youth ambassadors skills toolkit

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poverty Ending extreme is in our hands ESSENTIAL SKILLS TOOLKIT ONE YOUTH AMBASSADORS

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Toolkit design for a ONE Campaign about European elections. ONE Youth Ambassadors are a dedicated team of volunteers who are electrifying ONE’s campaigns across Europe. They are made up of more than 150 activists in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. http://www.one.org/international/youthambassadors/

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ESSENTIAL SKILLS TOOLKIT

ONE YOUTH AMBASSADORS

2Essential Skills Toolkit

INTRODUCTIONCongratulations on becoming a ONE Youth Ambassador! You’re now part of a determined and dedicated team of ONE members across Europe who will be taking on our top decision makers, and convincing them to work together to help end extreme poverty by 2030. To do that, you’ll need some serious skills. At ONE, we know you can’t always create change by fighting on one front. We tackle extreme poverty from all directions, and as a Youth Ambassador, you’ll need to do the same. Lobbying decision makers, mobilising support

online, getting the media’s attention and inspiring people through events are all important tactics. This toolkit contains some of the key skills you will need to do all of these things. It’s designed to give you practical, no-nonsense advice, plus templates and tools we hope you will find useful. If you want to know more about any campaigning skills, please get in touch with your contact at ONE, we’re always here to support you. We know you have what it takes to bring the ONE Vote 2014 campaign to life. And armed with this toolkit, ending extreme poverty really is in your hands. Good luck!

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

HOW TO LOBBY DECISION MAKERS . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

HOW TO CAMPAIGN ONLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

HOW TO GET MEDIA COVERAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

HOW TO ORGANISE AN EVENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3Essential Skills Toolkit

How to

lobby

decision

makers

Essential Skills Toolkit

4

KNOW WHY YOU WANT TO MEET YOUR MEPA Do they have the power to make a difference?

A Even if they can’t directly affect change, can they influence those who can?

A Are they an ally or do you need to change their opinion?

HOW TO LOBBY DECISION MAKERS

If we are going to end extreme poverty, we need people in power – in every part of the world - to make

some tough changes to the way that we do things. In Europe, our leaders can have the biggest impact by becoming more transparent, more accountable and ensuring every penny we spend on development aid helps lift another person out of poverty. Our representatives at the European Parliament - MEPs – receive thousands of emails

and letters every week, from individuals and organisations calling on them to take action. So, it might be a bit daunting, but a face-to-face meeting is really the best way to influence them. Remember, your representative is there to listen to you and to act on your behalf. Don’t be afraid to be passionate, it’s important that they realise how much this issue means to you. And don’t underestimate what a meeting can achieve – your story could be just the thing to change your MEP’s mind!

SET UP A MEETINGA Find out who your MEP is. You can see all MEPs on the EU website but if you are not sure who your MEP is, ONE can help you find out.

A Give the office a call. They will tell you whether you need to make an appointment or if they have a regular surgery where you can just turn up.

A They might ask you to send an email with your request. Keep this short and to the point.

A You have a right to meet your MEP face to face. They are busy people so may try to put you off, but be persistent!

Here are some guidelines and tips for how to have a successful meeting with your MEP.

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5

KNOW YOUR KEY MESSAGESA Have three things you want them to remember from the meeting.

A Make your case, backed up by facts and statistics that support your argument.

A Have at least one clear ask you want them to do.

FOLLOW UPA Tweet about your meeting and post the photos on Facebook. Tag the MEP if they have an account.

A Send a follow up email that thanks them for their time and includes anything they promised to do, so they know you mean business and will hold them to account.

A If you write a blog post, send them the link. They might even post it on their own website or social media account!

MAKE IT MEMORABLEA Take something to present and remind them of your visit. A photo, a t-shirt, a plant, a cake – these have all worked for us!

A Ask for a photo of you and your MEP together. Most MEPs will be happy to do this, and it’s essential content for a blog or social media post.

PLAN WHAT TO SAY AND DOA You don’t have to wear a suit but it’s good to look smart. Wear a ONE t-shirt to show you’re representing a larger movement of people.

A Arrive early and bring notes to help you remember your key points.

A Bring a notepad and write down what they say. This will help you remind them of any commitments they make.

A Use your personal experiences to explain why this issue matters to you.

A Make it easy for them to agree with you. Think about what they will get out of it too.

A Mention your local area - they care about their constituents (voters!)

A Try not to be nervous. They care about what you think, they want to support you, and most importantly, they want you to support them!

A You don’t have to be word perfect. If you forget a fact or fumble your words, don’t worry! You can always follow up with anything you forget to say.

Remember, successful lobbying is about trust, being credible and building a relationship.

6Essential Skills Toolkit

How to

campaign

online

Essential Skills Toolkit

7

XXXHOW TO CAMPAIGN ONLINE

Social networks, blogs and online news channels mean good ideas travel fast, and it’s a fantastic way to build support

for your campaigning activities. Whether you’re someone who Tweets every hour, or only browses the news once a week, spend some time promoting your campaign on digital channels and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.

There are so many digital channels out there, but you don’t need to be on every one. It’s better to use a few channels well than try and be everywhere but do it badly. Start with the channels you are already using and feel comfortable on, but if you want to try some new ones, here’s how they can help you campaign.

You may have your own Tumblr or other blog already, or you could set one up to document your time as a ONE Youth Ambassador. We are always looking for guest posts on the ONE blogs on the International, French and German websites. Send us interesting posts about your activities (300-700 words with high quality photos) and they may get published. Blogs are personal and informal, so forget your best essay-writing skills and write how you talk. Include opinions, insights, anecdotes and lots of your own personality.Use this sparingly so you don’t annoy your friends and relatives!

Facebook is great for posting photos of your activities, for setting up events and inviting people along, and sharing inspirational quotes and videos.

facebook.com/ONE facebook.com/ONEDeutschland facebook.com/ONE.Fr

You can post tweets about your campaigning a lot more regularly – several times a day is fine! Twitter is good for live-reporting events, sharing links to blogs or relevant news items and encouraging people to sign petitions. It’s also a good way to get the attention of decision makers, media channels or influencers who might just share your tweets with their followers.

@ONECampaign @ONECampaignUK @ONE_Fr @ONEDeutschland @ONEbrussels

A purely visual channel, this is good for posting photos of your campaign events, sharing graphics that ONE create, or coming up with your own creative ways to draw attention to campaigns.

instagram.com/onecampaign

Allows you to create 6 second micro-videos that loop and can be embedded in blogs or tweets, but don’t work on Facebook. Search ONECampaign

Making short videos of your campaigning events, or getting creative with the public can get your message out there in an interesting way.

youtube.com/TheONECampaign youtube.com/ONEinDeutschland youtube.com/ONEFrancais

A Google Hangout is a great way to virtually meet up with other Youth Ambassadors online, or host an online debate or Q&A with speakers, which can be streamed live on YouTube too. Remember to use hashtags in your posts and include any links early on in your posts so they are visible.

BLOG

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

VINE

YOUTUBE

GOOGLE+

1 CHOOSE YOUR CHANNELS

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By far the easiest option if you aren’t sure what to post! ONE is active on all of the above channels, so make sure you are following us and share whatever content you like. As we are a global organisation with campaigns running in the US, Europe and Africa, not everything will be relevant to your activities, but there will be regular graphics, blogs, videos and news updates on your campaign – and the Youth Ambassadors - in the mix.

Build your campaigning network and get inspiration from other Youth Ambassadors by following and interacting with them. We’ll be sharing the social media handles of all Youth Ambassadors who opt in, but also search for the current campaign hashtag to find active ONE members online. Show support by sharing your fellow Ambassador’s posts and they’ll hopefully return the favour. If you tag ONE in your posts we’ll amplify you from the central accounts too – that’s 700k+ followers on Twitter alone!

Try and get used to taking photos of your campaigning activities. Posting content live can create a buzz, especially if you invite others

to contribute, for example asking people to tweet questions for a panel debate. Even if you are too busy at the time to post photos or updates, you can write a blog post afterwards.

