Newsletter | June 2017

Worried About the Future of Rights in America?

We can help you take action.

Since its founding in 1999, New Tactics in Human Rights has focused its training and resources on supporting human rights activists in other countries. Today, the changing political climate in the U.S. is inspiring new advocacy efforts to protect and promote civil rights. In response, New Tactics is now offering US-focused training workshops; modularized courses to build strategic and tactical capacity for domestic activists, based on our Strategic Effectiveness Method.

Refined over sixteen years of international advocacy experience, our method helps organizations that want to protect and promote rights to do their work more effectively by providing a framework and tools through which to be more strategic, focused and flexible.

Our method has already been used by groups in the U.S. to successfully protect and promote a wide range of rights. U.S. human rights and civil liberties organizations used the method to form powerful coalitions to fight the U.S. use of torture and cruelty in post-9/11 counterterrorism operations.

The value of our new US-focused training workshops is in gathering the members of your organization together to work through our methodology. Many minds and thoughts add value to the process, resulting in a campaign that is better and stronger. The trainings are conducted in-person by highly experienced New Tactics trainers, and are customized to your organization and its specific issue, helping to move your work forward in an effective and strategic manner.

All workshops are designed for one trainer and a small group of participants for maximum participation and effective interactions. Details on our workshops can be found below or on our website at www.newtactics.org/training/workshops. For further information including costs for larger groups or to schedule a workshop, please contact Emily Hutchinson at NTWorkshops@cvt.org.

At New Tactics, we inspire and equip activists to change the world. We hope you will join us by participating in and sharing these exciting new training offerings.

HALF-DAY WORKSHOP

INTRODUCTION TO THE METHOD
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to gain an overview of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and learn how to use the New Tactics Tactical Mapping tool. As a result, participants will gain a basic understanding of the Strategic Effectiveness Method steps and will use the Tactical Mapping Tool to explore new ways of approaching their issue. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has no limit on the number of participants.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS

THE POWER OF HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED ADVOCACY
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations seeking to ground their advocacy work within a human rights-based approach and focus on clear and specific human-rights framed issues as the basis for effective action.

As a result, participants will complete the training with a human rights-based problem statement ready for advocacy application. This workshop covers Step 1—“Identify the Problem”— and has a limit of twenty participants. [Note: this module does include developing a human rights-based vision statement – see Two-Day Workshop below]

COALITION BUILDING: EXPLORE YOUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to explore new opportunities for coalition building and already have a clear human rights-based problem and vision framework. As a result, participants will acquire valuable tools to identify relevant and often surprising actors and relationships that can be leveraged to expand the range of potential allies and opportunities for collaborations. This workshop covers Step 3—“Map the Terrain”—and has a limit of twenty participants.

TACTICAL INNOVATION: THE SOURCE OF FLEXIBILITY & SURPRISE
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to learn how to identify and select tactics that are flexible, innovative, engaging, and surprising to opponents. As a result, participants will explore, learn, and exchange a variety of tactics and will leave with an expanded range of ideas to try in their own advocacy efforts. This workshop covers Step 5—“Take Action”—and has a limit of twenty participants.

TWO-DAY WORKSHOPS

SKILL BUILDING IN HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED ADVOCACY
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to advance their advocacy efforts based on clearly defined human rights-based problem and vision statements. As a result, participants will understand and develop a clear and specific human-rights framed problem statement as the basis for their advocacy action. In addition, participants will develop and refine a unifying human rights-based vision statement to enable inspirational advocacy messaging. This workshop covers Step 1 and Step 2—“Identify the Problem” and “Create your Vision”— and has a limit of twenty participants.

STRATEGIC ADVOCACY: PLANNING YOUR CAMPAIGN
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that already use a human rights-based problem and vision framework and want to strategically plan a specific advocacy campaign. As a result, participants will develop goals and identify specific tactical targets that are grounded in their problem and vision framework. Participants will also identify concrete outcomes for their advocacy plan which will help them to monitor their progress. This workshop covers Steps 3, 4, and 5, and has a limit of twenty participants.

THREE-DAY WORKSHOP

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD – FAST TRACK
This workshop is most appropriate for one organization (or an organization along with their identified network members) that has already identified a specific issue and wants to develop a human rights-based strategic advocacy plan. As a result, participants use the hands-on skill building 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method to develop a concrete action plan which can be utilized to guide and monitor their progress. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants. (See components listed under the “Five Day Workshop – Strategic Effectiveness Method”).

FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD
This workshop is most appropriate for grant-making organizations that want to provide their network of grantees with strategic thinking and tactical innovation skills. The workshop provides organizations with the 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method – a hands-on, skill building method for developing human rights-based strategic advocacy action plans. As a result, participants will define human rights-based problem and vision statements, explore, learn, and exchange tactic ideas, and use the Strategic Effectiveness Method to develop a “journey of change” including specific advocacy goals and action plan. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants.

FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP + MENTORING

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD FACILITATOR TRAINING
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that are committed to integrating the Strategic Effectiveness Method into their advocacy efforts on a long-term basis and have one or more trainers on staff with the commitment to learn and implement the method. The organization must complete an application process prior to inclusion in the workshop. As a result, trainees will develop and practice skills in facilitating the 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method, including peer-to-peer practice. They will then receive direct and virtual feedback and mentoring for 3 months as they train, facilitate and apply the method with a selected organization or group. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants.

Further information about the Strategic Effectiveness Method exists on the New Tactics website, including materials for each step that may be downloaded for free.

Our mailing address is:

Center for Victims of Torture – New Tactics in Human Rights

2356 University Ave W

St Paul, MN 55114
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