Workshops
Workshop on
advocacy & lobbying
Moving from protest to action: engaging the Purpose Generation in Politic
What’s the difference between “lobbying” and activism? Who “does” lobbying, and can they do it for good?
Objectives
Sensitizing participants to the various advocacy tools and avenue of participation available to them, at an EU and national level.
Reinforcing participants’ understanding of advocacy, active citizenship, and the need for political participation through case studies of diverse real-life campaigns and practical exercises.
Creating synergies between participants and encouraging interaction to create new networks and coalitions of like-minded youth advocates.
Program
Part 1:
Demystifying Citizen Lobbying
Icebreaker (15 minutes)
Part 2:
Advocacy Campaigns & Avenues of Participation
Presentation + AskMeAnything format (30 minutes)
This module was designed upon case studies of successful and unsuccessful advocacy campaigns from across the EU to reflect upon and illustrate best practices. It focussed on three key avenues of participation that can influence policy: campaigns, judicial, and political. Through the study of major advocacy campaigns and citizen-driven actions, participants gained first-hand experience of these participatory mechanisms in the public sphere and learned the “dos and don’ts” of advocacy/lobbying. Special attention was paid to the role of coalition-building and creating networks in order to reach advocacy goals.
Part 3:
Hands-On Exercise:
Applying one or more advocacy techniques discussed to an issue the participants care about (15 min breakout rooms, 30 min discussion + feedback)
This module of the online workshop focussed on an interactive session to encourage participants to be creative and to put their new skills to the test in a fun, experimental environment with a hands-on exercise focusing on a real-world issue they care about. The objective of the simulation was to let youth explore, discuss, and think critically about how they can actively engage in politics. As for the debrief, some of the best practices were presented and participants were provided with feedback from their peers and trainers about their ideas. This module was concluded with a final question and answer session to wrap up the content of session.
Speakers
Alberto Alemanno
Founder & Director of The Good Lobby, Jean Monney Professor of European Union Law & Policy at HEC Paris and member of Estoril Conferences’ Advisory Board. He is a leading authority in EU-decision-making regularly advises governments, EU institutions, nonprofits, and progressive companies on a variety of policy areas. He’s an Ashoka Fellow and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Recognised as Social Innovation Thought Leader of the Year by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the World Economic Forum in recognition of his work on political and social innovation.
Kelsey Beltz
Head of Partnerships & Education at The Good Lobby, where she leads projects on advocacy, transparency, and sustainability. With a background in human rights campaigning and migration policy, she holds a Master of Public Policy from Sciences Po Paris and a Master of Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
