The words campaign and activist are words that can instantly conjure up images of scruffy students wielding homemade placards clothed in well worn Che Guevara t-shirts. Whilst it would be untrue to suggest these people do not exist they certainly don’t have the monopoly over the phrases. Before this book takes you on to the first step of coordinating an effective campaign it is essential that we put these stereotypes to bed and clearly define what a campaign is and who can be regarded as an activist. Both phrases can be defined in a single word: Change. An activist is simply someone who chooses to become an advocate and an agent of change, somebody who recognises an injustice or a problem in the world or in their local community and resolves themselves to play a part in the solution. Being an activist does not entail political affiliation, nor is it the soul intellectual property of any political persuasion, it isn’t a lifestyle choice or a fashion statement it is the conscious choice to change, to make a difference. Similarly the word campaign can simply be defined as a coordinated effort by a team of campaigners, with a set goal and a set strategy it is the process through which an activist can achieve the aim of real, positive change.
There are of course a wide variety of activists and a plethora of campaigns with a range of goals from affecting political change, to saving a hospital, standing against a political decision, to advocating environmental change, indeed your own goals, and the goal of your campaign can be highly personal, completely dependent upon the circumstances in which you find yourself. There are however some constants, factors which hold true regardless of your
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goals such as the need for a strategy, the need for effective organisation, the need to put your campaign on the map and in the local consciousness. These are the factors which the following chapters will seek to cover, these are the black holes in your knowledge which this book will fill, enabling you to coordinate your campaign to its full potential to ensure your swiftly achieve your goal.
The difference between campaigning and raising awareness?
If you ever ask an activist what is the aim of their campaign they will invariably answer “to raise awareness of …” before talking about their cause. Simply put raising awareness is not a campaign. A campaign is a coordinated effort for a tangible objective: change. If you’re not aiming to change something then you’re not campaigning. This is not to say that raising awareness is not a worthwhile exercise, indeed it can be a vital activity within your campaign but it is not a campaign objective onto itself, merely a means to achieving an end.
Forming a campaign group
The start of everybody’s journey into campaigning is different; some people seek out injustices while others have injustice thrust upon them. Your own journey is going to depend entirely on the person you are, your background, and the goals you set yourself. The first step is choosing your cause; clearly this is a highly personal choice and will also be dependent on your circumstances. The first thing for you to consider is, does your campaign centre around a local issue, such as the closure of a hospital, a proposed motorway or even a local election? Or alternatively does your campaign stretch across a regional, or even national level? If it is a national or international concern then there is a strong chance that there may already be an organisation or large campaigning group for you to join. If so you could consider setting up a local branch or helping to build upon what already exists. If no such group exists, or you are perhaps the first to identify the injustice then the task of founding a group may fall to you.
It is inevitable that any group you establish will start small, perhaps you will have only one or two friends and supporters to begin with, but it will grow as you progress with your campaign. It’s vitally important not to become disillusioned early on if vast throngs of people don’t instantly appear to support your cause. Building an effective campaign group can take time, but remember a small group of people can achieve great things. For proof of this you need look no further then Amnesty International. In 1961 British lawyer Peter Benneson penned an article entitled “The forgotten prisoners” calling for the freedom of political prisoners in Portugal. Within months Benenson had turned his publicity stunt into a movement and founded Amnesty International. Today the organisation has over 1.8 million members in 150 countries across the globe2. Since 1961 the organisation has lobbied governments and the 2 Amnesty international, UK 2005 (http://www.amnesty.org.uk/)
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United Nations to broker international human rights treaties and has secured the release of hundreds of political prisoners. One man started all this, simply by identifying an injustice and choosing to do something about it. Who’s to say your group couldn’t be just as successful? (taken from Ben Norman book)