Author: Maisie Jeffreys
-
Is AI Creating Its Own Westernised, Global Knowledge System?
By Maisie Jeffreys Key Takeaways What is AI? Before we dive into the weeds of ethics, philosophy and systems, it’s worth understanding what we mean by Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is the filed of computer science focussed on creating systems that can perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. For example: natural language processing, learning, problem-solving, decision-making.…
-
Fictions of Sincerity: Race, Gender and Sexuality
By Maisie Jeffreys Racism without racists …Is the title of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s renowned book on color-blind racism in contemporary America. It captures the idea that many white Americans today claim that “race is no longer an issue,” professing to be “color blind” whilst simultaneously denouncing those of colour for “playing the race card” or not…
-
Feminism, Intersectionality and Systems Change
By Maisie Jeffreys Across many social change spaces, we often talk about equity, inclusion, and justice – yet deep-rooted, gender-based barriers continue to shape the experiences and opportunities (or lack there of) of many. From navigating systemic bias, to confronting gender-based violence and poverty – inequality is built into the very systems we work within,…
-
Decolonising Global Health: It’s Only ‘Global’ When It’s the ‘Global South’?
By Maisie Jeffreys I’ve been thinking a lot about global health lately – not the glossy version presented in strategy decks or policy briefs, but the lived version: the relationships, the power, the knowledge production, the politics of who gets to ask the questions and who is expected to answer them. And the more I…
-
Cheat Sheet: Analysing Systems Change Potential
By Maisie Jeffreys Want support to achieve strategic systems change in your organisation? Contact us to explore our consultancy services! You can use the below as prompt questions to explore if your initiative, programme, strategy etc. has the potential to achieve systems change: Understanding the System Designing a the Initiative Community Role Feedback 10. Is…
-
Intro: Building a Strategy for Systems Change
By Maisie Jeffreys Want support creating sustainable systemic change? Get in touch to explore our consultancy services at maisiejeffreysconsultancy@gmail.com We recommend reading our blog on ‘Understanding Systems Thinking in Practice’ before diving into this one! In strategy work, we often focus on goals, plans, and performance – how we move from point A to point…
-
Rethinking Mental Health
By Maisie Jeffreys When we talk about mental health, we often zoom in – on the individual, their symptoms, and what support they need to cope or recover. While this lens is important, it can also be limiting. What if, instead of asking only “What’s wrong with you?”, we asked “What happened to you?”, “What…
-
Systems Thinking and Understanding Plastic Surgery
By Maisie Jeffreys We’re all no stranger to the unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by societies today. We’re expected to nip and tuck, never age, never rest, and never quite feel like we’re enough. These ideals aren’t just unattainable – they’re exhausting. They reduce our worth to appearances, commodify our insecurities, and distract us from celebrating…
-
Do Systems Thinking and Decolonisation Clash?
By Maisie Jeffreys In global development and humanitarian work, we are seeing a growing emphasis on two important lenses: systems thinking and decolonisation. Each is powerful in its own right. One invites us to see complexity, the other calls us to confront injustice. But can they work together, or do they pull us in different…
A Systems Lens 