Digital Storytelling for PNG’s GESI Policy and Leadership Capability Framework

The Government of Papua New Guinea has introduced two foundational policies for the public sector: the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy and the Ethics and Values-Based Leadership and Management Capabilities Framework (LCF). Together, both policies embody the PNG Government’s efforts to create a more inclusive and ethical workforce. Yet creating awareness of these policies across a geographically dispersed public sector is a challenge.

Working with the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) and The University of Queensland, Square Circle’s Dr Tim Grice (contracted through Leapfrog International which has since been integrated into Square Circle) was engaged to develop a series of animations to help create greater awareness of PNG’s GESI Policy and LCF. Our approach was to work with local Papua New Guineans to write, narrate and animate a series of short animations that illustrate key topics such as gender equity and mainstreaming, social inclusion and leadership values.

Key considerations for the digital storytelling were to produce material that would generate greater awareness of both the GESI policy and the LCF; build wider capacity to implement both policies; and to produce teaching materials that take a strengths-based approach that would be available for other PNG educational programs. All materials were made available to The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct and DPM for their ongoing use.