Create your Activism Plan


View a short video about the course.

 

 

 

 Course Description:

Many activists have a great vision for the change they want to create, but are unsure about how to actually accomplish that change. Do you have a goal that you’ve dreamed about, but don’t know where to get started to begin achieving that goal?  This course will help you understand what you need to do to accomplish your goals, and it will guide you in creating a specific plan to achieve those goals. Once you finish this course, you’ll have a detailed roadmap to follow to create the change you seek.

The “Build Your Activism Plan” course covers six “building blocks” of activism that must be understood and used in order to reach your goals.  To give you specific examples of how other activists have approached these “building blocks,” the course integrates video interviews with activists from the Middle East. As you learn about the activism building blocks, you will use this knowledge to fill out your activism plan.  If you are a registered user, you can use our online activism plan builder to write your plan, save it to your computer, and print it out.  This tool will make it easy for you to create your personal roadmap to change.

If you register and complete your online activism plan, you will also have the unique opportunity to apply for a free one-on-one mentoring session with one of our experts.  If you are chosen, you will have a live online meeting with your mentor for two hours, during which your mentor will review your plan with you and give you personalized, practical advice on how to improve your plan and implement it.  This mentoring session will give you the next step to take your plan from being on paper to being a reality.  However, this opportunity is only available to registered users.

 

Objectives:Objectives

Create, refine, clarify and implement your personal activism plan. Develop your campaign strategy in the context of your own specific environment. Set your goals and objectives, understand your civic environment, and learn to develop effective messages and build coalitions. Learn how to handle potential roadblocks, such as dealing with critics, managing your goals and objectives in a changing environment, and staying on message.

 

Outline:

Lesson 1: Getting Started

Lesson 2: Set Your Goals and Objectives

Lesson 3: Prepare Yourself to Lead

Lesson 4: Assess Your Civic Environment

Lesson 5: Develop Your Message and Define Your Audience

Lesson 6: Conduct Outreach Activities

Lesson 7: From Plan to Action

 

Instructors:

Adel Esmat

Stephanie Vance




Testimonials from Stephanie and Adel's mentees:
  • "My mentor is really excellent, because she’s understanding, well-informed, and aware. She also respects my ideas, communicates with me by e-mail, and provided me with lots of skills and experience." - Omnia, one of Stephanie's mentees
  • "I gained new organization skills and learned how to work in an organized, scientific way, and that I should always have back-up plans before beginning anything. I learned a lot about how to do an activism plan that would fit all the information and resources currently available to me, and how to develop it and make it better. My favorite aspect of the mentorship was gaining new, different experience in how to run a successful, effective activism plan. I also liked getting to know some women activists and pioneers, whether trainers or participants. Stephanie Vance was excellent; she presented the material in a simplified way and was very encouraging to us, which helped us be creative and persevere." - Madlen, one of Stephanie's mentees
  • "The way I conduct activism changed after I completed the mentorship, as I became more aware of how to organize my thoughts, priorities, and needs, and to define the goal I need to achieve and how to reach it, and how to define the audience I'll address. I've become very passionate, and I feel challenged and able to do a lot to create change in the environment I live in. I've learned new skills that will be useful to me as I work towards my activism goals. And I'll benefit from the experience I gained from the trainers as I implement projects that will benefit and serve my community." - Manal, one of Adel's mentees
  • "My mentor was very good, and the program was excellent in every way." - Amani, one of Adel's mentees


Learning options: