Putting my approach into action

I’ve written many times before outlining some very simple tools, which can drive your campaigning practice

It has been interesting for me at the Detention Forum to be able to slowly put some of these tools into action for this network of over 50 organisations. I would like to think that one of my strong points, as someone supporting groups around the world to campaign, is that not only do I work to support by teaching and training, but I also do campaigning myself.

So, it has been great to put such tools as the opposition matrix and the future story into action.

We are currently developing a new campaign promoting community-based alternatives to immigration detention, and a lot of the time has been spent crafting particular campaign messages to drive this campaign forwards.

But it is also been really helpful within our communications working group to be able to look at the opposing arguments, and to reflect on the best responses to those pushbacks.

It is also been really good to begin to develop a future story for our campaign. We currently have a document that runs to just over one page which sets out the general direction of travel for our campaign. It’s not meant to be the whole strategy, but it is meant to make sure that all of our members and supporters have a sense of where we are trying to take the campaign and how we think we can bring about change.

So let’s see how this campaign develops, and I’ll be keen, through this blog, to update you on how we make progress utilising these campaign tools to drive our campaign forward across the network of over 50 independent organisations.