Advocacy Tactics for Equality and Human Rights

About the Training

Date:21 st April 2023

Time:  11am-6.30pm(CET +1)

Location:TB

Working Language:English

The goal of the training is to put together global knowledge and approaches and Bulgarian expertise to drive new power in the local advocacy work on women empowerment and human rights.

During the training we will check our knowledge on the advocacy work and will discuss the local and global aspects of our work. We will upgrade with learning about the SMART Advocacy concept and then we will have a discussion on the practical aspects and motivation on developing local advocacy actions.

Topics of the training will be:

• Why advocate? Context and global aspects- open conversation on advocacy goals, stories and field work, as well as common challenges and paths
• Everyday advocacy- theoretical part, tendencies and practical aspects with focus on gender equality and women empowerment
• SMART Advocacy - global trends and working in local context -content and use of the approach, benefits and practical application.
• Practical aspects and motivation for advocacy work- preparation and mobilization; network of partners and coordination of stakeholders; use of technology. What do we need to be advocates for women's rights, inclusion and empowerment?

Training is part of a longer cooperation between Impact Drive and White Ribbon Alliance that started with a professional fellowship of Theodora Ivanova in WRA in Washington DC in 2022. Besides the training and knowledge exchange this event will be an opportunity to join the WRA Global Network of organizations working for women's rights and gender equality.

Learning Goals

• Advocacy basics and Smart Advocacy
• Local Context and practical approaches
• Global trends in gender equality work

The training will be beneficial for civic and nonprofit professionals and activists in Bulgaria, working on gender equality and human rights, women development, inclusion and empowerment, solidarity and youths and generally for any civic practitioners aiming at advocacy actions.

Lecturers:

Diana Copeland:advocacy and communications manager for White Ribbon Alliance, focusing on What Women Want global campaigns and digital initiatives. Before coming to White Ribbon Alliance, Diana worked in television at HBO's “Real Time with Bill Maher” as a Researcher and as a member of Octopus Publishing Group's Editorial team.

Elena Ateva: a human rights lawyer who has dedicated her career to preventing violence against women, including in childbirth, intimate partner relationships, and trafficking. At White Ribbon Alliance, she facilitates the work of the Global Respectful Maternity Care Council and leads global advocacy efforts to strengthen the midwifery workforce and improve reproductive, maternal, and newborn health and rights. Elena has been involved in the movement for respectful care in her birth country, Bulgaria, and throughout Eastern Europe.

Vladislav Petkov(Vladi): is a lawyer and anthropologist by education, an expert and administrator by profession, an activist by heart. He has completed a community organizing practical training program as well as training for trainers on human rights education at the Council of Europe. In 2013, he did an internship at Sunflower Community Action in Wichita, Kansas as a part of the GLC Professional Fellows exchange program with the US, focused on community organizing. He is currently serving as a country director for Bulgaria of the same exchange program. He works on various initiatives for social justice with a focus on young people, Roma, women and the LGBTI community.

Theodora Ivanova-Valeva- Director and founder of Impact Drive, Trainer, moderator and trainer. Focused on  non-formal teaching methods, capacity building, organizational development, social entrepreneurship, project design and management, mentoring, equality, inclusion and belonging, women's empowerment, work-life balance for working mothers, grant management, systemic change and networking. She has diverse experience in project management and training in the public sphere, in management consulting and the last 12 years in cause and public benefit work. Part of the huge advocacy work for longer paid maternity leave (1 year paid maternity leave) back in 2008-2009.

About White Ribbon Alliance

Comprised of members in the tens of thousands,White Ribbon Alliance (WRA)is one of the largest and most effective global health coalitions in the world. Our coalition's effectiveness is a result of our commitment to consensus-building. With a diverse set of partners, citizen journalists, campaign mobilizers, strategists, and facilitators, White Ribbon Alliance members are embedded in communities around the globe – and can be quickly and efficiently activated for social justice causes.

WRA subverts the common paradigm of top-down priority-setting to one of member-driven change. It results in jointly owned advocacy agendas that reflect benefits to multiple sectors.

WRA advocates for women's and girls' health, rights, and gender equality. Our approach is simple, radical, and it works. WRA centers our work on what women and girls say they need. WRA embraces feminist principles and approaches because it's the right thing to do – and it yields remarkable results.

WRA are leaders in the field, with world-class expertise on advocacy and organizational strategy, facilitation and training, community-centered approaches, and grassroots mobilization. WRA have proven tools to achieve impact – including open-source technology to drive change.