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Section three: Active and influential communities
Title A to Z of Campaigning | Author(s) BBC Action Network |
Date Subject to update | Publisher/ web link BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/* | Geographical focus UK | Theme / topic focus Organising a campaign |
Size 24 web pages | Accessibility Short and direct in style | Cost Free online resource | Coverage Practical actions required |
Type How to guide | Primary audience Community and voluntary groups |
Summary of content Contains 24 short briefings on topics ranging from basic capacity building issues - 'how do I start a group?', 'how do I get local people involved?' through petitions, use of media etc, to issues on which you will perhaps find fewer guides elsewhere such as 'How do I organise a protest?' and 'How do I get celebrity and high profile support?'. These seem to be very clear and full of useful advice, with a few links to other resources (Some of which no longer worked when we tried them). |
Comments / assessment The BBC's Action Network as a whole gives links to and news on local action on an impressive list of topics, but is not really a capacity building tool as such, more a possible source of inspiration and contacts - it describes itself as 'a giant billboard or a free newsletter'. But this section provides a good basic guide, both to getting groups established and funded as many do, but also to how they can tackle issues directly and publicly, in a way that many guides pay little attention to. |
* http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/campaignguides
Title The Organizing Game | Author(s) CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (California) and others |
Date ? | Publisher/ web link http://www.organizinggame.org/index.html | Geographical focus USA | Theme / topic focus Generating involvement |
Size n.a. | Accessibility Excellent | Cost Free on-line access or download | Coverage Face to face contacts |
Type On-line Game | Primary audience Activists |
Summary of content The game is part of a number of resources at the same site, which also include documents giving guides to issues, especially about making initial contact with people. The focus of the game is 'Doorknocking, an organizing technique that's particularly effective in moving issues within a local community'. The game is deigned to be used in groups as part of a training programme. A variety of experienced and inexperienced activists are shown (in animation and audio) demonstrating good and bad ways of getting people interested and involved. |
Comments / assessment Not a major resource, but could be a good aid to get people thinking about widening involvement, increasing motivation etc. Does not suffer from its US origins - this might even be an attraction. Clear focus on poverty/ multi-ethnic communities. |
Title ICT for Communities | Author(s) Learning and Teaching Scotland |
Date Website, subject to updating | Publisher/ web link Learning and Teaching Scotland
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/* | Geographical focus Scotland | Theme / topic focus ICT |
Size n.a. | Accessibility Probably most suitable for use by tutors | Cost Free on-line service/ downloads | Coverage All aspects of community use/ learning for ICT |
Type Web based guides and resources | Primary audience CLD workers and community members |
Summary of content This channel of the National Grid for Learning Scotland web service provides support to those promoting the use of ICT in the community. Materials available range from introductions to the principles of civic engagement or a funding guide, to practical learning materials on 11 different activities such as 'making a poster for a community group'. These often include both tutors' guides and materials for learners, including instruction sheets for simple ICT tasks. A wide range of international case studies of community ICT use are provided, and there are articles on current topics such as community use of wireless technology. |
Comments / assessment Obvious starting point for anyone interested in both ICT skills for community groups and ICT applications in communities. Does not offer a comprehensive curriculum. Aimed more at practitioners than community members. |
* http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/communities/index.asp
Title Understanding the Policy Maze | Author(s) Peter Taylor |
Date 2005 (new edition) | Publisher/ web link NHS Health Scotland
http://www.healthscotland.com * | Geographical focus Scotland | Theme / topic focus Health |
Size 258 pages | Accessibility For reference rather than reading through, but easier than reading many of the original government documents | Cost £7.50, free to community and voluntary groups (Free download) | Coverage Health, social policy and community development |
Type Reference guide | Primary audience Community health workers and groups |
Summary of content Gives a summary of policies and processes related to two main themes: Public Health, Health Improvement and Health Promotion; Community Planning. Then gives an extensive A to Z of Scottish policies and organisations related to health improvement and other areas that people working in the field might need to know about, such as housing, care, community development and regeneration. Each entry includes 'Some issues for community health initiatives' suggesting briefly how a community group might use, learn from or respond to the item concerned. 'Maps' showing the links between many of the items are provided. |
Comments / assessment Although the resource has a strong health focus, it takes a very broad view of what might be relevant to people working in community health, and so covers things that most community groups would be interested in. It does not cover internal NHS issues that do not affect community-based service. However the coverage of e.g. environmental or housing issues is much less complete. The presentation has proved to appeal to many different users. |
* http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/PolicyMaze.pdf
Declaration of interest: this assessment was written by Peter Taylor, who is the author of the publication
Title Community Planning Toolkit | Author(s) The Poverty Alliance |
Date 2005 | Publisher/ web link The Poverty Alliance
http://www.povertyalliance.org/ * | Geographical focus Scotland | Theme / topic focus Community Planning |
Size 47 pages | Accessibility Brief and to the point. Inevitably contains a lot of jargon, but explains it. | Cost £10 (Free download) | Coverage Community involvement |
Type Learning guide | Primary audience Groups involved in Community Planning |
Summary of content Based on a project undertaken in Lanarkshire and Glasgow, the pack "is aimed at community based organisations who want to discuss how poverty affects their community and who want to bring about change". It gives a short guide to Community Planning and related policies such as Regeneration Outcome Agreements, plus facilitator's notes on how to explore these with groups. A further short guide to 'Influencing your Community Planning Partnership' follows. |
Comments / assessment The substantive sections on 'Community Planning' and 'Influencing' are brief but useful guides to these topics. Perhaps best used as a facilitator's guide |
* http://www.povertyalliance.org/html/publications/publications/commToolkit.pdf
Title Lobbying politicians and policy makers - an introduction to influencing | Author(s) Voluntary Arts Network |
Date 2006 | Publisher/ web link Voluntary Arts Network
http://www.voluntaryarts.org* | Geographical focus UK | Theme / topic focus Arts (but no specific arts content) |
Size 4 pages | Accessibility Very short and to the point | Cost Free download | Coverage Lobbying |
Type Briefing/ Advice note | Primary audience Voluntary organisations |
Summary of content Covers planning, research, defining key messages, 'inside' and 'outside' lobbying and the creation of alliances |
Comments / assessment Very brief - only 3 pages of substantive guidance, but packs in a lot of good advice on principles, approaches and issues such as difficulties for charities. Forms part of a series of 100 Briefings, many of which also cover capacity building issues, such as 'Effective meetings', monitoring and evaluation, 'How to... write a press release', roles and responsibilities of the treasurer etc. |
* http://www.voluntaryarts.org/uploaded/map4160.pdf
Other resources
There are of course many sources of information on particular policy areas: for example the Research Briefings produced by the Scottish Parliament Information Service ( SPICE): http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/index.htm which provide short briefings on a very wide range of topics, referring both to research evidence and existing policy and designed for a lay audience.
'The Campaigning Handbook' (by Mark Latimer, 2000; £15.95), is a very substantial guide (over 500 pages) produced by the Directory of Social Change. It is described as "Essential reading for those who want to influence social change. Written for pressure groups, charities and social activists, this book covers the skills of modern campaigning." However, we have not seen it for review.
Pressureworks is a website produced by Christian Aid "for a TV/consumer generation that's tired of being lied to". Although it emphasises international issues and students quite strongly, it has useful advice on topics such as lobbying, writing press releases and leaflets, organising meetings and public speaking
http://www.pressureworks.org/usefulstuff/how/index.html
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