Full Publication (word doc) - Fifty Fifty Group Sierra Leone

Full Publication (word doc) - Fifty Fifty Group Sierra Leone CHAPTER ONE BREAKING THE BARRIERS Overview of the session This session provides guidelines on how to present: Breaking the Barriers: It describes the main barriers that prevent women from participating and goes on to identify ways of breaking those barriers and increasing women?s participation in Democratic politics. What are the barriers preventing women from participating in politics? Guidelines for Facilitators: There are many barriers that prevent women from standing for parliamentary elections they vary in intensity from place to place. Until these barriers are removed the women who come forward as candidates will always be few in number and will not get the support they so badly need. Before the barriers are removed, they need to be identified. Now, let us brainstorm what the barriers are. After 3 minutes, say the major barriers are the 5 Cs: Culture - Children/Caring – Cash - Confidence – Corruption. There are more, as you will soon find out. Brainstorm each of the 5Cs with them before adding the following: Culture: Tradition and the view that politics is a „man?s game? is a strong belief held by both men and women. Other peoples? attitudes about what men and women should or shouldn?t do, as well as traditional attitudes, particularly in Africa and Asia, disapprove of women vying for political power. The culture of almost all formal political decision-making structures is predominantly male. Women who reach high decision-making levels face attitudes ranging from reluctant tolerance to overt hostility. This is partly because men and women are traditionally reluctant to support female political aspirants. In Sierra Leone traditional customs and cultural norms prevent women from becoming paramount chiefs in the northern province. Even in the south and parts of the eastern province where there are female paramount chiefs, men tend to take the lead in leadership roles. Children/Caring : The traditional woman?s prime years are taken up with having babies and looking after young children. This, coupled with hours spent in food preparation, child-care, maintaining the family in addition to earning an income, places heavy demands on women?s time leaving little time for political activities. Cash: Since men are traditionally the breadwinners, women do not have the financial and other resources to enable them to run and win a campaign effectively. Confidence: Many women lack the confidence to embark on a political career. The sharp divide between the public sphere, which is perceived as men?s and the private sphere, which is perceived as women?s and the related conditioning, makes it not surprising that many women lack the confidence and self-esteem to embark on a political career. 1 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Corruption: Corrupt electoral practices, which normally characterise political activities, have precluded women from exercising their rights on an equal footing with men. Added to all of the above are: , Political parties do not encourage female members to stand for any position of authority Poor education and negative images in the media about women?s roles , make women reluctant to step forward into leadership roles. , Girls are not encouraged to develop the skills of argument, debate and public leadership. Women lack the knowledge about the system, of how they could , become politicians or how being in parliament could influence and change their everyday lives. There is no organisation specifically designed to inform women about the influence of politics in their lives. , Men do not allow their wives to stand for elections/public office, even when they themselves already hold such positions, as they fear that their wives will be tempted to have extra-marital affairs. , Women?s workload causes poor time keeping and prevents their effective participation; , Transport system is poor; , Low educational levels among women; , Culturally determined factors: women are shy, lack confidence, have low self-esteem; , Lack of funds – women lack funds to support their campaigns , People prefer to volunteer to help men so women do not get much community support. Guidelines for Facilitators: Now that we have discussed the barriers that prevent women from participating in politics, let us look at ways in which we can get women involved. Ways of Breaking the Barriers and Increasing Women?s Participation in Democratic Politics. Brainstorm Ways of breaking the barriers highlighted above. Take a few responses and then add: , Men should learn to trust their wives. Women should also behave well so that their husbands can trust them; , Men should take up household work when women go for meetings for example, men should assist with household chores/a family member can be asked to move in to help; , Change of attitude by men and women towards women standing for elections women need to learn to support each other more; , Sensitisation of men so that they can allow their wives to take part in local government; , Train women to develop their confidence and self esteem , Organise adult literacy classes for women in communities; 2 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Get more women into the places where decisions are made: parliaments, community councils, trade unions and business. It takes a number of women to really make a difference. , Use special mechanisms to increase women?s participation. For example, set targets for involving more women or quotas of 10%, 20%or 50% depending on the number of women members. Make special „women?s seats on committees. , Develop women?s training, political education programmes, women?s group?s conferences and meetings. Experienced women can help by passing on skills, sharing experiences or inviting less experienced women to help learn the job. , Monitor women?s progress. If we can?t get involved on the inside we can still learn to take part in debate from the outside, by lobbying, using the media and influencing those around us by speaking up. , Use your legislative reform processes to provide affirmative action in favour of women in your national constitutions as has been done in countries like Namibia, South Africa and Uganda. The African National Congress (ANC) has reserved 30% of parliamentary seats and 50% of local government seats for women. , Change oppressive traditional and cultural practices. , Support women leaders at all levels of society , Promote affirmative action as an important strategy in bringing about transformation, and creating a critical mass of women in decision- making positions , Review and challenge electoral processes and discriminatory practices against women. 3 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone CHAPTER TWO JOINING A POLITICAL PARTY, ADVANCING WITHIN IT AND GETTING NOMINATED Overview of the session This session provides guidelines on how to present: Joining a political party, advancing within it getting nominated: It provides tips for advancing within your political party. HOW DO I JOIN A POLITICAL PARTY? Guidelines for Facilitators Start by saying: Before anyone decides to join a political party that person should have carefully followed the activities of the party, taken note of how members of the party comport themselves and, if possible, studied the party?s manifesto. In other words, do some research before taking the plunge. Now ask yourself these questions: Would I feel comfortable with the people in this party? Do I want to get involved in their activities? How would I fit into the party hierarchy? What do I expect to get out of joining it? What are my chances of growing as a politician if I join this party? Now discuss how to get into the different political parties in Sierra Leone. Facilitator’s Input Brainstorm with participants on how some female politicians have succeeded against the odds and why others failed. The Zipper System When you join a political party you should remember that as a member of the 50/50 Group, your aim should be to try to enhance your position in the party to an equal footing with the men. You should bring more women into the party so that there would be the female counterpart of every male member of the party. This is the zipper system and this is basically what the 50/50 Group is all about: one male, one female in the party?s candidate list, among the rank and file of the party and also within the executive and in Parliament. Activity: Group Discussion Guidelines for Facilitators: Initiate a discussion in which participants are led to bring out the reasons why they should make their presence felt in their party. After a few minutes, go on to: Making Your Presence Felt in your political party Say: when you decided to become a politician you did so because you were certain you had the attributes of a good politician. If you want to make a mark 4 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone in the political arena, you will do well to study the political careers of female politicians the world over. Look not only at the successful ones but also at those who tried and failed so you would learn from them and avoid making the same mistakes. How did Margaret Thatcher, for instance, succeed in the male-dominated world of British politics? Are there any female African politicians you should emulate? Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to read the following in turn. Tips for advancing within a political party: , Meet and get to know your local and district political party leaders. Make sure that they know your name. Tell them what your ambitions are in politics and make sure they know that you support the party and encourage other people to support the party too. , Identify men in your political party who are supportive of your goals. Seek these men out and develop good working relationships with them. , You have to be more active, more honest, more sincere, and harder working than any male elected representative. (Other men and women will find it easy to criticize women in politics. Therefore you have to work hard to prove yourself capable and win the trust of others.) , Never engage in any activities that may be seen as dishonest by the public. Never misuse any public funds for your own personal gain or for your relatives. Never accept any gifts, money or special favours that you will be expected to return someday through your influence as an elected leader. , You should go out of your way to show that you are a service-oriented politician, not interested in serving yourself, but others. , Encourage more women to become involved in your political party and help them gain seats on various committees. Help build a movement by involving lots of women. , Become involved in one of your political party?s committees. Often these committee meetings do not take a great deal of time. You can work your way up within the party to higher-level committees in the future. Be an active member of the committee. Make friends. Volunteer to take on responsibilities and demonstrate your hard work. , Get involved in your political party?s village or district women?s organization. The members of your party?s women?s wing can provide you organized support when you need to pressure the party. This is also one place where you can gain leadership experience. Keep in mind that the party realizes the value of women who are organized at election time. 5 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , If there is not a women?s wing in your political party, start one. Begin by networking and meeting with the district president of your party?s women?s organization. This will get you recognition even at the district level. , Don?t limit yourself to the activities of the women?s organization of your political party; get involved in the main body of the party. (Keep in mind that the real power lies within the party structure where men occupy party positions) CHAPTER THREE A BRIEF GUIDE TO HOW PARLIAMENT WORKS 6 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Overview of the session This session provides guidelines on how to present a brief guide to how parliament works. Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break into groups of three and discuss each of the following. As they present their reports on each topic, add the information below. Objectives At the end of the session, participants will be able to discuss: , The 3 organs of State , The origin and Location of Parliament , Political Parties , Voting, Elections and who qualifies to be a Member of Parliament , Who is disqualified from being a Member of Parliament? , Parliament at Work , What are the mandatory Committees? , Duties of Members of Parliament , How bills and laws are passed The 3 Organs of State In this country there are three bodies created and empowered by the Constitution to assist elected and appointed officials govern the country and bring about peace and prosperity for everyone. These are: (a) The Executive – i.e. President and Cabinet (b) Parliament – i.e. legislature (c) Judiciary – i.e. Judges etc. Of these three bodies, Parliament is regarded by many as the most important. This is probably so because Parliament or the Legislature, as it is sometimes known, passes or legislates laws and takes very important decisions which affect our lives, behaviour and prosperity. Since you are vying for parliament, it is important that you find out about how parliament works. Origin and Location of Parliament Parliament or the legislature does not need to have a permanent location. It can be moved from one place to the other depending on the present needs; for example during renovation. For practical purposes, however, Parliament is often located in a permanent place usually in the nation?s capital. Our Parliament is located at Tower Hill, Freetown. Decisions in Parliament affect your lives in many important ways. It is therefore very important to know your Parliament and how it goes about making and changing laws that affect your day-to-day life. For example, is Parliament a foreign body imposed on us by the Colonial power? Or did our traditional Chiefdoms have a Parliament? These are all very interesting questions. 7 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Many people have argued that wherever community leaders gather to discuss national problems and issues affecting them and their neighbours this can be called a Parliament. Maybe the Parliament to which you vote and elect your representatives today has many similarities with what went on in your traditional chiefdoms i.e. arguments, discussions, the give and take before reaching decisions. All of this may be true. However, Parliament as we know it today has borrowed extensively from the practices of the British House of Commons. Of course, over the years it has been sensibly adapted to suit our own needs. Voting, Elections and who qualifies for Parliament? As a rule elections to Parliament are held every five years. The Constitution however gives the President powers to bring an end to Parliament anytime before the end of the five-year term. In wartime or during any other national crisis, the life of Parliament can be extended. Every adult, that is, men and women who reach the age of 18 years by Election Day can vote and is of sound mind. As we can see, all categories of citizens have the same right to vote and to be registered to vote in public elections and referenda. Those who have not been convicted of any criminal offence can stand as candidates to represent their constituencies. If you wish to vote for your candidate in your constituency, you have to register as a voter. Who is disqualified from being a Member of Parliament? A certified lunatic or a person otherwise declared to be of unsound mind, or who has been convicted and sentenced for an offence which involves fraud or dishonesty or is under a sentence of death imposed on him by any court of Justice is in each case disqualified. A person is also disqualified if in the twelve months immediately before the date of a Parliamentary election in which he wants to contest, he was a member of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Sierra Leone, or member of any commission established under this Constitution, or a public officer and did not resign from his job twelve months before the date of the Parliamentary elections. Parliament at Work Who presides? After a General Election every Member of Parliament who has been elected or appointed takes oath to be allowed to take part in the proceedings. The clerk of Parliament administers the oath. The speaker of Parliament chairs the meetings except when the president addresses Parliament or attends the meeting in person. The Deputy Speaker and clerk of Parliament assist him. Debates are guided by rules known as standing orders. The language of the work place is English, and questions are determined. How are bills and laws are passed? 8 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Before a law is passed in Parliament it is called a Bill. The minister of Government who carries responsibility for that law presents the Bill in Parliament. This presentation is called the first reading. A bill is presented three times before members are allowed to vote on it. This is to prevent important laws being passed in a hurry. Nothing much happens when a Bill is presented or read the first time. However very extensive and heated debate can take place during the second reading before the Bill is presented a third time for members to vote on it. Bills are passed by a majority of the members present and voting. . Very often Bills are amended or changed during the debate. The Bill that becomes law is quite different from the one that was introduced by the Minister. When a bill becomes law it is called an Act of Parliament. Duties of Members of Parliament 1. Pass laws to regulate social and commercial conduct. 2. Debate national issues on the floor of Parliament. 3. Keep in close touch with their constituencies to find solutions to their immediate problems. 4. Bring to the notice of Parliament issues affecting their constituencies. 5. Provide checks and balances for the Executive. What are the Mandatory Committees? The constitution makes it mandatory upon Parliament to appoint the following committees within 21 days of the beginning of each session. These committees are: , Legislative , Finance , Appointments and Public Service , Foreign Affairs and International cooperation , Public Accounts , Privileges , Standing orders These committees should as far as possible have fair representation of political parties in Parliament. The constitution further requires Parliament to appoint other committees when necessary to investigate or inquire into the administration or other activities of any minister, member or department it assigns to the committees. Parliament can also appoint any other committees to investigate any matter of public interest. Parliament may also make rules to regulate its proceedings and appoint as many committees as it considers necessary for effective performance of its functions. CHAPTER FOUR SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN PARLIAMENT Overview of the session 9 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone The Objective of this session is to provide guidelines on how to present the following skills for effective participation in parliament - Leadership and Teambuilding, Assertiveness, Advocacy and Lobbying and Using the Media. Leadership and Teambuilding By the end of the session participants will be able to: - , Define leadership State the qualities of a good leader , , Describe leadership styles , Identify the relationship between leadership and team building Activity: Definition of Leadership Ask participants to define leadership. Write responses on flipchart. Guidelines for Facilitators: Leadership is the art of making people act in a particular way so that the goals of the organization/group can be achieved. It involves organizing, motivating, mobilizing, directing and managing people, materials, funds and time for the performance of tasks in a group, organization or community. It is an administrative device to provide guidance to a person or group of persons to carry out special functions and tasks in order to accomplish a goal. In short, leadership is an interaction which influences and controls the behaviour of others towards some kind of a goal-whether that goal be determined by the leader alone or in collaboration with the followers. For this reason there can be no leadership without a following. The Qualities of a Good Leader A good leader is someone … a. Who is liked, trusted, respected and accepted by people to lead them toward solving their development needs and problems, b. Who guides the actions and opinions of people, c. Who is able to get along with people better, d. Whose ideas, opinions and exemplary actions influence others to develop themselves; e. Who is sociable, persistent, self-confident and knows how to get things done together with members; f. Who has insight into situation and sound judgment; g. Who is popular, adaptable and cooperative; h. Who is fair and friendly but firm; i. Who can ably guide the group to recognize its purpose, maintain and build its unity as a team Activity: Group work - Leadership styles Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break into groups to discuss leadership styles. Responses are put on flipchart and discussed then add the following: The Democratic Leader 10 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Under this leadership, the leader allows freedom of opinion and expression , She or He encourages participation in major policy decision-making , She or He has a sense of direction for members. , She or He is flexible and has low need for power. , She or He is objective and fact-minded , She or He makes policies and laws by group decision , She or He respects people?s views, opinion and ideas. , She or He is tolerant and patient , She or He is sympathetic and empathetic , She or He is warm, friendly but firm , She or He relies on gentle persuasion and influence, not use of force , She or He allows objective criticisms. , She or He is a good listener and communicator , She or He believes in people?s capacity for self-improvement , She or He delegates power and responsibilities to others etc. Under this type of leadership, group atmosphere is conducive and pleasant for growth and development. The Autocratic Leader , In this type of leadership, the leader is very dictatorial and gives top- bottom directives. , She or He is self-centred and partial , She or He determines policy-making decisions , She or He does not accept constructive criticisms. , She or He remains aloof from group participation except when demonstrating. , She or He is personal in his praise and criticism without giving objective reasons , She or He is normally intolerant and impatient , She or He uses people as mere appendages. Under such leadership, group atmosphere is chaotic and tense. 11 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone The Laisser-Faire Leader , Under this kind of leadership, the leader is non-directive and indecisive. , She or He leaves freedom of choice and action to group members , She or He is indifferent to what happens to others, i.e. apathetic , Her or His relationship with members is personal , Her or His group goals and objectives are not clear , She or He is care-free Under such leadership, group atmosphere is disorderly or confused. The Situational Leader , This is a relatively new type of leadership that has emerged in adult education and community development circles. It revolves around the concept that leadership is specific to differing situations and that the factors, which give rise to a leader in one situation may not necessarily be the same as those required of the leader in another situation. , Essentially, this style emphasizes that the leader embodies the ideas and goals of the group or followers and her or his functions relatively vary according to the social values and functions of the group led. It means that the leader?s roles and functions are determined to a large extent by the demands of the situation. Thus, situational leadership is to be conceived of in terms of the interaction of variables or situations, which may arise as and when necessary. , Under this leadership style, group atmosphere is unpredictable. Team Building Guidelines for Facilitators: Write the word „TEAM? on flipchart. As an acronym it means: 12 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Together Each Achieves More An analogy of the football team is drawn to illustrate the point followed by discussion on the role of the leader in team building. A good leader builds a team by making them aware of what the organization stands for. S/he… , Creates awareness about roles and responsibilities , Takes the needs of the people into consideration and tries to satisfy them. , Maintains the team when s/he: - o Gives them opportunities to express their views o Encourages them to listen to each other and provide mutual support. o Discusses issues and problems with the people. Activity: Role Play Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break into groups to dramatize the different leadership styles. Groups perform and comments are made on each play. Assertiveness skills Objectives At the end of the session, participants will be able to: - , State what Personal Empowerment means , Explain the meaning of Assertiveness and how to be assertive , See the difference between Assertiveness and Aggressiveness , Discuss problems encountered in trying to be assertive. Guidelines for Facilitators: Say: Assertiveness should be viewed within the context of personal empowerment. Lead a brief brainstorming session on the meaning of personal empowerment. Responses are recorded on flipchart. Then go on to: personal empowerment is the process of taking action to develop one?s capacity for performing tasks, building healthy relationships and for the achievement of goals. One cannot empower others if one is not empowered. What does Assertiveness mean? Through guided discussion the following points will be arrived at: - Assertiveness means: - , Standing up for your own rights without putting down the rights of others , Respecting yourself as well as the other person. 13 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Listening attentively before responding. , Expressing positive and negative feelings as required. , Being confident but not domineering Saying „no? without feeling guilty , , Disagreeing without becoming angry , Asking for help when you need it , Taking steps to build your self-esteem and feel confident , Taking care of self and making good choices , Acting in your own best interests. , Emancipating yourself from today?s forms of slavery. , Standing up for legitimate rights. , Expressing views directly and openly , Taking others into account. Assertiveness is different from Aggressiveness, which is: , Insisting on your rights without thinking about the rights of others. , Putting yourself first at the expense of others , Being overpowering Assertiveness in practice: , Listen first , Think about the information received , Develop your own opinion , Say what you feel calmly and confidently , Say what you want , Negotiate if necessary , Be professional Assertiveness Survey Activity: Guidelines for Facilitators: This assertiveness survey is for you to , see patterns in your behaviour and , identify strengths and weaknesses in your leadership skills so you can start thinking how to address them. Let us read the Survey aloud. Please write yes if the statement definitely applies to you or no if it doesn?t. Leave a blank if you are not sure. 14 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone ASSERTIVENESS SURVEY 1. When I go to a meeting, I never have anything to say. 2. I never go to meetings because I think people won?t pay attention to what I have to say. 3. When I am not happy about the way a community project is going, I speak to those in charge. 4. When I buy something that turns out to be faulty, I try to get my money back. 5. I pay careful attention to my light bills and phone bills to make sure I am not being overcharged. 6. If the power company damaged something of mine, they would hear from me. 7. I often start conversations with people I don?t know. 8. I don?t allow people to take advantage of me. 9. If I saw someone hurting a child, I would try and stop it. 10. I usually keep my feelings to myself. 11. I have no problem saying what I think. 12. I don?t ask questions because I am afraid people might think they?re stupid. 13. When I am standing in line and someone cuts in ahead of me, I speak up. 14. I don?t have any problem standing up to people in authority. 15. I feel bad when I make a mistake. 16. I find it hard to say, “I don?t know.” 17. I tend to be timid and weak when dealing with men who have power. 18. If a friend or someone in a position behaved badly, I would speak to that person. 19. I spend a lot of time and effort getting people to like me. 20. I find it hard to say „no?. Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break into groups and discuss. Group Discussion: What do your answers tell you about yourself? Take a few responses, then go on to say: Let us consider the following (these should already have been written on flip chart paper) Steps in being assertive 15 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Describe the other person?s behaviour or situation , Express your feelings about the behaviour or situation , Acknowledge the other person Specify what you would prefer , , Outline the consequences. Difficulties encountered by women in trying to be assertive include: - , The influence of culture and tradition , Women are not used to speaking up or disagreeing with people, especially men Fear of what others might think or say , , Fear of Reprisal , Concern about losing support Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break up into five groups. Each group should be assigned a play and allowed time (about ten minutes), to prepare it before acting it out in front of the whole group. ASSERTIVENESS ROLE PLAYS You have told your family that you intend to take part in the upcoming elections. They believe you will be wasting your time; that politics is a nasty business; that women politicians can?t get anything done, much less change the situation. Respond to the negative arguments. There are only two women on the council. One is a young woman. The men are always passing remarks about her in her presence and behind her back. You are the older one – both in terms of age and in length of service on the council. How will you go about dealing with this matter? You have won the election Makeni by an overwhelming majority. All the men in your family were against you trying. Your father, your brothers and your husband are still coming up with one argument after another, trying to put you down – even after you have won the position. Respond to them. You have been asked to act as secretary at council meetings. You don?t know how to write minutes and you are not sure what else you have to do. What do you say? What do you do? The chairman of the council has directed that the street on which he lives be fixed with council money. The street on which you live is in far worse condition. So are many other streets in your community. What do you say? What do you do? 16 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Advocacy and Lobbying Objectives: By the end of the session participants will be able to: - , Define Advocacy and Lobbying , State the importance of Advocacy and Lobbying in Parliament. , Identify the steps in the Advocacy process. , Discuss and practice methods for Lobbying Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to define Advocacy and lobbying, write responses on flipchart and add: , Advocacy is the act of giving support to a cause and championing the cause of others, especially those who lack the opportunity/confidence to speak for themselves. It is important to consult affected parties to get them to understand why and how the action will be taken. , Lobbying is the act of trying to persuade a politician or any influential person to change, revise or support a particular policy, which is of concern to a group or groups. For effective lobbying, enlist the support of influential people who can help to bring about a change (power mapping). Guidelines for Facilitators: Now, start a guided discussion with participants on: The importance of Advocacy and Lobbying in parliament. Ensure that the following are included: , Women need to acquire skills for Advocacy and Lobbing in order to convince appropriate target to promote their involvement in parliament e.g. Traditional Leaders, Policy makers, opinion leaders in the community. , Women should know where and how to get help to enable them to vote, be voted for and to be in parliament Steps in the Advocacy Process With contributions from participants, emphasize the following: - , Identify the problem - State the cause of the situation - Establish reasons why a change is desired - Find out whether a change is possible , Collect information about the situation - Visits, research, talking to people on all sides - Exploring possibilities for influencing targets through meetings, newsletters and personal contacts , Make a decision whether to take action or not , Formulate a Plan of Action – this should include objectives, contacts, time frame and methods to be used. As time progresses, it would be necessary to evaluate whether objectives are being achieved. Methods of Lobbying Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to identify some methods. Write them on the flipchart and discuss. Please ensure that some of these methods include: - 17 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Songs , Radio and TV discussions , Petitions , Letters , Good „People? skills , Interviews , Newspaper Articles , Demonstrations Activity: Group work Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break into two groups. Each group should do the following tasks: , Decide on one issue to lobby for , Make a list of those likely to influence a change/revision of the issue. , Decide on the methods to be used. Ask groups to report and after a short discussion, ask participants to go back to their groups and select two methods they?ve already identified. Let them practise how to go about these methods e.g. letters, petitions, interviews, etc. Ask Group leaders to report to the whole group. Activity: Role Play Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to demonstrate how they would use one of these methods to lobby. Comment on role-play and stress the following points: - , Mobilize support for writing letters, petitions and send them out at the same time for maximum effect. , Identify people who are likely to influence those to be lobbied. , Be clear about reasons for asking for support and what you want to be done. , Be clear about the results/outcome of support received. , Get all the information needed about the issue before having an interview with the target / personality. , Take one issue at a time for efficiency. , Secure as much support from those affected by the issue/problem being tackled. , Choose the right timing for approaching people. , Share experiences about advocacy and network as much as possible. Using the Media Objectives At the end of the session participants will be able to: - , Explain the meaning of media , Identify types of media , Describe the role of the media , Discuss how to use the media , Express their fears and concerns about media portrayal of women. Activity: The meaning of Media 18 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to explain the meaning of media. Write responses on flip chart. Then go on to: , The media is a channel or a means of communication for passing on messages. , Media that are used to pass on information to the public are referred to as the mass media. Types of Media There are many types of media but the main ones are: - , The print media , The electronic media Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to define print and electronic media and to give examples of them. Record responses on flipchart and add: , The print media includes newspapers, magazines and pamphlets. , The Electronic media includes radio and television , Other media forms or communication channels materials include posters, stickers, pin ups, fliers, leaflets and letters to newspapers and magazines. Activity: Group work Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to break into groups to discuss , The role of the media , The short comings of the media 19 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Ask groups to report ensuring that the following are highlighted: The role of the media is to: , Inform, educate, entertain and develop country, society and community. , Effect changes in people?s perceptions and behaviour (manipulative) , Report incidents and events (Reportive) , Enlighten/sensitize people about current developments e.g. General elections, HIV/AIDS Shortcomings of the media in Sierra Leone include: , Inability to conduct proper interviews , Lack of media ethics , Failure to cross check facts or do proper research , Negative portrayal of women in some cases Activity: How to use the Media Guidelines for Facilitators: – Guide participants through a discussion of how to use the media which ensure that the following points are brought out in the discussion.. o Know what you want to use the media for. o Keep journalists informed about your work. o Establish personal contacts with some journalists so that they can promote your work. o Find out journalists? preferences for publication o Identify suitable time slots that would give you maximum media coverage. o Book appointments with media houses in good time. o Try to be visible on the media e.g. photographs o Put out press releases and statements when necessary. Tips For Effective use of the Media Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants what they feel about: - , Appearing on Television , Articles in the newspapers , Interviews , Press Releases/Press conferences Make sure that the discussion covers the following points: Appearance on Television o Be presentable – well groomed but not flamboyant o Be informed o Be articulate – pitch your voice appropriately Interviews on Television o Use attractive signature tune/music o Use appropriate language and articulate well. o Be sincere an honest 20 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone o Be well informed about the topic – do research and forecast possible questions o Do not be argumentative or judgemental. Other Interviews o Give the full story from every angle o Provide different perspectives of the same subject o Encourage journalists to interview your family, friends, associates or anyone who knows something about you as well. Newspaper Articles o March your style with that of the newspaper. o Consider the target audience addressed by the newspaper. o Focus on the human element in your story in order to motivate readers. o Draw references from your community. o Write stories that would test the pulse of readers and elicit their response. Printed Materials o Have clear objectives before printing your materials. This attracts voters and gets messages across; it also galvanizes people into action. Press Releases o A press release should be short and to the point; the heading should be captivating and short o Include details about time, venue, speakers and issues to be discussed. o Statements about specific issues can also be made through the media. Sample Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE To all Media Houses Freetown, Sierra Leone thDate: February 20, 2006 The Fifty-Fifty Group holds a Training of Trainers workshop entitled: Breaking Barriers: Empowering Sierra Leone Women for Effective Political Participation The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone, a non-partisan campaign for more women in politics and public life through training and advocacy has succeeded in placing women?s representation on the political agenda in Sierra Leone in a relatively short space of time. However, most of the work of this group has been carried out by a relatively small group of women, working on a voluntary basis in addition to other responsibilities. As the group becomes increasingly successful, so expectations of what it can deliver increase. The burden on this 21 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone small group has grown to almost intolerable levels. Inspired by the desire to share responsibilities among a wider group of members, the 50/50 Group decided to network with other women?s organisations like FAWE and NEWMAP to increase the number of women in Sierra Leone Parliament by preparing women for participation in the 2007 election. The network, led by the 50/50 group will be holding a one-day training of trainers workshop for 30 women from all 12 districts and the rural western area on Saturday 25 February, 2006 at the British Council Seminar Room. The thirty women who will receive this training will later cascade the training to other women with a view to whetting their appetites for participating in the 2007 Parliamentary Elections. Training is on the cascade principle. The women who will receive the training will hold up to 30 one-day intensive workshops, in Freetown and the Provinces for the remaining target group. Preparatory work includes producing (Sierra-Leone relevant) training handbooks for facilitators In addition to helping women identify ways in which they can overcome the barriers that prevent them from participating in politics, this Training, is designed to provide women with political campaign skills and skills for advancing within their political parties. The Westminster Foundation for Democracy in London is sponsoring it. A representative of the sponsors - Ms Marina Nannor who arrived from London on recently will observe the training. Experienced Facilitators like Haja Alimamatu Abdallah, Dr. Nemata Eshun-Baiden, Haja Mariama Fofana, Dr. Enid Forde, Mrs. Esme James, Mrs. Patricia Macauley, Hon. Abator Thomas will deliver the training. Thirty candidates are expected to participate in the training. They will receive certificates of completion at the end of the one–day workshop. The media is invited to cover this event For more information contact: Haja Mariama Fofana President The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Tel: 076 647246 Dr. Nemata Eshun-Baiden Lead Facilitator 076 601269 The Press Conference Press conferences take time, money and energy to organize, so be sure that you have something important to announce. Journalists do not have the time to go to press conferences that are not going to produce news. Thorough planning and preparation are essential. Activity: Fears and Concerns about Media Portrayal of women. 22 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to discuss the above topic and report in plenary. Add the following: , Possible bias of journalists against women , Lack of resources to pay high fees demanded for press coverage , Possibility for male opponents to influence media practitioners negatively. , Negative portrayal of women aspirants in the media CHAPTER FIVE DEFINING YOUR CANDIDACY 23 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Overview of the session The objective of this session is to help participants define their candidacy. Guidelines for Facilitators: Start by saying: it is important to define your candidacy, i.e. determine what kind of person you want voters to see you as, before you begin your campaign. All of us have various facets to our character and you should bring out what would be in your best interest in the situation you find yourself. Ask participants to read through the following. The week before the elections Jurai and three of her friends arrived at Bong market. “I have great news for you”. Jurai said. “I will make your life easier when I win next week. I know all your problems and concerns because I have suffered like you. My opponent, Mamei is a big crook. She did not solve your problems the last time but I will. Can you help me by contributing money to my campaign? My campaign message is I will make your life better. You know that I am a transparent, accountable, honest and open human-being and I will do my best for you. Trust me to do better than that thief – Mamei”. Activity: Group Discussion: Jurai?s Campaign Move On flip chart paper, the facilitator writes down participants? comments on Jurai. She then goes on to: This is an example of how not to conduct a campaign. It is obvious that Jurai has not planned her campaign at all: , She does not introduce herself and her friends , She pompously claims to know all the problems of the women , This is an example of a negative campaign strategy as she openly attacks her opponent without knowing whether the women are supporting her. , She asks for money without giving the women prior notice and she does not say what exactly she will use the money for. This shows her weakness in fundraising and budgetary techniques. , By praising herself without giving the women an opportunity to assess her, she prejudices her campaign. , She could get into serious trouble by accusing her opponent of being a thief; no one would want to support such a troublemaker. , She was aggressive and not assertive Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask two participants to act out the roles of Jurai and Mamei Mamei, with her experience chats to Jurai about how she defined her candidacy. Jurai : Mamei, I was inspired by the fact that you a woman could win in the last election. Now that I have decided to run, can you help me? How did you start? Mamei: I started by defining my candidacy and marketing myself to voters as a winner. I did not stop till my voters said I was visible and accessible. I made direct contact with them at their doors, in the market, on the road and at 24 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone community meetings and rallies. I told voters what I wanted them to hear about me. I researched the issues well and developed my position on that basis. I became well-informed. Jurai : What else? Mamei: I tried to be Transparent, Accountable, Honest and Open in everything. When I did not have the answer or was not informed on an issue, I said so and promised to follow it up. The way I manage my campaign was also transparent. Jurai : And??? Mamei: I showed that I was trustworthy and reliable. Since I received financial contributions, I made sure that I kept accurate accounts of how the money was used and was prepared to disclose that information when necessary. I was Confident and Ambitious. I was not afraid to point out my experience, knowledge, compassion and self-confidence. As women, we have been trained to be shy, passive, slow in coming forward and cautious in displaying our talents. Jurai seize this as your opportunity to break that cycle. Be Upbeat, Enthusiastic and Positive. Be Professional and Goal-Oriented. Conduct yourself professionally in the way you dress. I was always on time, and I spoke appropriately at all times and tried to handle people well, particularly my opponents. I concentrate on my strengths and created my profile. Jurai: How can I create my profile? Mamei: Before developing a campaign plan, it is important that you know your strengths and weaknesses. It is also critical to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. Think about your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate. What are you good at? What are your weaknesses as a candidate? Write down a list of your strengths and weaknesses. When conducting this activity, think about what your opponent might say about you. In addition to identifying your own strengths and weaknesses, sit down (perhaps with volunteers) and identify your opponent?s strengths and weaknesses. It is also important to think about what your opponent might identify as your weaknesses. If you have thought of how your opponent might attack you, you will be better prepared to respond to such attacks. You must also know your voters and identify their needs. Activity: Identifying strengths and weaknesses Guidelines for Facilitators: Say: now, let us have a short break to enable you to practise identifying your own strengths and weaknesses, and, with the help of your volunteers, your opponent?s strengths and weaknesses. On the sheet provided, list your strengths and weaknesses. Divide the paper into two columns. Write “strengths” and “weaknesses.” List out what you consider your strengths and weaknesses to be. List your opponent?s strengths and weaknesses on another sheet of paper. Sit in pairs and share your strengths and weaknesses with each other. 25 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone At the end of the exercise have them present their partner?s strengths and weaknesses to the whole group (this is a good listening exercise as well). Guidelines for Facilitators: Initiate a short discussion on why and how Mamei thinks this profile information is useful in campaigning. CHAPTER SIX PLAN YOUR CAMPAIGN Overview of the session This session provides guidelines on how to present: Plan Your Campaign. It discusses the components of a campaign plan and team. Guidelines for Facilitators: What is a campaign? After taking a few contributions from participants and writing them on flipchart, go on to: 26 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone A campaign is a systematic course of planned activities for some specific purpose. Guidelines for Facilitators: What then, is a Political Campaign? Encourage participants to brainstorm this question before going on to: A Political Campaign is when a person or group of people is promoted both within and outside of the party with a view to getting them elected to political office. Well-known faces are more visible and therefore using them may make it easier to reach voters. The opposite can also be true. Guidelines for Facilitators: Say: for any campaign to go smoothly and successfully there must be a Campaign Plan. What do you think is a Campaign Plan? Take a few responses then go on to: A Campaign plan can be compared to a business plan written for an enterprise. It is a well thought out document giving details of how every aspect of the campaign or political enterprise will be handled. Campaign planning is about developing a plan and animating it. It is a living process that responds to the changing challenges of the electoral bid. It outlines the following strategies: , How to market yourself as a woman , How you intend to address the concerns of members in your constituency , How and where to Identify resources , The campaign schedule that will be adopted , The message or messages that you will develop , Various methods or ways in which you as a candidate will address the public , What makes for a successful candidate Guidelines for Facilitators: Let us now create our campaign plan by reading through a dialogue between Mamei, a successful candidate at the last election and Jurai who is making a first attempt to run. Ask participants to break into five groups. Explain that each group becomes a mini-party, which will work as a team. Ask each group or mini-party to choose a name for the party and select a candidate. Ask participants to think of how they would develop their candidate?s campaign plan as the dialogue is read through. Tell them that at the end of this session, each group will be expected to write their plan. Jurai: What is a campaign plan? Mamei: A campaign plan is not a plan unless it is written down. It is a management tool that provides quantifiable means of measuring progress (or lack of progress). It keeps campaign teams focused on their goals and keeps a campaign pro-active instead of reactive, even in the face of disaster. Components of a Campaign Plan: 27 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone It comprises: , Identify voter?s needs , Develop campaign messages , Draft budget and identify resources , Prepare schedule for the campaign , Prepare voter?s list , Train and mobilize volunteers and party workers , Make contact with voters , Monitor the implementation of the campaign Jurai: This sounds like a very demanding job, Mamei. What steps should I take to know my voters and identify their needs? Mamei: Before I ran a campaign and won in the last election, which has now enabled me to conduct the great projects you admire, I first engaged in research to know my voters and identify their concerns. You can identify voters, their concerns and problems by information gathering and conducting surveys. I asked the voters what they wanted. , What projects do you want to see conducted in your community? , What type of leader are you interested in? , What do you see as the most pressing local issues/problems? I also tried to identify which individual voters had decided on whom they will vote for and those that were undecided. I paid courtesy visits to the voters that had voted for my party in the last elections. I tried to keep these loyal voters happy and then focused the rest of my campaigning on the undecided voters. Please DO NOT WASTE TIME on voters who have already made up their minds. Your job is to persuade your loyal voters to vote for you. You need to use the voters? list, scan your environment and make an informed decision on which areas of your constituency are critical to your election victory. Jurai: How can I use the voters? list and scan my environment? This scares me hmmmmm!! All that work??? 28 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Mamei: I used the voters? list to map and target voters. When working with the party to design a campaign strategy, it is important that you try to know who your target voters are. You can ask the National Electoral Commission for the voters? list. I used this list to figure out where my base of support is and which areas in my constituency are critical to my electoral victory. It also helped me to know my opponent?s base support, high and low priority areas, swing vote areas and undecided voters. When reviewing the voters? list, I considered people who live in all the different areas, and who voted in the last election. I also took into account the allegiance of voters to the different political parties. Jurai: What did you do next? Mamei: I developed my Campaign Message I based my Campaign messages and slogans on three things: 1.) the needs of the people in my constituency 2.) my proposed mission and 3.) the actions of the current government. My messages were short, sweet and to the point. After developing my campaign message, I used it throughout the campaign and prominently displayed it on pamphlets, posters, handbills etc. Later, I will give you detailed guidelines on how to develop your message and if I am in a good mood, I will help you develop both your message and slogan. Jurai: Yes teacher, what else is there to do?? Mamei: Identify Important Needs for Campaigning. There are several things that are necessary for running a campaign. To run for elections now that you have received the party ticket, you must form a team, must have a message and you must have a means for getting it out. Make sure that the following items get covered: pamphlets, volunteers, campaign message, transportation, setting up a campaign team and organise volunteers Jurai : Set up a campaign team and organise volunteers? What?s that? 29 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Mamei: I set up a campaign team and organized a volunteer team. Running a campaign is like heading a village, an organisation or even a country. You can?t do it alone. Setting up your campaign team and organising your volunteers are important parts of running a campaign. Although the entire exercise is hard work, it will pay off because as a candidate your role is to meet people and persuade them to vote for you and not to manage the campaign. Working with a team is an important skill to learn, especially for elected officials. Your campaign needs an efficient staff that can work together as a team, with clear lines of responsibilities and with the campaign manager as the team leader. Communication and cooperation between team members and sharing resources are essential to the success of your campaign. You must appoint knowledgeable, dedicated and reliable people to important roles 30 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone in the campaign. The key players must have a solid relationship with you and with each other. In my campaign I assigned the following roles and defined them: Campaign Manager Appears for the candidate if and when there is conflict in schedules . Implements campaign plan . Directs spending of funds . Briefs Candidate on all issues . Is in charge of the rest of the staff Finance Manager . Personally appointed by the candidate and preferably from the family . Develops fundraising plan and monitors its implementation . Manages the budget in consultation with the candidate and campaign team. Scheduler A scheduler is the person who keeps the schedule of the candidate. As a rule of the thumb, the candidate should only follow the schedule provided by the scheduler - not any other. The job of a scheduler is to: ensure that the candidate meets targeted voters . prepares and animates schedule for the candidate . selects prime opportunities for the candidate . manages invitations . conducts scheduling meetings . arranges travel companions for the candidates . briefs candidate on schedule Media Secretary . Have connections with the media . Prepares media releases . Responds to media enquiries Office Manager . Oversees operations at the campaign headquarters . Interfaces with the important players in the campaign and becomes the link person. . Handles all communication Look first to friends, relatives, and neighbours when you are building your team and volunteer base. You should also make sure that everyone working on your campaign knows your messages and supports what you stand for. (The better people understand what your campaign is about, the better they can represent you when speaking to prospective voters.) , Don?t bribe people into working on your campaign. If you run out of money at a crucial stage of your campaign, people might leave you when you need them most. 31 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Show your appreciation to people who volunteer their time for your cause. If you are campaigning door-to-door or receiving help hanging posters around the village – offer your campaign workers refreshments or snacks. , Be organized with campaign workers. , Provide clear expectations and instructions for volunteers and fundraisers. Jurai: Ballu told me the last time that I need a lot of money for my campaign. Is that true? Mamei: Yes, running a campaign requires money. Money must be secured for nomination fees and candidate deposits, pamphlets, party materials and provisions for transport and volunteers. Consider how you have funded your past campaigns. I am sure you realise that budgeting is an important part of planning a campaign. Now, let us think about the different sources of campaign funds and how your party funds candidates. Find out what fees your party will cover and what must be borne by you, the candidate? Jurai: And????? 32 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Mamei: I developed my Campaign Schedule. To be a good candidate you need to think ahead and develop a plan for the future. Winning candidates plan ahead and create “campaign plans.” A “campaign plan” lists out all necessary campaign activities and often includes a timeline for conducting such activities. Jurai: And????? Mamei: I am tired of explaining. Now review the steps to campaign management in 20 minutes. List the different aspects of running a campaign. The list should include: , Identify voters? needs , List personal strengths/weaknesses , List opponent?s strengths/weaknesses , Develop a campaign schedule , Solicit campaign helpers/friends/volunteers , Develop a message Campaign in the are necessary. Now create your own campaign plan. Use these blank schedule forms. Jurai: Is this all? Will I win? Mamei: You will if you: Monitor the implementation of the campaign plan regularly. Once you have developed a campaign plan and launched your campaign, monitoring the implementation of the plan is easy. On a weekly basis, revisit your campaign plan. Ask yourself the following questions: , Have I developed clear campaign messages? , Do all of my campaign workers understand my messages? , How closely have I followed my campaign schedule? , Do I know which voters I need to reach? , Am I keeping track of the voters I have contacted? , Have I been out in the villages and towns visiting water taps, schools and markets? , Have I been working closely with my political party when campaigning in the villages and towns? , What work remains to be completed before Election Day? , Are activities ahead of or behind schedule? Small Group Breakout Session Guidelines for Facilitators: For this activity ask participants to break up into their 5 mini-parties and write a campaign plan. As a guideline, ask them to decide what their campaign material will be, who their target is, how they will get resources, what their priorities are and how they will win. You have 20 minutes to do this. 33 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Report Back Session Guidelines for Facilitators: Allot each group 20 minutes to present its campaign plan. 34 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone CHAPTER SEVEN DEVELOP YOUR CAMPAIGN MESSAGE Overview of the session The objective of this chapter is to teach participants about the importance of message development and review techniques for developing a message. Preparing materials: Participants must bring the materials necessary for making campaign signs, pamphlets, tee shirts etc Activity: Developing clear messages for the public Guidelines for Facilitators: In order to demonstrate the importance of creating good, clear messages try the following activity. Ask participants to sit in a circle. The facilitator starts the exercise by whispering a message about a candidate in one woman?s ear. Make sure this message is long and complicated. For example, “Jurai is running for parliament; she has successfully completed education projects in the Bombali District. She cares about you and your family. Vote for her.” Write the message down so you don?t forget it, but don?t show it to anyone. Ask the women to pass this message on word-for-word as quietly as possible. When the message reaches the last woman in the circle, ask her to say it out loud. Tell the group what the original message was (usually it will be quite different). Try the activity again with a different short message. For example “Education first with Jurai.” Circulate the message in the same way. Try this activity one last time. The final time circulate a simple message and repeat it 2-3 times. For example, “Mamei improving economic opportunities for all villagers! Mamei improving economic opportunities for all villagers! Mamei improving economic opportunities for all villagers!” Discuss with participants what this activity reveals about how messages get passed. Ask the women the following questions: , Which message passed most clearly through the circle? Why? , What was wrong/right with the first message? , How is the circle of women like a village? , Do messages get easily confused in the village? , What does this activity teach us about creating campaign messages? 35 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone At the end of this training activity participants should understand the following two things about creating messages: , SHORT IS SWEET. , REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT YOUR MESSAGE! Why Develop a Campaign Message? Guidelines for Facilitators: You must develop a campaign message so you can connect with your voters on a personal and emotional level by acknowledging their concerns. Your decision to represent your community should suggest that you know a great deal about the issues that it faces. It is important to use the research you have done and the knowledge you have gained to convince voters that you have the best solutions to the problems that face them and that you will fight to make their lives easier. It is important to remember that the campaign is not only about public policy, such as environmental issues or women?s issues. Voters also have day-to- day concerns about economic conditions and personal security, about the ability to have an effect on the quality of life in their communities and about being in control of their lives. In almost every community the real concerns of the electorate as a whole and of individual voters is what the candidate must connect with. You must also consider your own priority concerns because these are what you are passionate about and what motivate you. A sensitive matching of the candidate?s own priorities concerns with those of the electorate will produce the three issues that can best be worked into the campaign message and plan. Take note that other issues will inevitably enter the campaign. It will be necessary for the candidate to be knowledgeable about a number of these other “secondary” issues” which are not stressed in the theme. Jurai Kamara will work for you. We need a cleaner community and safer roads and bridges. As a parliamentarian, Jurai Kamara will work to clean up our community and get the garbage out of our streets and out of our drainages. If elected, Jurai Kamara will also ensure that roads and bridges are repaired on a regular basis to make them safe. Together we can make it happen. thVote for Jurai Kamara on the 25 of October. Jurai Kamara will work for you 36 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Exercise: Issues Affecting Your Community Guidelines for Facilitators: From the research you have done, list the issues that affect your community the most, including issues that are your own priority concerns. Remember that the undecided/maybe voters are your most important voters. Be sure to include the issues that are most significant to them. Allow 10 minutes for this exercise. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Guidelines for Facilitators: Where your priority issues intersect with the concerns of the voters, you have identified the THREE MAIN ISSUES that you are going to talk about every single day until Election Day. 1. 2. 3. 37 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Outline some solutions and a plan of action for each of the 3 main issues: Voters want to hear you speak about 3 issues that are important to them and not 10 random issues that they don?t necessarily care about. The more focused candidate wins. Writing Your Campaign Message Guidelines for Facilitators: Your campaign needs to tie all this information into an organized package that will make sense to the people you are appealing to. Your campaign needs a CAMPAIGN MESSAGE. A campaign message answers the question: “Why should I vote for you instead of your opponents?” Writing your campaign message clarifies your position and articulates your campaign platform to your potential voters. A Good Campaign Message is: Short – the shorter the better. If you lose a voter?s attention, you will lose their vote. Truthful – nobody wants to vote for a liar. Speak the truth. Credible – talk about things you know about, not things you don?t. Significant – talk about something that voters care about. Clear – simple and straightforward is always best. SLOGANS AND YOUR CAMPAIGN MESSAGE Guidelines for Facilitators: Add that campaigns often use songs, slogans and phrases in their campaign message and on all of their campaign materials. This becomes something that the candidate is associated with. Examples of slogans: Jurai Kamara: Improving economic opportunities for all villagers! Health and Education first with Jurai Kamara! Jurai Kamara for a vibrant community! CANDIDATE’S NAME Guidelines for Facilitators: Not everyone in your community will know your name but it is your name that voters have to put their mark beside on Election Day. Part of your campaign message must be to tell them your name. In fact, the first and last thing that you should say is your name. Begin and end your campaign message by telling voters your name. It is your name they have to remember at the polls on Election Day. 38 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Write a song that will be appropriate for your party or your campaign. Activity: Writing Your Campaign Message Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to compose a short message connecting the candidate to the voters, by identifying the shared priority concerns of the candidate and the voters. If possible they should contrast their candidate?s solutions with those of their opponent. Go on to: Your campaign message should answer the question: Why should I vote for you instead of your opponents? It should include your Name, your Three Main Issues, a short catchy phrase for voters to remember you by and a reminder that Election Day is X date. It is useful to practise delivering your campaign message with family, friends and campaign staff before going out and doing voter contact. Guidelines for Facilitators: Go over the points to message creation with the participants. Read over the example. Ask each group to create one example. Ask the women to provide feedback on each other?s messages. Go on to: Activity: Ask each group to: 1) Identify their problems: Talk to voters throughout the villages and towns and identify their concerns. 2) Develop solutions: Think of ways to solve the voters' problems. 3) Identify the government?s Actions: What has the government done to improve the situation? How can the government do a better job in addressing this problem? 4) Create their message: Think of a message that addresses the voters? concerns and highlights your solutions and strengths. Here is an example (Display on flip chart or overhead projector ): 1. Problem: Many people in the village do not have enough money to buy kerosine, salt and other basic items. 2. Solution: Small income generating activities should be initiated to improve the economic status of the villagers. 3. Government?s Response: The Government has ignored the problem. Many Government members have no problem buying goods or finding money to conduct home improvements. Little has been done to help many villagers who are struggling financially 39 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone because addressing the village?s economic situation has not been a priority for Government members. Message: Jurai: “improving economic opportunities for all." . Activity: Creating Campaign Messages (1 hr.) Guidelines for Facilitators: Say: now that we have discussed the steps to creating a campaign message, I want you to use the following case study to practise creating campaign messages. The „candidate? should read the case study aloud and the other group members should help her in developing a message using the steps listed above. 40 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Case Study 1 In Makeni there are many problems. The school building is falling down and only half of the village children attend school. The health post is closed most of the time and the medicines available have expired. The people in the village have to walk far to get water as there are only a few hand pumps available and they hardly ever run. The water in the reservoir is almost always low so water cannot flow to the community. Some of the citizens have conducted a needs assessment and have prioritized the needs of the community. The committee has had many, many meetings to discuss the village problems but to date no action has been taken. When the citizens ask that something be done, the committee members say that they are still studying the problem or they are making a plan to take action in future. Activity : Designing winning campaign messages (40 min.) Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask each „candidate? to read the message that her group created. After ensuring that participants understand how to design messages, conduct an activity where the women get to make advertisements using their sample messages. Provide art materials and have the women design posters/banners with their messages. An alternative to this activity is to share a “party message” with the group. Using a “party message” such as: “With the Sierra Leone Victory Party- Health, Education and Prosperity Win,” posters, banners, t-shirts, can be made. Ask participants to create party songs. 41 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone CHAPTER EIGHT LET’S CAMPAIGN! Overview of the session The objective of this session is to strengthen participants? knowledge of how to campaign in Sierra Leone. It provides detailed guidelines on how to identify and reach out to your target voters and discusses positive and negative features of a political campaign. Identify Your Target Voters Guidelines for Facilitators: A good campaign strategy is simply a definition of "how you will win". It must answer the question: “Who will vote for me, and why will they vote for me?". Targeting is the process of identifying and courting voters who are key to the victory of a candidate. It is about identifying the voters who will 'make you win' and those that are unimportant to your campaign. Targeting must be done early, as the process of courting voters must begin early. You also need the current voter registration records and a map of the constituency or ward in which you want to run. These records will give you an idea of voting trends in past elections. This should also be able to give you an indication that past voting trends may be repeated in the current election. In order to study these trends and to make accurate calculations, you need to look at data from not less than three elections. Once you have defined your targeted voters, you can direct all your time, money, effort and message to these voters and not on your opponent's stronghold. You will also be able to make an informed decision on which areas in your constituency are critical to your electoral victory. You should be able to identify your base support in the constituency and also your opponents? base support, high and low priority areas, swing vote areas and undecided voters. After identifying these, you should be able to develop a strategy on how to apply resources to the areas with the highest 'vote-value' for your campaign. You can Identify your Target Voters through: 1. Questionnaires 2. Door-to-door canvassing 3. Voters lists 4. Research 1. Questionnaires One way of identifying potential voters is by conducting a questionnaire on a sample basis. A questionnaire may assist you in identifying target voters by 42 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone giving you information about which issues are the most important in your community. In your questionnaire ask questions about issues such as education, health, jobs, sanitation, etc. 2. Door-to-door canvassing. Here volunteers begin the campaign?s voter contact by going door-to-door to talk to voters and introduce the campaign. Door-to-door canvassing can be a very effective Identify and Reach way of identifying your voters. It enables the candidate to get your message out, listen to the out to target Voters through: needs of the public and show your dedication as a candidate. It also enables the campaign to identify 1. Questionnaires the yes and no voters and to locate 2. Door-to-door canvassing undecided/maybe voters so that special strategies to persuade them to become yes voters can be 3. Voters lists developed. Remember not to spend time or resources trying to convince no-voters to vote for 4. Research you. , Speak with the voters at their homes, the market, the water tap, well and at public meetings, in other words, anywhere where they can be targeted. 