Media Campaigns for Advocacy

In today’s world different and divergent developments are taking place. On the one hand, we see a world in which progress is being made: less people live in poverty, education rates have gone up and technological developments have made it easier to connect and access information. At the same time, we see a world that has become more closed, literally and figuratively: more conservative voices and governments, increased suppression of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, access to information and participation in public affairs are being suppressed. Space for civil society is shrinking and many people have difficulties in exercising their right and claiming their space. To respond to this increasing repression and violation of rights, there is a need to step up and invest in advocacy work.

If you are driven to create change, it is essential that you work on the legal context.  In this 3 week course you will learn the fundamentals of building effective advocacy campaigns, including media and campaigning skills, advocacy partnerships and processes and amplification through the media.  

The Media Campaigns for Advocacy Course aims to train media professionals within civil society organisations (CSOs) in making a meaningful impact on their communities and society as a whole.

Our Media Campaigns for Advocacy course allows you to explore the ingredients of successful campaigns and gives you the practical tools to create one of your own. Working with seasoned professionals in the field, you’ll learn how to:

• Define the key elements of advocacy and amplification
• Distinguish between different advocacy tools and activities
• Value the importance of legitimacy, SMART objectives, power analysis, partnerships and effective messaging in advocacy
• Be aware of how to outline an advocacy strategy and plan
• Distinguish between different tactics of amplification, including through social media, traditional media and physical offline actions 

In addition to this, you will receive individual feedback and coaching as you design your own campaign for real social impact.

Duration

15 days

Online format: the course is offered part-time with training days spread over 4 weeks. Self-guided learning online 8 hours over 4 weeks (self-reflection included).
Face to face format 15 days (3 weeks) in-person group training in Hilversum.

Venue

Online course: various online platforms and tools.
Or at RNTC training centre and studios.

By the end of this course you will be able to

• Define the key elements of advocacy and amplification
• Distinguish between different advocacy tools and activities
• Value the importance of legitimacy, SMART objectives, power analysis, partnerships and effective messaging in advocacy
• Be aware of how to outline an advocacy strategy and plan
• Distinguish between different tactics of amplification, including through social media, traditional media and physical offline actions 

WEEK 1

The first week includes several small group interactive sessions and workshops to ensure that you learn by doing. 

Module 1: Know your target audience 

• Where do ideas come from?
• How to zero in on an audience
• Mapping your target audience
• Influencers, agreed realities and emotional payoffs
• Using mapping to discover target audiences
• Using social media for insights
• Developing target audience statements
• Pitching target audiences

Module 2: Persuade your target audience 

• What is learning and why this is important to understanding audiences?
• How do people learn? Information, skills, and behaviours
• The ingredients of persuasive aims
• Why you need different credible sources
• Why you should craft emotional appeals
• The benefits of formulating a logical approach
• Investigating examples – persuading target audiences
• Applying persuasion to your own context

Module 3: Storytelling for media professionals 

• Narrative journalism versus information journalism
• The eight essential elements of story
• Symbols and universal truths
• Studying real examples illustrating the eight essential elements of story
• Story detective sessions: develop your own story
• The micro story: story in a tweet
• Create characters to engage audiences
• The importance of character: identifying people like us
• The types and tropes of drama characters
• Character histories and how to craft them
• Hero journeys and creating powerful character growth

Module 4: Introduction to Advocacy

• Defining Advocacy
• Difference between Advocacy and  “Behaviour Change Communication (BCC)”and “Information Education and Communication (IEC)”.
• Legitimacy 
• Formats of Advocacy: Tools and Actions
• Scale of Naughtiness
• When to choose which method. 

WEEK 2

RNTC has developed a Advocacy Campaigns canvass that will guide the participant through the development of the campaign. Using case studies and examples we workshop the best practices for advocacy campaigns.  

Module 5: Assessing the Political Environment 

• Power Analyses 
• Environment mapping 
• Identifying targets 
• Allies and Partners

Module 6: Aims and objetives

• Define aims and objectives
• Defining issues in need of change
• Choosing tools and actions

Module 7: Key Messages

• Defining Key messages 
• Identifying time bound opportunities
• Channel planning 

Module 8: Assessing Risk 

• Mapping Risk 
• Mitigating Risk 
• Risk and Resilience 

Module 9: Strategy

• Building a strategy 
• Action planning 

Module 10: Amplification 

• Traditional Media Amplification 
• Social Media Amplification 
• Amplification in digital channels
• On the ground amplification 

WEEK 3

In the final week, we combine the learning of the first two weeks and use the RNTC method of “learning-by-doing".
Participants will create their own positive campaign in a variety of media (audio, text, still image, or video), for various platforms (including radio, TV, print, web, and social media) in an effort to put the theories learned, into practice.