some reason, we fall short, we want to know about it. If you see something on any of our communications, whether it’s our website, Facebook, Twitter, newsletter or annual report, that you feel does not align with our values, please contact us at contact@pepycambodia.org and let us know.
Why this is important We could write pages on why ethical communications strategies are essential for all non-profits, but a lady called Chimamanda Adichie says it much more eloquently that we ever could. We recommend that you watch her TED Talk, called the The Danger of a Single Story. In short, the words and images that are used to represent people and their communities dictate the way these people are then perceived and responded to on a global level. In writing about yourself, you have control of your own story and can choose how you want to be represented. If you are writing about other people, then you are taking that control out of their hands and influencing how their story is being told and received. You have a responsibility to those people to represent them in a way they would be comfortable with. As a communicator, you also have a responsibility to the rest of the world to represent global issues as fairly and transparently as possible.
How we write and speak about PEPY We have a set of values to guide our communications: o o o o o o
Be humble Focus on the impact Be accurate Be clean and clear Engage with our audience Adhere to PEPY language guidelines
1) Be humble Being humble is one of our core values as an organization and is a trait we seek out in others and work to foster in ourselves. The greatest lessons are often born out of failures, and over the years we have seen our share. We work hard to be transparent about our struggles and share them in our communications with as much enthusiasm as when we promote our achievements – in the hope that others may use these lessons to avoid the same mistakes in the future. In the areas where we have had success, we work to spread these models through trainings and sharing resources.
2) Focus on the impact While we believe it’s important to have strong operations, communications, HR, finance; all these things should serve towards our vision – all young Cambodian’s empowered to achieve their dreams. We have a responsibility to all our supporters to demonstrate how our efforts are achieving that vision. We might update you from time to time on organizational decisions and activities, but we strive for the focus to be on the programs we implement and the success (or otherwise) of those programs in supporting the development of the young people we work with.
3) Be accurate We promise to check our facts. If we are quoting a statistic – for example – that the current rate of enrolment at university in Cambodia is 8% - we will tell you where that statistic has come from. We will also try our best to make sure we’re using up-to-date information wherever possible. We also promise not to make sweeping statements that are not backed up by factual information. For example, we will not tell you that “young people in Cambodia cannot afford to finish their education” as this is not true for all young people, and while finance is an issue for many, this is not the only reason why young people drop out of school. We will back up our assertions with evidence from our research, and we promise not to assume that what is true for the young people we work with, is representative of all other areas in Cambodia.
4) Be clean and clear At PEPY, our communications are produced in part by our Khmer staff, in part by volunteers and in part by one international staff member. We endeavour to produce our materials to an appropriate standard of written English and have a high commitment to quality. However, mistakes do sometimes still occur, and if you spot one, please let us know. We also promise to steer clear of development jargon, spell out the many acronyms that exist in this industry and link to other articles and sources that clarify and expand on our content.
5) Engage with our audience We know that PEPY supporters come from many walks of life and have different reasons for supporting PEPY. It is important to us that our communications reflect this diversity. We want to make sure that we don’t just broadcast, we converse, and that as we are communicating we are learning about YOU as much as you are learning about us. Whenever you feel we’re not listening, tell us!
6) PEPY content guidelines We try to be very careful with the language and images we use. Careless use of content can develop harmful stereotypes and create confusion. Here are some examples of key choices we make. Anyone producing content for PEPY is briefed on these language guidelines before producing communications content.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Our schools PEPY Schools
Schools in Chanleas Dai, Our partner schools PEPY partners
These are government schools (not “our” schools), and we should use vocabulary that recognizes our partnership
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Our students Our children Our young people
The students / children / young people we work with.
This one is pretty simple. They are not our children.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
“Poor people”
Disadvantaged communities (at the most extreme vocab choice), or rural communities
Not only is "poverty" subjective, it also doesn’t always apply to everyone in the areas we work in. We endeavor to use more concrete descriptions relating to specific cases.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Villagers, the locals
Young people from Kralanh district, students from xxxxx village, etc
Most of us are from a "village" somewhere, but wouldn't describe people from our areas as "villagers�. These phrases already have negative stereotypes associated with them that we do not want to propagate.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Heartbreaking photos of "poor people"
Honest photos of our work which highlight our programs successes and failures
There is never an excuse for encouraging poverty voyeurism or using sensationalist images to solicit donations. We only use photos that represent people in a positive way, and in a manner that any of our team would be happy to be featured themselves.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Pictures of children or students semiclothed
Pictures of children appropriately dressed and active within our programs
Few people would appreciate a picture of themselves half naked being published. It is even more inappropriate to share images of young people in this way that could then leave them open to exploitation or abuse.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Our egos, excessive praise, constant focus on successes
Honest photos of our work which highlight our programs successes and failures
We believe NGOs should admit mistakes and supporters shouldn’t be led to expect constant success. Transparency about process engages supporters in a learning process hopefully benefiting the larger NGO community.
6) PEPY language guidelines
We don’t use
We use
Why?
Heartbreaking personal stories of individual students
Students’ opinions, We don't want to highlight sad ideas, feedback, stories, which could be considered passions. exploiting individuals for fundraising or publicity. We are also careful not to highlight individual students in case of creating jealousies or favoritisms. We never share students words or ideas if we do not have their permission to do so.