The Fifth World Centre pilot has been made possible thanks to several sponsors and donors, including the Olave Bade Powell Society (OBPS). Many participants, including Lyndsey (of toilet fame), received generous grants towards our flights for this trip from OBPS, and two of their members, Lynne and Betsy, both from Ohio, have been with us for most of the week. Having received a grant from OBPS, we became 'OBPS Scholars' and were presented with OBPS pins to wear. We are all very grateful for this support as it enabled so many representatives to travel here, as did many other grants.
We had had the opportunity to sign up for two of three sessions on useful aspects of project delivery - funding, media & lobbying. I attended the funding workshop first. Ann (without an 'e') Brooks, who is the Fund Development Director for WAGGGS, ran a great workshop on funding. Our first task was to imagine we had a million dollars to spend on a project to 'Stop The Violence'. In small groups, we were told to put together a proposal to highlight how we would use the money. The proposal had to be innovative, creative and exciting. After much deliberation, my group came up with a proposal around a media campaign, and workshops in schools. We wrote our pitch into a multi-lingual rap... (find a French speaker if you can't understand it, the rhyme won't work if I translate it):
Voila ce qu’on va faire –
This is what we’re going to do.
Ecoutez-bien and we’ll tell you.
On va organiser une grande campagne
To stop the violence
by the man,
Or someone in the community
-
S’il vous plait give the money to me.
Please join in – this project’s huge –
S’il vous plait, our project choose.
Lots of women are in need –
Notre projet needs your support indeed!
First we’ll go au studio
To make an advertisement as this we know –
That is the way to be seen
When you’re on the television screen.
Stop The Violence, we will say
Then we’ll visit every school in votre pays.
Tous les enfants peuvent apprendre
Sans discrimination dans le monde.
On va lui donner beaucoup de choses
Au sujet de violence so girls will choose
To stand up, say no and be able to go
About their lives, leaving in peace –
Violence against girls must cease!
By empowering girls who are our sisters
We’ll help them to stand up against their misters.
TV adverts, workshops in the school,
Violence Against Girls, is not cool.
On va utiliser la TV
En esperant que people will see
That girls should be protected -
This must be expected.
Gender equality is the way to make the world a better place –
Girls should be able to have a safe space.
We didn't win the million pounds, but the pitch was good. The group who won had honed in on one particular area - alcohol and violence, which was considered a good project because it was so specific, focussing on one issue, which has measurable outcomes.
We learnt about how to make funding applications, including where to find donors and grant-giving bodies, and how to study to minutiae of grant-giving bodies before applying to them. In days gone by, people seeking funding used to write one application and distribute it to multiple funders. These days, philanthropy is much more sophisticated and it is critical that when applying for funding, you make certain sure that your project is in keeping with the aims and objectives of the grant-giving body. This stuff applies to anyone who might be seeking funding for anything really. Here are some tips:
- read the forms very carefully
- read the guidance on how to submit
- check out the dates (they won't consider if it e.g. a document is submitted late)
- consider who needs to sign off on it
- proofread, proofread, proofread. You won't be taken seriously if there are clumsy mistakes.
- look where you have been successful before - can you apply again / to a different funding stream?
- don't use jargon - nobody outside of your org will know what the acronyms mean, so don't use them (FYI)
If you're in Guiding, which you probably are if you're reading this, remember that you are part of a massive global body, as well as a local network, so applying for funding is not as difficult as it may sound as you are already an established organisation. Just do it.
Whatever is going on in the economy, there are billions of pounds out there - government, foundations, individuals, who care about particular issues and want to support projects. So you know what you want to do - get out there and start seeking funding!
Just on that subject, I think sometimes people are reluctant to apply for funding. But, why not just do it? Yes, it takes time, and energy, but imagine what can happen if your project gets funded? Great things! So, don't be afraid to do some googling, trawl through some grant-giving websites, and apply. And I'm not just talking about Stop the Violence projects, you can apply for funding for any aspect of your volunteering or work, as long as your project is in line with the aims and obs of whoever is giving the money, it's worth it, although it's worth checking where the funding is coming from - be sure it's not some sort of dodgy enterprise, and if you're unsure, check out its ethical record.
After the funding workshop, I went to another. This one was in 'the gym', which consists of, well, a battered exercise bike and not a lot else. This was a media workshop, where we considered how to communicate internally and exterally, our audience and the actual message that we want to convey. Communication methods vary considerably across the cultural contexts - some nations have ready access to social media for campaigning, like Twitter and Facebook; others use text messaging very readily; for others, billboards are the most effective way (I think I've met him). In some MOs, there is a strong relationship with the media, like in the Cook Islands, who have ready access to TV and radio time to promote their projects.
We considered how important it is to mention Guiding at every opportunity, especially when visiting other countries. Here is the three-fold way to get media attention:
1 Frame the project; 2 Offer the solution; 3 Encourage the call to action.
We were tasked with creating an advert for a Stop the Violence campaign. Ours took... you've guessed it, the form of a poem:
We are many, we are one, our campaign has now begun.
Fight for your rights because violence blights.
Break the silence of domestic violence
We're in no doubt that we have to speak out.
Please join us, this problem's huge,
But we can make a difference if we choose.
Lots of girls worldwide are in need -
Our campaign needs your support indeed.
Gender equality will make the world a better place -
Girls should be able to have a safe space.
Together we can empower our sisters
And help them to stand up against their misters.
The afternoon session was spent writing our action plans for our project. Once we managed to break the lock on the bathroom door to free Lyndsey from the loo (see yesterday's blog), we sat down and wrote an action plan, which we need to discuss with our International Commissioner (Caroline) and our MO, Girlguiding. We have an idea of a topic to focus on, and a plan to include a peer education resource for in4mers and a training pack for Trainers, on this subject. So I'll blog about that once we've discussed it all as we need to make sure that it fits into the wider picture. So watch this space!
At 5pm, each delegation was given 2 minutes to present their project to the rest of the group. Lyndsey and I did a quirky rap, which was well-received. We heard from the other 27 delegations. The projects ranged from ending FGM in Burkina Faso, to ending the sexualisation of children in Canada, to ending Gender Based Violence in Madagascar. We have the support of WAGGGS to take our projects forward, and will all be keeping in touch to support each other and monitor our projects.
This project does not end here. This conference is part of a unique strategic plan to drive the international STV strategy forward. Imagine the impact that 28 delegations can have in their MOs! The idea of this event was to further Guiding and Scouting internationally, to build connections, form partnerships, and we are being allocated a mentor to help us with our projects.
In the evening, the 'short' closing ceremony was two and a half hours long! I wrote a poem and read it out, to summarise this spectacular event. I'll upload it soon and put it here - am sitting blogging in the bar and it has just got very dark!
The programme officially ended with the closing ceremony, and there was a plethora of speeches of thanks to the amazing team who have worked so so very hard to make this an extremely memorable pilot project to be part of. I am so grateful to those who sent me to this event - it has been epic, and I can't wait to get stuck into our project when I get home.
The evening ended with dancing, singing, eating, giving gifts and enjoying time together, before we all begin the long journey home.
It's not yesterday any more, it's today, and we have been to the Kigali Genocide Memorial which was harrowing and I have a lot to impart. So I will leave it there for now, and say au revoir - but the next post will appear soon, so visit again soon. Be prepared though, it will be graphic and uneasy reading, but necessary to understand the context of Guiding in Rwanda, so I would suggest you read it. A bientot.
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