Think about the last thing you shared with your friends on social media – it probably did one of these things. Not everyone is going to be as interested in the details of poverty-fighting and development as you are, so think about what your post offers to others. DO POST: Surprising statistics, memorable quotes, infographics, breaking news, interesting blogs, campaign successes, petitions or easy actions, photos, live event coverage, human interest stories.DON’T POST: Depressing stories or bad news without actions for people to take, jargon, anything you need a degree in economics or politics to understand, acronyms, photos without captions.

Social media is a great way to directly lobby decision makers, and get influencers to amplify your campaign. Twitter is usually popular with politicians, track down their handle and check how often they use it, and whether they tweet directly. Tag them in your tweets publicly so others can see it, and send a few to maximise the chance of it reaching

them. Not all high profile Twitter users will monitor mentions, but many do. Influencers are high profile users with lots of followers. Identify people who have a known interest in development or politics. When you have something important to promote, or a good piece of content to share, post using their handle and ask directly for them to share it.

The digital world is a noisy place, and it takes time to build up a following on any channels you use. Include your blog and social media profiles on your email signature or any contact cards you hand out. Follow and interact with people who have similar interests – they might just follow you back. Thank and reply to anyone who amplifies you or comments on your posts. Remember social media is about having a conversation, not just broadcasting your message.

2 SHARE ONE’S CONTENT

5 SURPRISE, INFORM, ENTERTAIN

3 CONNECT WITH OTHER YOUTH AMBASSADORS

6 TARGET DECISION MAKERS AND INFLUENCERS

4 CAPTURE EVERYTHING YOU DO

THE ONE YOUTH AMBASSADORS DIGITAL KITWe’ve created a kit of digital goodies for you to use, and we’ll be adding to it as the campaign progresses. Download your Youth Ambassadors digital badge, Facebook share graphics, photos and more at http://bit.ly/YAdigitools

7 GET NOTICED

9Essential Skills Toolkit

How to

get media

coverage

Essential Skills Toolkit

10

XXXHOW TO GET MEDIA COVERAGE

Getting development issues and our campaigns in the media is a crucial part of our strategy for change. Whether it’s a newspaper on the way to work, TV, radio or online news, most of us consume media on a daily

basis and it plays a big part in forming our knowledge and opinions. Media coverage puts pressure on decision makers to act and encourages them to engage with us directly. And it encourages the public to join the fight against extreme poverty too. Here’s how to get some media attention.

NEWS STORY OR FEATURE – FOR EVENTS OR BIG CAMPAIGN MOMENTS

THINK LOCALYou are most likely to be successful in getting coverage by targeting your local media outlets. This could be a newspaper, radio station, regional TV or local news website. They will be interested in the local angle so include quotes by you or local residents and (with permission) their names, ages and the area they live in.

SEND A PRESS RELEASEA press release is a short document, no more than two pages long, containing all the information that a journalist would need to start writing about your event or story. If you are happy for the release to be published straight away, write “FOR IMMEDIATE USE” on the top left of the page. Spend some time thinking of a good headline to grab attention, which also sums up the story. Start your release with the most exciting or important aspect, and highlight the local connection early on too. Make sure you include information on who, what, when, where and why. Then expand

the story, adding background information and quotes, including that you are a Youth Ambassador for the ONE Campaign.Finish with ‘Notes to the editor’. This is a handy, bullet point guide with statistics or extra information that would be useful for anyone writing the story. Please include our official description of ONE and the website address. Always add your contact information so the journalist can follow up with any questions.

INCLUDE PHOTOSSending a high quality photo that includes people (with a full caption) will increase your chances of getting coverage.

FOLLOW UP WITH A CALLAfter you have sent the press release, pick up the phone. Ask to speak to the news desk of the media outlet your release has gone to, and explain who you are, that you’ve sent in the press release and want to check they received it and if they had any questions. You’ll have instantly made your release more memorable than the hundreds of others they receive every day!Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get media coverage on the first attempt. Try and find out why they didn’t publish your story, and use the feedback to try again with an improved press release.

