Advocacy and resource mobilisation - OneResponse

Steps 6–7: Making strategic choices and implementation of advocacy
activities
Before deciding specific advocacy activities, a number of strategic choices need to
be made:
� Who should participate? Eg, affected communities, children, young
people, teachers
� At what levels will advocacy be undertaken? Eg, national, community,
school
� What will be the nature of approach? Eg, cooperative or aggressive
� What channels of communication will be used? Eg, media, unions, civil
society, HCT, teachers
� Who will collaborate? Eg, cluster and government partners, global
networks, other clusters
� What are the risks and mitigation strategies?
Activity planning involves identifying preparatory activities, activities in reaching
and working with the target group, activities to build general and strategic
support for the advocacy issue, and finally activities to get the issue on to a
‘decision-making’ agenda.
Steps 8–9: Monitoring and evaluation and adapting advocacy plans
There should also be a continuous process of follow-up to determine:
� progress being made and to ensure that activities are still focused on
the advocacy objective
� impact of advocacy efforts in terms of changes in attitudes, policy or
practice
� processes that have resulted in this change, eg, better understanding
of education in emergencies.
8.1.4 Interacting with the media
The media can play an important role in disseminating information, particularly at
community level, and in raising awareness of advocacy issues and resource
requirements.
However, the media have their own agenda and care is needed in addressing
sensitivities and ensuring accuracy in drafting releases for the press. Everything is
on the record, even when they say it isn’t.
254 | May 2010