Step 1: Trunk: what is the central vision issue?

Trees start from a trunk representing an issue/vision/challenge or an institution like a household, business or community.

Draw two lines for the trunk in the middle of the one or two sheets of paper. Leave enough space between the lines for drawings in the trunk and also top and bottom for the roots and branches.

Place a symbol for your vision in the middle of a red vision circle at the top of the trunk. It is important the the trunk has a positive vision to strive for not just a ‘problem’ to depress us with its complexity.

Put a circle for your current situation in relation to the vision at the bottom of the trunk.

People involved, an interim target or other relevant items can be placed inside the trunk between the two circles.

Step 2: Roots: what are the inputs or causes?

Roots show inputs or causes/dimensions/perspectives.

Divide the roots into parts depending on the issue. This depends the specific tool adaptation eg women/men/both, paid production/ marketing/ unpaid household work.

In order to make the analysis manageable, ideally there are 3-5 main roots. Any other dimensions are subroots of these main roots. Unless the specific topic requires more.

In drawing the symbols we can put the most important issues towards the top of the trunk.

Step 3: Branches: what are the outputs and outcomes

Branches show outputs or potential solutions.

For each root draw one corresponding branch – we want our outcomes and actions to match each roots.

In drawing the symbols put these in order corresponding to the issue on the root. If you think some outcomes are very important, event if the issue they address is small, then you can draw the symbol larger.

Step 4: Forces: what are the external things that push the tree one way or another?

Symbols outside the trunk to show external forces and/or links between roots and branches.

What are the external context forces acting on each side of the trunk or the fertilising/poisoning subsoil underneath? These can be related to e.g gender, economic, political, health issues. These can be opportunities (green that you plan to make sure you access and use) or challenges (blue that you will try to minimise/avoid) that you have taken from your Change Journey.

Step 5: SMART Action Fruits: What are the immediate actions under our control?

GAMEChange Action Trees are not just ‘talking shops’.

They must always have SMART ‘action fruits’ or concrete action commitments individuals themselves can implement within a given time-frame without depending on others.

We draw these SMART change commitments on branches (like apples), roots (like potatoes) and/or trunk (like cocoa). SMART means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. It is important also that these should be actions achievable by individuals. Not just a wish list vague ‘solutions’ like ‘more training and awareness’ waiting for someone else or an organisation to implement. Most often these do not come, or are not what we expect.

Once all individual actions are exhausted, then we can be more specific about support we need from groups or organisations. We indicate these as flowers or bees. But we know flowers are more fragile and can quickly fade and fall. Bees like to go where we have already made lots of honey to attract them, or they may never come.

6: Track and reflect: the ‘living analysis and plan’

Action Trees are ‘live analyses and plans’ that are tracked over time to assess progress, and also to reflect on reasons for progress or lack of it.

• Fruits we have achieved we ring in red as ripe fruits.
• Fruits that did not work/we no longer want we ring or cross out in blue as mouldy.
• Fruits that are still in process and still planned we ring in green.

Consider also the forces – were they as we expected or do we need to adjust them?

Then consider the flowers and the bees – did they come and flourish or not?

You can consider whether or not you are progressing towards the vision and make an assessment of how far you are up the trunk from your current situation to the vision. Whether your tree is healthy, or might fall over with the forces pushing unevenly on it. You can indicate this with a balance symbol between the vision and the current circle of the trunk, leaning in one direction or another

The important point is to decide what to do next and add new action fruits to help progress towards your Vision. Aim to always have about 5 more change fruits you want to make on your tree. Add these to your next Vision Journey.

7: Share: we cannot walk alone

If our visions are big, we cannot achieve them alone. We need to work with other like-minded people and also negotiate with those who may not immediately agree with us.

So we draw the key steps of the Action Tree tool at the back of our notebook to share the steps of the Action Tree to help other people also analyse issues and prioritise actions to address them. A champion drew the example on the left for their Gender Balance Tree.

We practice and extend the network of people with whom we share. When others are empowered to analyse issues and prioritise actions to address them, then we can also share ideas and experience of strategies that work and avoid strategies that do not.

We can also write songs, poems and theatre to help spread the tool and increase the feeling of solidarity with others.