Design Thinking for Local Advocacy

Are you interested in learning more about how to make a difference in your community? 

Do you believe in bottom-up approaches when it comes to change? 

Would you like to know more about ways in which you can shape public policies?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then join us on an 8-day training course in Busteni, Romania.

The aim of this training course is to offer insights into how we have the power to shape the complicated relationships between civil society, public institutions, and political actors, by focusing both on necessary skills for local advocacy, and diverse methods that can be employed at the grassroots level within the design thinking framework. 

TRAINING CONTENT

During the 8 days training course, we are going to explore together with participants from several European countries:

• Issue identification - social/environmental issues that you have identified in your communities;
• Researching and analysing stakeholders - system mapping;
• Advocacy campaigning - from A to Z;
• Advocacy tools & actions;
• Planning - putting it all together;
• Risks, concerns, challengers;
• Mobilising people;
• Using media;

We are going to work on local advocacy campaigns using the Design Thinking methodology - a human-centered approach that allows us to design empathic activist actions, focused on genuine needs, fears, motivations, and aspirations, which we identify with community actors related to essential issues. Design thinking is especially used when looking for innovative solutions to solve complex problems in diverse contexts. 

TIMELINE

25th of March - deadline for submitting applications.

27th of March - assessment of the applications and communication of the results. 

27th March - 10th of May - constant communication with participants. 

The learning process will be guided and facilitated by an experienced A.R.T. Fusion team:

• Victoria Carasava (Project Coordinator and facilitator at A.R.T. Fusion Association with diverse experience in local advocacy & design thinking);
• Monica Tudorache (Advocacy & Communication Coordinator and facilitator at A.R.T. Fusion Association);
• Antonia Pislariu (Project Coordinator and facilitator at A.R.T. Fusion Association with experience in gender-equality topics).

WHO CAN APPLY

* All applications will be assessed using the principle of equality of opportunity. 

We are looking for the following profiles:

• Youth workers, coordinators, facilitators and/or trainers from civil society organisations currently active in areas such as human rights, empowerment of young people, and environment;
• Students interested in policy-making; 
• People who are new to advocacy, or who have only limited advocacy experience, but are interested in bottom-up approaches;
• Good command of the English language;
• Availability to participate in all training sessions;
• People older than 18 years and with a legal residence (proven by documents) in the country they are currently residing in.
• Residents from Austria, Belgium - DE, Belgium - FL, Belgium - FR, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
• Members or close collaborators of active Youth Organization (staff or active member, paid or not). The organization should have a valid OID number

! We will sign partnership agreements with the organization of the selected participants!

HOW TO APPLY
Fill out this form by 25th of March. 
Estimated time: 15-20 minutes.
Share this form with other colleagues/friends, and people who you think might be interested in joining as well.