43 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Address the voters with a greeting and establish your relationship with them , Talk about your accomplishments and experience , Tell them how you will improve the village , Speak in the local language Be polite and speak clearly , Have the candidate and campaign volunteers going door-to-door talking to voters. Voters are most influenced by a personal meeting with the candidate Note that given the volatile nature of politics in Sierra Leone, people may feel uncomfortable talking about politics or disclosing their political affiliations. Thus asking people to identify the party or candidate they support might not always be advisable. You will have to judge carefully whether direct questioning is the most effective way for your campaign to determine who your yes, no and undecided/maybe voters are. You may ask questions that are less direct, yet their response may still provide you with a good indication of whether the voter has made a decision about who they are going to vote for. For example, if you ask if a voter has volunteered or has donated money to a political campaign in the past, their response may be very telling. People who have not volunteered or have not donated money could be undecided/maybe voters. 3. Voters Lists. One of the first steps in your voter identification campaign is to find detailed lists of voters in the community. Lists of voters who voted in the last two or three elections are available at the National Electoral Commission (NEC). During elections, NEC facilitates the monitoring of polls by local and international observers. The political parties also have observers monitoring the polls. Observers develop lists that identify who registered to vote and whether they actually voted. Analyse the voter lists for the last three elections, if this information is available. You will be able to get a sense of the frequency with which people vote or of voting patterns in particular areas. You can use this information to identify infrequent voters. Infrequent voters tend to be undecided or swing voters. Studies in other countries show that marginalized groups tend to be infrequent voters. Marginalized groups include women, youth, and disabled voters. You may be able to identify groups or areas with low voter turnout in Sierra Leone and target your campaign accordingly. 44 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone When you prepare your voter outreach plan, consider developing special education and advocacy programs to reach those infrequent voters. Your campaign should show these voters that if they vote together, they could be part of a voting block, lobbying for services and commitments for their neighbourhood. 5. Research. The following sources are also useful in helping you identify your voters: , Public opinion survey information , Census reports , Community responses to specific issues , Information about who lives in the community Reach Out to your , Studies, reports and proposals done by international organizations Voters through: 1. Community Meetings Reach Out to Your Voters 2. ‘Walk-abouts’ You can reach out to your voters through: 3. public relations 1. Community meetings campaign 2. „Walk-abouts? 3. Public relations 1. Community meetings Community meetings allow you to reach a cross-section of the community and hear their views on various issues. At a community meeting, you can take the opportunity to deliver your campaign message and talk about the solutions you are proposing for the issues they raise. 2. ‘Walk Abouts’ The candidate and/or volunteers can also target areas where people gather such as bus stops and lorry parks and markets to talk to voters and distribute campaign literature. If you are trying to reach a particular segment of the population, think creatively about where you do your „walk about?. For example, if you are trying to reach working mothers, you might focus on going to day care centres or schools at pick-up and drop off times. Activity: Developing Voter Contact skills (20 min.) Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to write twice, each of the tips listed above on small pieces of paper. Distribute the pieces to the women at random, or have them pick them out of a hat. Ask the women to find the other person in the room with the same training tip. Ask two women to stand up and demonstrate a good introduction versus a bad introduction. Encourage the women to use these voter contact tips. 45 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Note: Not all tips have to be covered in this exercise. After the exercise discuss the women's demonstrations. Let the participants discuss the dos and dont?s of voter contact. 46 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 47 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 3. Public Relations Campaign - Visibility Guidelines for Facilitators: Say: Visibility is about making sure that you have a public image. People should recognise you wherever you go. There are a number of ways to catch the voter?s attention. For example: , Signs at houses , Posters on poles , Billboards , Bumper stickers , Volunteers waving at traffic with placards , Decorated vehicles driving through the community, with a loudspeaker The goal of a visibility activity is to remind voters about your campaign and what you stand for. Guidelines for Facilitators: It is very important that you prioritise your activities, be they campaign events or not. This ensures that you do not waste valuable campaign time on what is unimportant. See how organised you are by ranking the following activities in order of sequence to ensure that the event will be effective and successful. The Political Campaign Features of Political Campaigns in Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Say:Political campaigns in this country have always been marred by violence and disruption of normal activities. It is largely for this reason that women have been hesitant about jumping on the political bandwagon as candidates seeking election. It is also not uncommon for candidates to pay out large sums of money to people who would go out of their way to physically and verbally attack their preferred candidate?s opponents. Ironically, it is women who will change all this. The more women candidates there are the greater the chances of our having free, fair and violence-free elections. Women are natural peace-builders and would rather go for the peaceful option than make war. Activity: Group Discussion Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask participants to compare the last two political campaigns in Sierra Leone when the country was still at war with previous campaigns. Issue Campaigns in Sierra Leone In Sierra Leone, voters tend to vote based on tradition, habit, tribe and fear. However, there may be many voters who are disenchanted with the parties or your opponents and are willing to consider alternatives. An issues-based campaign is one way of attracting the attention of these voters. 48 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone We do not have a history of issue campaigning in Sierra Leone. People do not demand information on issues that are important to them and politicians do not as a rule provide it. Furthermore, the current blame game and practice of mud-slinging has led to discontent with the whole process. In a functioning democracy people should know what the government or locally elected authorities plan to do about issues that are important to them and demand results and information. Spending time learning about the concerns of the voters and talking to them about their concerns will assist in moving towards a more issues-oriented campaign. Activity: Group Discussion: Features of Political Campaigns in Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Continue the dialogue and discuss the positive and negative features of political campaigns in Sierra Leone. Some of the following points may come up as political campaigns in Sierra Leone: , Nasty personal comments/mud-slinging , Candidates/parties listing the failures of the other candidates/parties , Issues addressed , Promises , Visibility and promotion of candidate , Public works projects more evident , Increased visibility of politicians , Communities increasingly polarized , Increase in physical violence , Dread and fear in community Highlight the following points when facilitating a discussion about the positive and negative features of political campaigns in Sierra Leone: Positive features of political campaigns in Sierra Leone: , Long outstanding issues are identified during this period , Public works projects are initiated/completed leading up to election (roads, bridge repair, etc.) , Politicians are more visible and accessible What is the purpose? , To get the party or candidate elected Who benefits? , Residents (their concerns are given some attention) , Community as a whole (public works projects get completed) , Politicians (they could get elected) , Special interest groups (their interests are given attention) Negative features of political campaigns in Sierra Leone: , Physical violence, fear/dread in the community 49 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Polarization in community , Ethnic &Tribal strife , Political strife What is the purpose? , To coerce people into voting for a particular candidate or party. Who benefits? , Party or candidate who gets elected by voters swayed by fear and tribal/ethnic tensions , A particular community may benefit, depending on which party or candidate gets elected; but it is not a long-term benefit and it does not benefit the greater community. Activity: Group Discussion: More Positive Political Behaviour Guidelines for Facilitators: The above discussion about different features of a political campaign should lead into a discussion about more positive political behaviour. Facilitate this discussion, based on the following points: , Research issues , Consultation with community members , Citizen participation , Transparency , Accountability Then go on to: How can women create more positive political behaviour? They can do this by: , Preparing carefully and thoughtfully. , Responding to community needs. , Conducting a campaign based on issues. , Involving citizens in advisory committees, citizen?s groups, etc. , Making public statements critical of negative campaigns. , Forming cross-party caucuses. , Women?s sections lobbying parties on issues. , Women?s sections organizing themselves to take a stand on changing political behaviour. , Educating the party on the benefits of more positive political behaviour. , Returning to the community post-election, and continuing the dialogue with community members, including thanking them for their efforts during the campaign. The Pros and Cons of Women Creating Different Political Behaviours: Pros: , A more stable and responsive political environment. , Freedom to really make changes in the community. , Healthy debate/discussions on important issues. Cons: 50 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , They may be ostracized or ridiculed for suggesting change. , They chances for moving up in the ranks of their party, if applicable, may be limited. , They may be passed over for opportunities. Guidelines for Facilitators: Remind participants that there are risks in trying to make substantive changes; however, if they work with other women in their party and their constituents, it will be very difficult for the party to sideline them. Cite as an example, Winnie Mandela and the African National Congress. 51 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone CHAPTER NINE SPEAK IN PUBLIC Overview of the session The objective of this session is to help you prepare, write and present good campaign speeches. Guidelines for Facilitators: Start by explaining that speaking well in public is an important part of campaigning. By speaking with groups of people, you are able to reach many voters at once. This also allows you to demonstrate that you can communicate with a large group of people, this being an important part of being an elected representative. The best way to improve public speaking skills is through practice, practice, and more practice. How you present yourself is as important as what you present. For any presentation you have to prepare. Preparation , Decide what objective you want to achieve. Ask yourself: why am I giving this presentation? Why have they asked me? What do I hope to achieve?, How can I make it interesting? , Decide on the framework for your presentation. You should plan in advance the order of, and logical connection between the points you are going to put across. Your presentation should be a series of interconnecting parts, each capable of standing on its own. The interconnecting parts should link. Decide on the plan and structure of the subject matter and how you are going to present in. In general, your presentation will be more effective if it has a consistent theme, clear objectives and definable sections, which your audience can understand. Your presentation should have three parts: 1. The Introduction: This where you make contact with the audience, introduce the subject and state the main theme. For example: Good and Bad examples of opening lines to a group of voters Good- How is my proposed agenda going to improve your living conditions? Audience will immediately get interested in what you have to say. Not Good - I am going to tell you about the agenda that I have developed for my election campaign. This is boring. 52 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Good - The other day, I was discussing the problems we are experiencing as a result of the new Local Government Act. This is informal but can provoke interest. Not Good - I am here to persuade you to vote for me, because you need me. This might evoke a hostile response such as “No, you we don?t”. Good - All this talk about retrenchment. Is it really true that the transitional government has no money to pay its employees? Shocking, but could arouse interest. Not Good – If my proposals are adopted, employment opportunities could increase by 25% … (Do not bring numbers and statistics at the beginning). or First I would like to apologize … Your audience will doubt your ability and will consider it an unprofessional presentation) 2. The Development: where you explain the theme in detail and develop your arguments. 3. The Conclusion - where you summarize the main theme and make recommendations if necessary. 