How to campaign … organise and run a successful ‘Think global, act local’

How to… organise and run a successful campaign
‘Think global, act local’
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“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean,
but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” Mother
Theresa
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Make your mark!
What?
o Find an issue you feel passionately about
o Get some friends to help out – a team of
campaigners
o Or you can do it individually
o Time and perseverance
o Learn about yourself and your views in the
process
Who?
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o Are your campaign audience?
o Who can help? Your Volunteer Support Officer
o Get other students on board…
o University is a great opportunity to meet like
minded people who care about similar things to
you!
o Influence and engage others: students, local
council MPs etc
Why?
o Campaigning helps you to make a difference to
yourself and for the benefit of others.
o We all have a voice and we all have the right for
this to be heard – campaigning is one way to do
this!
o Is your particular issue important to you?
Where?
On Frenchay campus…
o Go to 1E20 to get permission to use space in
core24 and onezone
o Red Bar or another busy venue – ask UWESU
Marketing for availability and permission
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o Go to UWESU marketing for permission for putting
up posters etc
o Ask in the Sports and Activities Centre on
Frenchay Campus if you’d like help booking
space or at other campuses ask in your SU office
o Out in the local community
When?
o On a significant day for your issue
o Or, alternatively, any day of the week!
How?
Get support, help and advice from your
Volunteer Support Officer:
Helen Seacombe, UWE Students’ Union, Sports
and Activities Centre, Frenchay Campus;
helen.seacombe@uwe.ac.uk; 0117 32 81665
What sort of campaign?
Kinds of issues you can get involved in:
o Something you want to see changed
o Something personal, local, national or
international –
This could be:
- Homelessness
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o
Tuition fees
Global poverty
HIV/AIDS
Refugees and asylum seekers
Something more local to you; such as litter in
your street, regularity of u-link buses, opening
times of community and local facilities
Activities, tactics and skills:
• Lobbying – persuading others to think about your
point of view and challenge their own
accepted ideas.
• Flash mobs and stunts
• Marches
• Gimmicks
• Banners and info to give out
• Get in touch with charity/organisation – those
with information or resources about the issue you
want to campaign on
• Stickers, banners, posters
• Online survey or questionnaire
• Facebook messages or tweets
• Blogging, forums
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• Encouraging people to write to their MP or go
and visit their surgery – get out there in the
community and talk to people who have the
potential to make a difference
• Take part in national petitions or start your own
• Write an article in the Western Eye or other
student media as well as local and national
media
• What resources will you need for your
campaign? You can quite often get free
materials from charities and organisations
* Think about how you will measure the success of
your campaign
Top tips:
• Plan your campaign well in advance
• Don’t leave everything ‘til the last minute –
especially if you’re campaigning just on one day
• Make it eye catching!
-You could all wear the same colour
• Humour is a good way of getting people’s
attention
• Make a rota and assign different roles so not all
your friends are campaigning at the same time
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• When presenting your campaign be passionate
– go for it!
If you’re running a campaign stall:
• Have three key messages agreed that everyone
will be sharing with the public that day – don’t
bombard people with loads and loads of detail
• Make eye contact with people when you’re
talking to them about your campaign (but not
too much that it freaks them out!)
• Have open body language
• Consider their point of view and think before you
respond
• Don’t think you have to know it all about your
issues – refer people to different sources of info
eg. websites etc
Examples of some successful campaigns:
Oxfam – This year at festivals campaigners have been
painting people ‘til they’re blue in the face to highlight the
issue of climate change
Sleep out – The Leeds University Student Action for Refugees
Group slept outside for 24hours to raise awareness of
destitute asylum seekers
‘Get your kit off’ – Organised last year through Junction49 by
a student at Loughborough University. The campaign
centred on a club night: people came along in layers of their
old and unwanted clothes and there were prizes for
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particular items including sleeping bags…all to get people
more excited about donating their old things to homeless
people in the local area. It was a very successful night and
helped to raise awareness.
Campaigns you can get involved with at UWE –
Check out www.uwe.ac.uk/volunteer for up to date information on
campaigns you can lead and get involved with
Join People and Planet Society at UWE to join a national network
of students campaigning on world poverty, human rights and the
environment. http://www.uwesu.net/pp/index.html
Oxfam campaigns team in Bristol have teamed up with People
and Planet and UWESU to do some climate change
campaigning in ‘09/’10.
Are you interested in campaigning on HIV/AIDS and health? Why
not set up a Stop AIDS Society?
Heard of STAR – Student Action for Refugees? If you would like to
be a part of campaigning for the rights of refugees and asylum
seekers or maybe doing some volunteering in Bristol, not to
mention setting up a group and joining a national network of
students, get in touch with Helen Seacombe, your Volunteer
Support Officer.
It’s down to you – while you’re at university it’s your chance to get your
voice out there, many students around the country are campaigning
so you’re not alone!
If you need any guidance or have any questions get in touch with
Helen Seacombe your Volunteer Support Officer: Sports and Activities
Centre, Frenchay Campus; helen.seacombe@uwe.ac.uk; 0117 32
81665
Useful Websites:
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http://globalideasbank.org
www.beingheard.org.uk
http://uk.oneworld.net/
www.younginfluencers.com
http://www.changingyourworld.org.uk/
network.org.uk
www.stopaidscampaign.org.uk
www.peopleandplanet.org
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www.star-