SUCCESS? TELL US!If you get any coverage then do let us know – we love to hear about it! Email a link or scan a cutting and send to your contact at ONE.

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PRESS RELEASE: The ONE Campaign’s Youth Ambassador [your name] lobbies new local MEP at Youth Summit in Brussels FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 25th June 2014

ONE YOUTH ambassador [your name] travelled to Brussels today to persuade a local newly elected MEP to put ending extreme poverty at the top of their agenda.

Local [your name] from [your town], who is a Youth Ambassador for the ONE Campaign, met MEP [MEP’s name] at the famous European Parliament buildings, where she handed over a petition of over 50,000 European citizens who are supporting the campaign.

The ONE Vote 2014 campaign is calling for all newly elected MEPs to sign a pledge to keep their promise to finance the fight against extreme poverty. Extreme poverty has been halved in the last 20 years, and could be virtually eliminated by 2030, but only if we collectively rise to the challenge.

[Your name], said: “Meeting [MEP’s name] was a fantastic opportunity to show just how many people want to see an end to extreme poverty. We discussed some of the key issues ONE campaigns on, like agriculture, health care and access to energy, and how European leaders can help make governments and companies more transparent and accountable. I’m thrilled that [MEP name] has agreed to sign our pledge, and now we’re looking to many more MEPs to do the same.”

150 Youth Ambassadors like [your name] are meeting with MEPs from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, and they hope that 50% will sign ONE’s pledge. You can support the campaign by signing the petition at www.one.org

ENDS NOTES TO EDITOR

About ONE – ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 3.5 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and strictly nonpartisan, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.

The ONE Power Summit took place on [dates] at [venue] and was attended by 150 young campaigners from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. [Number] of MEPs were lobbied in total.

Contact – [your name, email and phone number]

Example press release

Essential Skills Toolkit

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We were pleased to see the Observer has continued its excellent track record of covering the good news that pours out of Africa (New Africa, New Review). ONE has long believed that Africa Rising is the one of the great stories of the 21st century and the investment, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit you showcased are the reasons the continent is on the move.

Smart, effective aid and debt relief have supplemented Africans’ own efforts in this development. In 2002, just 50,000 in sub-Saharan Africa were on anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/Aids; now, more than six million are. Since debt cancellation seriously got underway in the mid-1990s African leaders have been able to find school places for 46.5m more children.

British leadership has been important to this story. But there is still much to do on health, food security and infrastructure (seven out of 10 sub-Saharan Africans still have no access to electricity). That is why the UK must continue to play its supporting role in this African-led success, meeting its commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on aid by 2013 and using its hosting of the G8 next year to ensure others keep their promises too.

Michael Elliott

President and CEO, ONE (anti-poverty campaign) - Washington DC

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – FOR OPINIONS OR REACTIONS TO EVENTS IN THE MEDIA

FIND YOUR HOOKYour letter needs to be topical to get published, so find a hook - a newsworthy subject that your letter relates to. A common hook is to respond to an article that has already been published, so regularly check local and national media for coverage of international development, especially the particular issue you are campaigning on. Remember to reference the article to which you are replying. An alternative hook may be your local MEP. If your MEP has a place on a relevant committee within the EU, or if there is an upcoming vote in which you feel they could make a difference, it could be well worth writing in. MEPs regularly read the letters pages of their local papers as a way of gauging the mood of their constituents. Make a case for your position on the issue and set out some clear actions you would like your MEP to take.If you have recently had a productive meeting with your MEP and managed to get them to agree to your asks, you could write about how pleased you were about their commitment.

WRITE YOUR LETTERKeep it concise and to the point. 150-250 words is a reasonable length. If you are responding to an article,

Example Letter to the EditorThis letter from ONE’s CEO was published in the UK Observer in 2012.

start with what you thought of it (was it good, excellent, overly critical or downright unfair?) and reference the title and date of publication. Use the rest of your letter to put your point across in a simple style. State your own opinion on the issue and include a statistic that backs it up. Include any actions you would like to seen taken. Sign off with your name and your town. This is especially important with local newspapers.