4. Your Audience Assess the level of motivation of your audience. Monitor your audience?s receptiveness. Look out for any signs of hostility. Decide on the approach. There are always heclers or booers at political gatherings and you must prepare yourself for them. Remember that your main objective is to market yourself. Try to deal with them as you would anyone else. Remain calm, keep smiling, and be sincere and natural. Be enthusiastic, pleasant and friendly. Use humour appropriately. Activity: Role Play Role Play 1 Mamei: So, as I was saying, if you vote for more women… Jurai: Just get out. You are all thieves. You just want to wear fine clothes and drive big cars with the money you have stolen. After we?ve voted for you, you will forget all about us and we will always be poor and out of work. Mamei: Who are you calling a thief? Jurai: You! (the crowd cheers) Mamei: (Advances threateningly) If you call me a thief once more, I?ll show you who I am! 53 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone (They advance on each other. People from the crowd struggle to keep them apart) Role Play 2 Mamei: So, as I was saying, if you vote for more women… Jurai: Just get out. You are all thieves. You just want to wear fine clothes and drive big cars with the money you have stolen. After we?ve voted for you, you will forget all about us and we will always be poor and out of work. Mamei: My friend, I know how you feel. This is how things have been in the past but we want to change all that. That?s why I?m here. Jurai: It?s all lies. You just want to ride big cars and wear fine clothes with the country?s money. Mamei: (Persuasively) Why don?t you try me first? Everybody is not the same, you know. Mr Gibril Sesay: I agree. Let?s give a woman the chance this time. Women are our mothers and sisters Many people from the crowd nod in agreement Guidelines for Facilitators: Let us now discuss the plays by comparing how the candidate and the crowd behave in both instances. Then move on to: Let us Go over the following tips for speaking in public: When speaking with voters, make sure you follow these guidelines: , Speak slowly and clearly , Stay focused on the topic , Keep your speeches short , Share personal stories and examples , Speak loudly , Make eye contact with your voters , Be relaxed and confident , Stand straight , Use some humor , Know your topic , Repeat your campaign message , Do not argue with heclers or booers 54 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Activity: Practise How to Speak in Public (20 min.) Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask two participants to stand up and demonstrate a good introduction to a speech. Ask another two participants to demonstrate poor ways to start a speech. To lead off the group, you can go first. Good example: Standing straight and making eye contact, introduce yourself loudly and clearly stating your name, party and purpose for speaking. Bad example: Wringing your hands, speaking softly and looking at the ground, start on a speech about how you should win the election. You can continue this game for as long as you want. Pick different aspects of delivering good speeches and have women demonstrate these good and bad habits for giving speeches. 55 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone , Writing Good Speeches Below Mamei discusses her secret for giving good speeches. Read through this section out aloud. Dear Mamei, You have inspired me and I am running for the general election this time. I know that in order to win the election, my speeches must convince voters to support me. However, I am shy and have never spoken in front of a group of people. Could you please tell me how you deliver such good speeches? Sincerely, Jurai Dear Jurai: I understand your fear of public speaking since I also had those same fears before I ran for office. To be a good public speaker you must be able to speak confidently and clearly in order to grab people?s attention. To deliver excellent speeches you need to be able to speak about the problems of the constituency and ways you will solve them. To be successful, you must practise often. Here are six simple steps for you to follow when giving a speech and an example of how I used these six steps to compose one of my campaign speeches. 1. Establish your relationship with the voters by discussing a shared concern. "Hello. My name is Jurai and I am a candidate for a position in the forthcoming general election in October. I want to talk to you about problems that I can solve if you elect me. One of the concerns I share with you is our constituency?s financial problems. Everyday, I see my brothers and sisters having a difficult time finding the money to buy oil or salt in the market . . .” 2. State the problem, how it affects the voters, and support it with evidence. "… I have observed a great number of people who are having many difficulties raising enough money to get by. The people of this constituency do not have enough opportunities for raising money. Many voters have shared with me their struggle for cash and their frustration because there are no opportunities for making money here.” 3. State your position on the issue. "…I believe that we must make small scale income generation our top priority. If I win this election, I promise to improve our constituency by bringing more income generating opportunities here. I will work to increase the opportunity for people to gain extra income." 56 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 4. Identify the opponent and link the opponent with the problem. "…My opponent is not concerned with the financial struggles you face. Unlike him, I believe every citizen must have the opportunity to make enough money for his/her family. These are hard economic times and we need action now. If you vote for me, I will take action immediately…" 5. Give your solution to the problems and show how it benefits the voters. "… If I am elected I will work to involve more people in small income generating projects. As soon as people get more involved in income generating programs, their financial problems will improve." 6. Show the voters how the constituency would be if this problem were solved. "…In closing, I want you to imagine what our constituency could be like if I am elected. There will be effectively monitored income generation projects providing people the extra money they need to supplement their farming. People will not be struggling just to meet their basic needs. So vote for me so that I can make this vision of a wealthier, happier people come true." "…Lastly, I would like to say that your valuable vote would provide me an opportunity to work for the development of our village. In order to help me improve our economic situation, I urge you to vote for me." Jurai, if you follow my advice and example, I am sure you will be able to give winning speeches. Best of Luck, Mamei Activity: Refining speaking skills Guidelines for Facilitators: Using the messages you have developed, practise developing speeches. You need time to prepare your speeches. You will be given an opportunity to present your speech in front of the group. Following the presentations, we will discuss the strengths and areas for improvement of the your speeches. Note: This activity can be repeated throughout the training. Giving a Speech Guidelines for Facilitators: Most people are terrified of giving a speech. However, being well prepared is the key to minimizing your fear of public speaking. Including your own passion, personality and sense of mission is also very effective. Concentrate on the issues, not on your nervousness. And be relaxed. Be yourself and concentrate on getting your message across clearly and concisely. Let your enthusiasm and commitment shine through. Go on to: 57 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Additional Tips for making an effective speech: , Talk to the audience. Speak about issues of concern to your community. , Be brief. Make your point as concisely as possible. Start with the most important information first, then expand and give background information after. , Be upbeat. Do not complain about the problems. Your audience knows what the problems are; they have come to hear your solutions. Be confident and let the audience know how you are going to develop solutions to the problems. , Take the high ground. Don?t engage in mud-slinging with your opponent. Tell your voters who you are; what you are about; and what you stand for. Your opponent may be corrupt and dishonest but let the voters find that out for themselves. They will decide for themselves who is the better candidate. , Always return to your message: At the end of your speech, always return to your campaign message. , Always ask for questions: If you are speaking to a very large group, asking for questions from the audience may not be practical. However, with small groups, it is almost always a good thing to do. It allows you to zero in on what the audience is most concerned about. Questions and Answers: The question-and-answer period is often challenging. Here are some tips for the Qs and As: , Be sure you understand the question. One effective way of doing that is to repeat the question. , Be honest. Say exactly what you believe, not what you think the audience wants to hear. , Say, “I don?t know.” When you don?t know the answer, say that you don?t know. You can say, “I haven?t thought about that, but it is a good point, and I am going to do some research.” Get the contact information of the person asking the question and get back to her or him. Voters will not expect you to know everything but they will expect you to be honest. , Do not get into a debate with a questioner. Avoid falling into traps set by some members of the audience or media. If in doubt, return to your basic campaign message. DAMAGE CONTROL: What to do if you or your campaign is accused of something 58 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Guidelines for Facilitators: Sometimes other candidates, organizations or individuals may accuse the candidate or party of doing something wrong. If they are right and the candidate or party actually DID something wrong, the campaign owes it to its members, supporters and voters to tell the truth. If the party or candidates did NOT do what they are accused of, then the campaign must clear things up in the public eye. Either way, your campaign does not want this problem to fester. Consider taking the following steps if your campaign is accused of something: , Contact the media and hold a press conference immediately , Express the campaign or party?s concern about what MAY have happened , Promise to look into it and suggest a general timeline for the investigation , Promise to release details of the investigation , Stress that the accusation may be false , Promise to review the final investigation report and say you will set things right if the allegations are true , Always report back the results of the investigation to the media/public in a timely manner. CHAPTER TEN RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN 59 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone “The issue of access to funding for strategic initiatives in Africa is vital if all the gains that have been made … are to be sustained.” (African Women’s Development Fund) Overview of the session The objective of this session is to provide guidelines on how to raise funds for your Campaign. It deals with questions you might ask about how important fundraising is, how to fundraise, and different ways of raising funds from Donors and the Local Community. Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask two participants to read out the following play on fundraising. Mamei: One of the most important things, if not the most important thing you have to do when planning your political campaign, is to take stock of your financial resources. Bearing in mind that even the wealthiest people in the wealthy nations of the world go on fundraising drives to increase their finances, you too should make adequate preparation for this. Don?t make the mistake of planning occasions for raising funds without first determining exactly what you would need money for and approximately how much. Jurai: Hmm. Fundraising has to do with money, doesn?t it? That?s one of my greatest problems. I don?t like asking people for money and I don?t know how to go about finding it. Mamei: It?s not as difficult as you think, really. The first thing you need to do is to draw up a budget. This is where you put down everything for which you will need money. Here I?ve made a sample budget for you. It is just an outline and you might come up with other things that are not included here. Jurai: Thank you. But first of all tell me what a budget is. Mamei: A budget is defined as: „the money that is available to a person, group or organisation and a plan of how it will be spent over a period of time.? It is absolutely necessary to know the skill of budgeting. You cannot just request funds without proper planning. Budget is therefore the principal tool that you have to use to demonstrate to the donors that you really know what you want. Jurai: When am I going to learn all this? It will take ages. Mamei: No, it won?t. I?m sure you make little budgets all the time. For instance, before you do your household shopping for the month, I?m sure you make a list of all the things you need to get so that you can spend your money in the best way possible. 60 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Jurai: Yes, yes, I make lists all the time. I even include the wages of my baby?s nanny and the man that helps me clean my compound. Mamei: Exactly. Simply put, that?s what a budget is and that?s what you need for your campaign. With a budget you can campaign more effectively because you know how much money you have and what you are going to spend it on. Now let?s take a look at the sample budget. Budget for Campaign from December 2006 to November 2007 Public Relations Officer (Full time) quote salary for 6 months. Secretary (Full time) quote salary for 6 months Clerk/Messenger (Full time) Salary for 6 months Accounting Officer (part time) 1 Computer/Printer/UPS (*As footnote give recommended prices including cost of installation) 1 Manual typewriter Or 1 generator Communications: i.e. telephone, mobile, fax, e-mail Utilities – water, electricity, and fuel for generator Auditing of Accounts. (Ensure that a proper financial management system is put in place.) Fundraising activities Travel: Regional/International (* as footnote quote prices from reputable travel agencies or others) Entertainment Publicity: Print and electronic media leaflets, brochures, etc. Tips Mamei: Do you think you can draw up your own budget now? Jurai: Yes, I think I?d like to try. Mamei: Good. Just remember that it is important to be very honest when drawing up your budget so that anyone who picks it up will see that it is not meant to get money into your pocket but to put resources into the coffers for your campaign. Activity: individual /Group work Guidelines for Facilitators: Let us now draw up a budget for our campaign. Ask each participant to draw up a rough budget of her own. They should then go into small groups to discuss each other?s budget and see how they can be improved upon. Go round to each group to offer help. Then ask 2 participants to role play the following: Jurai: How do you fundraise? Mamei: There are many things you can do to raise funds for your campaign. Ironically, you need funds as well to organize fundraising activities. The kind of fund raising activity you embark on is largely determined by how much you 61 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone have to start off with. For instance, it would be nice if all of us could organise a dinner/dance at Kimbima Hotel with tickets costing Le150 000 per head, but all of us can?t. So start where you are and move up, rather than aim high and incur debts that you cannot pay. First, what sorts of activities do you think you can organise to raise funds? Jurai: I could do the following: , Raffles , Sponsored Walks , Discos/ dances , Film shows Guidelines for Facilitators: At this point ask participants to add to this list if they can. Mamei: There are numerous other ways to raise funds: If this is your first political campaign, to approach a possible donor, make an appointment regardless of how well you know him/her. You can do this either by writing a letter, sending a fax or e-mail or by telephone. Your secretary should ensure there are no clashes in times or dates. , Who am I going to ask? , How much should I ask for? , What will I use the money for? , How will I ask them? Activity Guidelines for Facilitators: Ask each participant to answer the questions above about possible local donors. These should include organizations to which they belong and family and friends. Participants should then write a letter requesting an appointment to discuss the possibility of getting a donation for their campaign. 