Social norms change at scale: Insights from GREAT

The Gender Roles, Equality, and Transformation (GREAT) project aims to promote gender equitable attitudes and behaviours among adolescents (ages 10 to 19) and their communities with the goal of reducing gender-based violence (GBV) and improving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes in post-conflict communities in northern Uganda.

The GREAT model encompasses several components and centers on collaboration with local partners and the community. GREAT’s elements are based on local research and community engagement, are evidencebased, and are scalable—as well as tailored to life stages within the broad category of adolescence. GREAT is simple, low-cost, and designed to respect positive norms and values even as it asks communities to examine and reconsider harmful norms. 

This case study is part of a series of five published by Raising Voices. The collection is designed for funders, practitioners, and activists. It seeks to identify key elements for success, highlight challenges, and provide recommendations for adapting and scaling the methodologies of The Community for Understanding Scale Up (CUSP) members and, more broadly, social norms change interventions. The case studies draw on over 120 years of combined experience and practice-based learning among five CUSP programs.