13Essential Skills Toolkit

How to

organise

an event

Essential Skills Toolkit

14

It sounds simple, but make sure you know why you are organising an event and stay focussed on that. Is it to collect petition signatures? Raise awareness of the campaign? Influence decision makers? Recruit people you can campaign with locally?

Think about what kind of event is going to help you hit your objectives. Having a stall at a bigger existing event like a festival or community fair is a great way to collect signatures or raise awareness and means you don’t have to organise everything yourself. If you are targeting individuals like decision makers or the media, panel events or debates might interest them more.

O rganising an event in the real world can really boost your campaigning, and is a great opportunity to recruit new ONE members who can support you in the future. Events do take a bit of organising though, so start small and give yourself time to plan. Here’s our step-by-step guide:

Finding somewhere that’s free or cheap can be a challenge, so think creatively. If you are student, ask about using your college hall or bar. Ask friends and family – they may have contacts who own shops, bars or other spaces you can use. Choose a date and time that your target audience will be able to make, and check there are no big local, national, or even international events at the same time. You can’t compete with the World Cup Final!

Organising an event on your own is very hard work! Find some friends who are willing to help and share out all the jobs that need doing.

Events can get expensive quickly, so think about how to keep the cost down from the start. Make a list of all the expenses you can think of and make sure you can cover them. Finding a sponsor will help, so approach local businesses or see if your college has a budget for student-led events. If you plan to cover costs through ticket sales, do some maths to make sure you won’t be out of pocket if less people turn up than expected. Try and get as much as you can for free by explaining it’s on behalf of ONE and for a great cause. If you have to pay for equipment or services, always negotiate a discount.

Give yourself enough time to promote your event – ideally 3-4 weeks. Make posters and flyers, create a Facebook event and use social media to spread the word. Make use of local ‘what’s on’ magazines and websites that will list your event.

HOW TO ORGANISE AN EVENT

2 DECIDE WHAT

1 DECIDE WHY

5 BUDGET3 DECIDE WHERE AND WHEN

6 PROMOTON

4 FIND A TEAM

Essential Skills Toolkit

15

Think about what equipment and services you will need – e.g. chairs, tables, display boards, PA system, music, power, cloakroom, refreshments, decorations, volunteers, security, tickets, transport.

We have lots of materials we can provide, so order these well in advance! We can send you petition sign up forms, ONE badges, campaign leaflets, ONE logos to use on your promotional materials, graphics/videos to project or screen, t-shirts and white bands. We also have a ONE sign-up app in English, French and German that you can download onto smartphones and tablets to sign people up electronically. Download this in the ONE Digital Kit.

http://bit.ly/YAdigitools

Make sure you have enough people helping out to cover jobs like greeting and directing guests, serving refreshments, collecting petition signatures and chatting to guests about ONE. All volunteers should be well-briefed on ONE and the campaign you are promoting, wearing ONE t-shirts, and know the main action that you want guests to take while they are there. If you are expecting VIPs, print out photo ID sheets for volunteers so they can spot them and alert you.

Make sure one person is responsible for taking photos, these will be valuable for blogs and social media. Encourage volunteers and guests to share what’s happening on social media. For example if you are holding a panel event or debate, put up signs with an official hashtag for people to tweet, and the relevant ONE Twitter handle to mention.

Very few events run exactly to plan, so don’t worry if things go wrong on the day. Have a back-up plan in case key speakers pull out, the weather is bad, the technology fails or more people turn up than expected.

If you had any decision makers, influentials, media or even keen future ONE members at your event, make sure you get their contact details and follow up with them. Offer to send photos and quotes to any media guests, or see if they will do a more in-depth interview or feature on the campaign. Try and set up face-to-face meetings with any decision makers or influentials – contact ONE who can offer advice and support on this.

8 ONE MATERIALS

10 TAKE PHOTOS AND SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

7 LOGISTICS

11 BE PREPARED AND FLEXIBLE

12 FOLLOW UP

9 VOLUNTEERS

If you have any questions about the skills included here, or would like more detailed advice and training, please get in touch.

Saira O’Mallie, UK Campaigns Manager, ONE [email protected]

CONTACT