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Description
For organisations committed to social change, as NGO, communication and advocacy often figure as strategic elements. Over the past few years, however, many NGO have experienced challenges due to the shrinking of civic space, increasingly witnessed in EU (including decrease in funding and restrictions to advocacy). NGO need to adapt to play their advocacy role and participate fully and proactively in the decision-making process. The project CALL (Communication and Advocacy for Social Change) aims to
enhance the capacities of NGO in communication, advocacy and monitoring of public policies, fostering the potential as agents of inclusion and active citizen engagement. It encompasses key activities as: development of organisational assessments and strategic action plans; capacity building in communication and advocacy; implementation of joint-advocacy initiatives; launch of initiatives to celebrate and learn about outstanding advocacy campaigns; develop toolkits and an online repository.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address several challenges faced by NGOs. These included difficulties in keeping up with trends in their operational areas and using this information for decision-making, which limited their capacity for inclusion, active citizenship, and advocacy. The traditional role of NGOs as intermediaries was also being questioned due to digitalization and restrictions on civic space. Additionally, NGO advocacy activities were underutilized, under-researched, and underfunded. The project sought to resolve issues such as weak organizational diagnostics, strategic planning, and the lack of alignment between strategic and action plans. It also aimed to improve communication strategies, enhance advocacy skills for social transformation, increase knowledge of resources and best practices, and provide better tools for evaluating advocacy efforts. Through direct capacity building of six NGOs and indirectly benefiting 20 more, the project focused on improving communication and advocacy for social transformation.
The partnership began by adapting the action plan to the pandemic reality to maintain the initially defined objectives and results. The project launched the ''CALL TO ACTION'' contest to select 28 NGOs for the capacity-building and mentoring program in communication and advocacy. An organizational diagnosis of the 28 selected NGOs was conducted in two stages: applying the communication and advocacy tool to 28 NGOs, which was reapplied at the end of the project, and conducting online "audit" interviews with 16 NGOs. Based on these interviews, a report with recommendations was prepared, and priorities for the next phase of action plan development and mentoring were defined. After the diagnosis and action plan definition, individualized mentoring for implementing the action plans of the 16 participating NGOs was carried out.
The project included several other activities such as an Open Flagship Event on storytelling, a 24-hour Media Training course, a 16-hour Social and Behavior Change Communication course, two 6-hour Storytelling workshops, two webinars on writing for social media, internships in Norway, and the publication and distribution of toolkits and videos. The ''From Empowerment to Advocacy for Social Change'' course and bootcamp were conducted, where 13 NGOs designed a joint advocacy campaign implemented later by 10 NGOs. The final project event included the first edition of the ''Advocacy Awards'' and an augmented reality exhibition. A repository of materials produced during the project was created. The project also adapted and tested a self-assessment tool for NGOs in communication and advocacy, conducted an external evaluation, and published a guide for monitoring and evaluating advocacy actions. Throughout the project, several meetings were held to follow up on activities and align goals and objectives. A ''Guide for Monitoring and Evaluating Political Influence Actions'' was published, aimed at NGOs.
The project enabled the targeted NGOs to recognize the importance of building a narrative for social transformation and their responsibility to create and convey messages that positively influence the causes they work for, helping to consolidate each organization''s mission. It also provided them with accessible tools and instruments. The CALL allowed NGOs to improve their communication on social media and digital platforms, define strategic audiences, and increase the recognition of their role in the public and political space. The project strategically highlighted the areas of communication and advocacy, which had previously been secondary and overlooked within the organizations.
Summary of bilateral results
The partnership with Norsensus generated significant interest from the target audience (Portuguese NGOs) and partners. The opportunity for exchange with an organization from a different country with a distinct organizational culture allowed NGOs, partners, and FEC to reflect on different ways of operating, managing, and implementing social projects. Norsensus''s strong experience in storytelling and communication methodologies provided NGOs with new, easy-to-use tools that enhanced their communication capabilities and amplified their messages, thereby strengthening their missions. The opportunity to intern in Norway was a major incentive for the NGOs involved and, according to them, a significant asset for organizational strengthening.The partnership with Norsensus greatly enriched the project and motivated NGOs to participate and maintain high levels of engagement. During the internship in Norway, the group of NGOs was visited by the Portuguese Ambassador in Oslo, which added value to the initiative and helped strengthen ties between the two countries and their NGOs. As a result of the partnership, the excellent work by Norsensus, the benefits brought to the project, and the good relationship established with FEC in managing the partnership, FEC and Norsensus have established a new partnership under the Tik Tak project.