The Council for Voluntary Social Services (CVSS) is committed to building the capacity of its members and the extended volunteer community and through the provision of this grant from the European Union, we will implement a series of interventions to achieve an impactful and sustainable outcome toward the project objectives:

1. Capacity strengthening for national development plans and policy dialogue at the national level
2. Strengthen internal capacities of local Civil Service Organisations (CSOs) to uphold, promote, and enable an environment for vulnerable communities and individuals and
3. Capacity strengthening to engage in actions that promote gender equality and empowerment of women and youth

The CVSS has designed a coordinated and integrated series of activities to achieve the specific objectives of this project.  The activities include a series of technical assistance training sessions to strengthen their internal capacities and efficiencies to improve and enhance their initiatives and take further steps to advocate effectively for the action, programme, or policy to be adopted.  

The CVSS will administer several micro-grants for local civil society actors, an activity aimed at supporting youth-focused CSO to design projects and programmes for youths 14 – 25 years involved in advocacy and civic engagement, particularly for interventions to equip and empower youth as actors of change in their own lives.     The anticipated launch of these grants will be in the 3rd quarter of 2024.

CSOs play a vital role in global development, particularly in social justice, acting as advocates, enablers, and mediators between the people and the government to enhance community development. This relationship will potentially create meaningful change as development programmes and civil society go hand-in-hand. 

Vision 2030 Jamaica is a strategic road map to guide the country to achieve its sustainable development and prosperity goals by 2030. The seven principles guiding this development strategy align with the United Nations 17 SDGs inclusive development paradigms underpinned by the central tenets of inclusion, participation, non-discrimination, and accountability. Achieving the SDGs requires the active involvement of all stakeholders and acknowledging that CSOs are essential to improving the quality of human life because people know how best to drive progress. These outcomes are, however, stymied by their limited human, technical and financial resources (confirmed in a presentation by UN representative Maxsalia Salmon on 17 May 2022).

These proposed initiatives work to strengthen and protect the enabling environment for civil society. CVSS has a critical role as the umbrella organisation to bolster the operational and institutional capacity of its membership of 131, representing across the island, enabling them to fulfil their roles. The CVSS can help improve CSOs’ operation by investing in the capabilities of CSOs, providing a forum for effective inter-CSO collaboration, and designing programmes for specific purposes and priorities of each. 

TRAINING OUTLINE

Advocacy Training and Working Group: The CVSS’ project activity Advocacy Workshops & Capacity Strengthening of Inter-Organization Leadership and Coordination is an 18-month intervention to strengthen Civil Society organisations’ capacity to participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of national development plans, policies and programmes. 

The objectives are to: 

1. Enhance the advocacy skills of participating organizations. 
2. Strengthen the leadership capacity of individuals within the organizations. 3. Promote effective coordination and collaboration among social service organisations in Jamaica

 The Consultant Advocacy Coordinator – Training and Working Group 

The consultant served as the founding convenor and Chairperson of the Jamaica Civil Society Coalition (JCSC) from 2010 – 2012. Additionally, she has been in the leadership of and served as a spokesperson for, several other civil society organisations in Jamaica. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Education from Teachers’ College, Columbia University, New York and has a multi-disciplinary background in the fields of education, gender and development, social policy research and governance and social justice advocacy in the Caribbean. (see detailed bio at Appendix 1

Training Outline The training methodologies will be based on participatory learning techniques. Participants will be engaged in active learning, practical exercises and group discussions. The following is an indicative outline of the six modules to be delivered. The topics may include but not be limited to the following. Session 

1: Introduction to Advocacy and Policy – 

Objectives: Provide participants with an understanding of advocacy and its importance. 

• Definition and overview of advocacy and its importance for CSOs (the organisation, beneficiaries,) 
• Advocacy and good governance (understanding good governance principles and the value of advocacy to the development of local, national and international policies and programmes) 
• Key terms and concepts in advocacy and policy work (eg. Stakeholder, policy, public policy, policy analysis, policy maker, duty bearer, enabling environment, campaign, lobbying, grassroots advocacy, media advocacy, mobilization, mapping, target audience etc.) Inception Report- Advocacy Coordinator: Training and Inter-Organisation Working Group 5 Session 

2: Understanding the Advocacy Landscape Objective: Familiarise participants with the political and social context of advocacy. 

Understanding Governance and Social Systems
• Overview of governance/decision-making structures and processes (local government, parliament, State Ministries, Departments and Agencies
• Social dynamics in advocacy ( eg. issues of voice and representation/visibility, power) 

Stakeholder Analysis 

• Identifying key stakeholders, partners and allies • Analysing stakeholder perspectives and influence Advocacy Targets • Determining the right targets for specific issues – Government bodies, institutions, corporations, and individuals • Tailoring strategies to different policy contexts • Building relationships with policymakers and influencers • Advocacy within legal and ethical frameworks Session 

3: Developing Effective Advocacy Plans/Programmes/ Strategies 

Objective: Introduce participants to various considerations/elements in the development of effective advocacy plans/programmes/strategies. 

Advocacy Planning 

• Research, evidence/data and experience matter
  • Issue/s Identification and prioritization
  • Setting goals and objectives
  • Developing an advocacy action plan
  • Advocacy MEL Inception Report- Advocacy Coordinator: Training and Inter-Organisation Working Group 6 

Session 4: Advocacy Tools and Techniques Objective: Introduce participants to various tools and techniques used in advocacy. 

Engagement and storytelling for advocacy 

• Crafting compelling advocacy messages
  • Developing policy submissions and briefs
  • Engaging policy and programme decision-makers
  • grassroots/community organizing techniques
  • Engaging traditional media
  • Online Advocacy/Social media strategies
  • Public speaking Dos and Don’ts
  • Risk identification and reduction/mitigation Case studies/presentations illustrating successful and unsuccessful advocacy and lessons learned. 

Session 5: Guided Practice & Review – Developing an advocacy action plan for participating’ CSOs. Objective – To enable participants to outline an advocacy plan applying the training to their organisational context; To review key advocacy terms, concepts, tools, and strategies. 

Session 6: Learning and Application Assessment 

Objectives: Evaluate participants’ grasp of advocacy concepts, skills, and strategies. Measure participants’ ability to develop and implement effective advocacy plans. Advocacy Plan Presentation 

• Participants present their advocacy plans to the group.
  • Peer and facilitator feedback on the clarity, feasibility, and impact of each plan. Guest Speaker or Panel Discussion
  • An experienced advocate or policymaker will share insights.
  • Q&A session for participants to seek advice and gain additional perspectives. Reflection and Self-Assessment
  • Participants reflect on their personal growth throughout the advocacy training.
  • Self-assessment of strengths, areas for improvement, and future learning goals.
  • Participants complete an online post-test.