62 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone CHAPTER ELEVEN ELECTION CODES OF CONDUCT Overview of the session The objective of this session is to introduce participants to basic election codes of conduct and to familiarize women with the resources of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Guidelines for Facilitators: Say, as a candidate, you must try to visit the National Election Office (NEC) before Election Day, and introduce yourself to the Election Officer. Familiarize yourself with election rules and procedures, study the voter education manual and/or booklet. When you meet election officials, make sure you ask the following questions: , How does our district conduct elections? , Is a voter identity card required? , What are the dates set for collecting nomination fees for candidates? , Are any local organizations conducting voter education work here? , What are the most important things that you think women candidates should know regarding local elections? As candidates, you must know the following: , Basic election laws (review voter education manual and booklet) , The location of your district election office and name of your district election officer , All important dates and deadlines for voter registration, nomination deadlines, and deposit submission, important dates, addresses and deadlines related to elections 63 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 64 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone BASIC ELECTION REGULATIONS DO: , Contact voters at DO NOT: their homes , Host peaceful , Falsify your bio data rallies and public , Distribute money or goods meetings in return for votes , Follow the election , Say anything to damage codes of conduct the character of the opponent or his/her family member To be a candidate for parliament you must: , Use weapons to secure , Be a Sierra Leone citizen votes , Be at least 21 years old , Capture or seize a polling , Be registered in the constituency where you station or sub-station by wish to run using force or intimidation , Not be mentally disturbed , Forcefully snatch, deface , Not be declared insolvent or bankrupt or destroy ballot papers or ballot boxes or voting , Not be a civil servant materials , Not be a current employee of the Government or any autonomous body owned or funded by , Organize processions, them chant slogans or , Not have recently been convicted of a criminal campaign 48 hours offense involving moral turpitude or an before polling initiates election offense To be a voter you must: , Be capable under prevailing law , Be a Sierra Leone citizen , Be at least 18 years old , Be a permanent resident , Not be mentally disturbed , Not be within 2 years of a sentence For a criminal offence Activity: Learning election rules with election resource person Let us now listen to the election officer who has kindly agreed to attend this training. Madam/Sir, can you please present the election codes of conduct and other pertinent election information to the women. Remember to ask the questions on the flipchart. , How does our constituency conduct elections? , Is a voter identity card required? , What are the dates set for collecting nomination fees for candidates? , Are any local organizations conducting voter education work here? , What are the most important things that you think women candidates should know regarding general elections? 65 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone A P P E N D I C E S Appendix 1 –Aim and Objectives of the Workshop Handout 1 WORKSHOP AIM: To provide skills in cascading political campaign training in to Sierra Leone women and supportive men. WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES , To educate women on the necessity for their equal and active participation in politics in Sierra Leone. , To sensitise women about the barriers that prevent them from taking part in politics and how to break them. , To give women an insight on how Parliament works. , To give women ideas on how to advance within their political parties and provide strategies on how to get nominated. , To equip women with the skills for effective participation in Parliament , To give women effective skills for defining their candidacy, planning their campaign and campaigning. , To give women communication skills for delivering their campaign messages and speaking in public , To develop women?s ability to speak in public. , To explain the rules and regulations governing election. , To highlight effective means of raising funds. 66 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Appendix 2 – Workshop Programme Handout 2 Training of Trainers Breaking Barriers: Empowering Women to Participate in Democratic Politics One-Day Practical Communication and Campaign Skills Workshop 8.30 Registration & Coffee 9. 00 Opening Session i. Welcome & Introductions ii. Expectations & Objectives iii. Workshop Aims, Content & Method iv. Ground Rules 9. 30 Breaking the Barriers 10. 00 Joining A Political Party, Advancing Within it and Getting Nominated 10.30 A brief Guide to Parliament 11. 00 Break 11. 15 Skills for Effective Participation in Parliament 11.45 Define Your Candidacy & Plan Your Campaign 1. 00 Lunch 2. 00 Develop Your Campaign Message & Speak In Public 3.00 Let?s Campaign, fundraise and learn about the Election Codes of Conduct 3.45 Group Work 4.00 Plenary - Presenting your Campaign 5. 30 Close 67 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Appendix 3 - EVALUATION FORM Handout 3 EVALUATION FORM 1. Did you find the workshop useful? Yes No 2. Were the objectives clear and challenging? Yes No 3. Were the presentations a) Clear Yes No b) Educative Yes No c) Relevant Yes No 4. What would you consider the most relevant aspect of the workshop? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 5. What would you consider the most irrelevant aspect of the workshop? ………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………….. 6. What topic did you find most interesting? …………………………………………………………………………………. 7. What topic was irrelevant to you? ………………………………………………………………………………… 68 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 8. Comment on the following: V. Good Good Fair Poor Meals: Venue: Facilitators: Training materials General Organisation of workshop 9. What are your recommendations for future workshops? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 10. Any other comments? 69 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 70 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone ABOUT THE 50/50 GROUP History: In 1997, during the interregnum in Sierra Leone, when Abator Thomas was working for the British Council in the UK, she met a lady called Lesley Abdela who was a member of the British Council Board. They got talking about gender issues and she introduced the topic of „Women in Politics?. Lesley told Abator about her work with women and politics and about the 300 group that she formed in the UK. She even took her to a tree planting session when on International Women?s Day a tree was planted for each woman in Parliament. She also told her about her work with women in Ghana and Nigeria. When Abator returned to Freetown as democracy was restored to Sierra Leone following a bloody period of civil war, as Acting Director of the British Council in Freetown, she had invited Leslie to Freetown to run a workshop to introduce women to politics. However, because of the war, it was only in November 2000, under the directorship of Rajiv Bendre that the workshop took place. At the end of the workshop - „increasing women?s participation in democratic politics? in which 40 Sierra Leonean activists participated, one of the participants - Nemata Eshun-Baiden was inspired to the extent that when asked for her action plan, she said she would set up a group similar to the 300 Group. This is because it had become clear that although women?s organisations had been active in mobilising women against the military government, women who constitute 52% of the population were quickly relegated to the back seat in the new democratically elected Government. Since then Nemata worked tirelessly to set the 50/50 Group up. She led the Group?s lobbying work on equality between women and men in politics and public life as its first president. The group was formally launched impressively and symbolically in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament on the 30 November 2001 by the head of state, six months before the 2002 general elections. That same day, they staged a mock parliamentary debate on the need for 50/50 representation of men and women in parliament in the well of the house itself. 50/50 has now become a household name word in Sierra Leone, - shorthand for women?s rights and progress! Rationale: Women continue to be seriously under-represented in political life in Sierra Leone. Despite making up over half the population, only 14.5% of Sierra Leone MPs are women. And, although local government is often seen as more accessible to women than national politics, at the last election only 11% of candidates elected were women. Mission: The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone is a non-partisan campaign for more women in politics and public life through training and advocacy. Aims: 1 To change public perception of women in politics 2 To encourage and empower women through training and advocacy to seek and hold public office and participate in good governance 3 To advocate against barriers preventing women going into politics. 4 To reduce women?s marginalisation and makes their candidature 71 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone attractive to all political parties and voters 5 To lobby for the zipper system of representation in politics i.e. one man - one woman 6 To organise training courses that empower women to seek and hold public office Activities: The work of the group in support of these aims includes: Training of women candidates and potential candidates in the 1 role of women in politics as well as the skills of lobbying, advocacy, political campaigning, presentation and dealing with the media. 2 Mentoring and support of women candidates and politicians. 3 Publications of materials such as training manuals, leaflets and manifesto to support women entering political life. Seeking funding to publish a talent database of professional women. 4 Sensitisation of voters on the importance of equal representation of women in politics through popular campaigning, rallies, public lectures, workshops, rag parades and appearances in the broadcast and print media to promote the need for women in politics and change public attitudes to women?s political participation. 5 Lobbying of political decision-makers on the need to select women candidates by advocating the use of the zipper system (alternating women and men on party lists) as a means of ensuring equal representation in politics. Strengths/ Achievements: Since its foundation only four years ago the 50/50 group has grown from a small group of women meeting in the British Council offices in Freetown to a truly national organisation with its own office and active branches in every region of Sierra Leone. In addition to building a high political and public profile through advocacy and media work, the achievements of the group in the run up to the 2002 General Election and 2004 Local election include the following: 1. Training of over 1000 women in leadership, communication and advocacy skills and the role of women in Parliament in the run up to the 2002 General election. During this election an increased number of women 165 stood for election with 18 being elected. Previously there were only 6 women in parliament. There was a 50 percent increase in the ministerial and deputy ministerial categories. These elections also recorded the country?s first-ever woman presidential and two vice-presidential candidates. 2. Training of over 500 women in leadership, communication and advocacy skills and the role of women in local government in the run up to the 2004 Local elections. 58 women were elected. 3. Publication of a training manual and books of handouts for use by trainers in the run up to the 2002 General Election and another set in the run up to the 2004 Local elections 72 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone 4. Production of a women?s manifesto for the 2002 General election. Building a high political and public profile through advocacy and media work. The 50/50 group has been described as a „household name? and they are frequently consulted by Government and politicians for our expertise on gender issues in Sierra Leone 5. Training of a network of 60 trainers based across Sierra Leone 6. Establishment of a network of 13 local branches in all 14 districts Building international links through participation in workshops in Nigeria and Ghana. 7. The United Nations Mission in Liberia invited Nemata to assist the women of Liberia produce their manifesto. She was also asked to train their female candidates for the October 2005 general election. Liberia has in fact produced the first female president in West Africa. 8. Dedicated and committed members who believe in what the organisation is trying to achieve 9. Commitment to empowering women through training and advocacy 10. Unity in diversity as all members belong to different political parties. 11. Current support for potentially 5 years of programming from OXFAM 12. Creation of a website Going Forward: For the period 2005/08, the 50/50 group has set the following objectives: 1 To ensure through a programme of training that women have the skills and confidence necessary to compete successfully in local and national elections 2 To effectively communicate our message of equal representation in public and political life to the public and decision makers 3 To ensure that the 50/50 group is able to support and work with all women in Sierra Leone 4 To ensure the 50/50 group has the internal ability to deliver on its remit 5 To develop a secure funding base 73 Breaking Barriers Prepared by the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone