Online Discussion Workshop

I have found the On-line workshop resource for understanding strategy and tactics very illuminating and empowering. It opens my eyes to a more purposeful, resourceful and result-oriented way of doing human rights work.
- Oluwatoyin Badejogbin, Participant

Beginning in October 2005, the New Tactics in Human Rights Project hosted a pilot On-line Discussion Workshop to assist activists in analyzing their particular context and promote the use of strategic and tactical thinking. Over the course of five weeks (October 10-November 16), more than 40 human rights practitioners from 24 countries across four continents participated in a facilitated, On-line discussion focused on sharing experiences and improving their ability to and think about human rights in terms of strategy and tactics.

• View/Download workshop tools and resources

To minimize problems posed by holding an event across several continents, time zones and levels of technology, the project employed e-mail based forum software to capture the discussion. This enabled participants to post responses and read the comments of others without leaving their e-mail inbox. With the technical assistance of an On-line forum expert, two New Tactics staff members facilitated the workshop by asking questions, summarizing participant comments and connecting different viewpoints to the weekly discussion topics, which included:

• Challenges in Doing Human Rights Work
• Introduction to Strategic and Tactical Thinking
• Using Tactical Mapping
• Choosing Tactics for Your Target
• Evaluation and Reflection

To expand participants’ understanding of strategic and tactical thinking, the New Tactics project developed On-line tools and resources related to each week’s theme. For example, one discussion revolved around the use of "Tactical Mapping" to analyze a particular human rights situation. To introduce participants to "Tactical Mapping," project staff used actual NGO case studies and open source software to create an On-line tutorial. Static versions (.pdf format) of the resources were available to individuals with limited internet access. Many participants commented on the usefulness of these resources.

The interactive versions of these tools are still in development, but .pdf versions are available to download on our Training Tools Page.

In addition to providing an opportunity for activists to test the On-line tutorials, the discussion workshop provided practitioners around the world with a forum where they could discuss the challenges they face in their work, the strengths and limitations of the strategies they’ve implemented, as well as how to develop a more deliberate process to think about strategy and tactics. The event also helped the project gauge interest in On-line training resources and events among activists worldwide, as nearly three quarters of the participants had not previously participated in an On-line event. Nearly 100% of survey respondents said they would participate in future New Tactics On-line activities and would recommend such events to colleagues.

Given the success of this first On-line discussion, we will conduct additional virtual events in the near future. Visit www.newtactics.org for more information about New Tactics training events.

- Orovwigho A. Kathy, Participant

We have found the Tactical Mapping resource an impressive instrument for charting a fresh terrain which will be used to update our strategy. Using it, we have been able to improve the listing of our project allies more than 300%. The bird’s eye view of the clusters permits a visual appraisal that promotes quick judgment, as it offers a vantage point for planners to easily see how to build essential relationships.

- Dan Nweze, Participant