Intercommunal Collaborations is a collaborative online tool that attempts to facilitate reflection on Eurocentric values and assumptions (such as individualism, competitiveness, dualistic thinking, a belief in control over nature, hierarchical decision-making processes, standard English, a rigid time orientation, etc.) that are dominating the development sector.
The process started as a part of the Shift the Power movement, which is an effort to tip the balance of power in the sector towards a fairer and more equitable people-centered development model.

“There is widespread consensus that in partnerships for development, too much power is in the hands of donors and international NGOs, while partners in the South lack agency. Despite the consensus, power imbalances persist.” (Shift the Power, n.d.)

Let’s imagine a tilted table; regardless of how much you push, it does not move. You cannot level it. Can something be stuck underneath?

In the case of development, there are many things intertwined and stuck under that table, and one of the most consequential is the Eurocentric values and assumptions that are dominating the projects.

To make space for different values, work under unfamiliar norms, and find new pathways to brighter futures, it is often helpful to get out of our bubble. It opens up new perspectives to fall into a world that you don’t know the rules of, and where you cannot respond out of habit.

Creating this space is the exact goal of Intercommunal Collaborations. What if everyone at the table is foreign to the values and norms you are expected to work by? Can we make the table level by removing the block underneath and putting a mystery box in the middle? Perhaps working with unfamiliar expectations and processes creates the space needed for pure exploration and unbiased collaboration.