Campaigning in Your Area A brief guide to how to change the world!

Campaigning in Your Area

A brief guide to how to change the world!

Who are we

• Ian Hood – Learning Disability Alliance Scotland

• Kathy Hunter - Enable Scotland• AIMS of today• A short guide to how to campaign in your area

on things that matter to you.• First a test!

Who did you vote for on Thursday?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

16%

21% 21%

5%

11%

0%

26%

1. Conservative2. Labour3. Liberal Democrats4. SNP5. Others6. Didn’t vote7. Not telling you

What is Campaigning

• Working with other people to – Get more of the things you like

– Stop the things you don’t like

Staying up late at night

Better

buses

bullyingCuts in services

Against Services Being Changed

For Neighbourhood Networks

What issues matter to you now that the election is over?

1 2

0%

100%1. Older families2. Younger families

Working Together in Edinburgh

Working Together at Garvald

Deciding on an issue

• Compromise – you can’t always get what you want

• Working together is more effective than on your own

• Winning small battles first can make bigger battles easier later on

TRUE Goals

• You need to know about what you are trying to achieve in your campaign.

• Your aim should have a TIME limit – a date when you will be finished by or when you will check how you are getting one

• Your aim should be REALISTIC – something that you can achieve with the people that are part of your group.

More TRUE Goals

• Your aim should be UNDERSTANDABLE - it should be a simple goal that everyone can know when you get there.

• Your aim should be EXACT – It should be clear exactly what you want so that everyone can see what it means.

• The first letter of each of these words spells T.R.U.E.

Choosing the best goals

1 2 3 4 5

23%20% 20%

8%

29%1. Right to an assessment within 6

weeks.2. Improved transition for young

people from school by start of school term

3. Extend the Disability Equality Duty to all service providers in 6 months

4. Identification of resources at the same time as assessment

5. Free choice of service providers

What do you do in a campaign?

• Campaigners want to change one thing• Politicians and people that run services have

lots of things to think or worry about• Campaigners need to make sure that they can

influence the people that matter.

Information - leaflets

• People write leaflets to tell people what they think and what is important. They are simple and are easy to make.

Using the newspapers

• In this article the word “hostage” makes the council seem very bad

Have you ever been in the papers?

1 2

29%

71%1. Yes2. No

Petitions

• people are handing in a big petition about their campaign.

Have you ever signed a petition?

1 2

13%

87%1. Yes2. No

Changing Politicians

• You can also vote for other politicians who will do the kind of things that you would like them to.

More Research

• Public bodies have to tell you things if you ask about them in a Freedom of Information request

Who has the power?

• Care Providers – rules, staffing, support• Private Companies – bus companies, cinemas,

fuel bills, • Local Councils – social work, education, police• Scottish Parliament – laws, social work,

education, environment• UK Parliament – employment, equality issues• European Union – Bigger issues.

Who has the power on sample issue?

1 2 3 4 5 6

14%

0%

5%

38%38%

5%

1. Care Providers2. Private Companies3. Local Councils4. Scottish Parliament5. UK Parliament6. European Union

The END

• We have found a sample issue• Looked at what some good aims for a

campaign would be• Seen how we could campaign• Discovered who has the power to change it All we need now are……

The Campaigners!