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Campaigning

• Raising awareness of a particular issue

• Letting people know your views

• Challenging decisions

• Trying to change things

Campaigning can be about…..

Before you start your campaign

•Do you care enough to keep going despite set backs?

•Have you got all the facts - not just facts and figures, but stories to share too?

What you need to think about first

•Who are you trying to influence?

•Why - what do you want to tell them or get them to do?

•What is the best way to communicate with the people you want to influence?

Facebook

Some different ways to take Action

DemonstrationsUse the media

Events Leaflets

Write to your MP

Petition

Speak to yourlocal councillors Press release

Social Media

facebook

Planning your campaign

As your campaign continues -

•Listen to people (can use social media)

•Check to see what progress you have made.

•Celebrate with your supporters, let people know what has been achieved.

•Thank people who have helped,

• Real determination and commitment

• A good sense of humour.

• To be able to get together people and groups who care about the same thing.

• People with different skills -

– Creative people with original ideas

– Someone with good public speaking skills.

– People who can put on meetings and organise events.

– People who can make and send out flyers.

– Someone who can speak to the media.

To run a campaign you will need …

• There are 650 Members of Parliament – do you know who yours is.

• Parliament in London is where MPs meet and decide new laws.

• Closer to home councillors are elected to make decisions that affect people in their area (about education, social services, dustbins, roads, libraries, swimming pools, housing ….).

• There will be 3 for each part of the council area. Do you know the names of yours?

Politics

How are Laws made?

New laws may be made because –

• The government promised in their election manifesto; 

• A government department thinks it’s needed; 

• Pressure groups influence the government; 

• Experts influence the government; 

• They are needed because of the European Union.

How are Laws made?

•There may be a Green paper first - a discussion document. This gives us a chance to tell government what we think.

•White paper – follows a green paper and says what the government plans to do.

•Before a law is made it is known as a bill.

•It goes to the house of commons 3 times for MPs to talk about it and vote on it.

•If it’s agreed in the House of Commons it then goes to be talked about in the House of Lords.

•The final step is for the Queen to approve it.

Local politics

You can speak to your councillors

A partnership board is a meeting of professionals, service users and family carers. This is a group that can shape the services in their local area. How are you represented?

Planning a demonstration

• Get as many people as you can to come

• Get permission from the police

• Contact the media

• Organise transport

• Make banners

• Have speakers

• Have people who will talk to the media

Petitions

You must get a lot of people to sign your petition. You will need their names and addresses.

You can set up a petition on the internet. If it gets at least 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in the House of Commons http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

You need a clear statement for people to agree to.

Social MediaFacebook https://www.facebook.com/

Twitter http://www.twitter.com

Linked In http://www.linkedin.com

Bambuser http://bambuser.com

You Tube http://www.youtube.com/

Blogging http://wordpress.com/

A blog about social care & social media http://shirleyayres.wordpress.com/

Writing a press release – top tips

Human interest stories

Controversy or scandal

Unusual, original events

Photo opportunities

(Local) celebrity

•Know your media

•Keep it short

•Send it in the body of an email, not as an attachment

•Don’t put your logo in

Talking to the media – top tips

•Be clear, positive and confident

•Know the facts and be ready to back them up

•Link what’s happening now to what could happen in the future

•Be reliable

•Get to know people in the media, build relationships

•Listen to advice

•Be patient and determined