Why?

Human rights are tools we use to create the lives we want to live and the communities we want to live in. But organisations working in the human rights sector rarely talk about them in this way. Instead, our sector tends to use technical, abstract language and unframed factual arguments. This way of messaging is not just difficult to understand for the audiences we want to reach. It also fails to motivate people to spread our message or get behind the issues we want to promote.

Today, authoritarian political movements have perfected fear and hate-based narratives. They’re effective at spreading these messages to undermine public support for progressive causes like human rights. That’s why we’re supporting the human rights sector to get better at persuading and mobilising people to embrace and champion their freedoms and the institutions that protect them.

What?

We offer three forms of support for organisations in the human rights sector: workshops, communications guides and support in designing and implementing a campaign.

Our workshops are interactive practical and theoretical sessions that train participants to apply values-based framing. The workshops are tailored to the training needs and thematic topics chosen by participants and can also include modules on strategic communications.

Values-based framing is a method for developing persuasive narratives derived from research in the cognitive sciences. Strategic communications refers to the ability to choose and deploy appropriate communications tools through targeted channels, for communicating with a defined audience to achieve a specified goal. While values-based framing is about the substance of your messages, strategic communications is about getting that message to the right people in the most effective manner.

When you receive a workshop from us, we can also arrange to offer you follow-up support. This can include guidance and feedback from us to help you design and implement a campaign or a communications guide covering a particular theme you work on.

For who?

Liberties offers workshops to people working in the human rights sector. This includes staff or volunteers at civil society organisations, national human rights institutions, human rights departments in local or national government, inter-governmental organisations, or academics, students and journalists covering human rights issues.

What's next?

• If you feel your communications need an upgrade, drop us a line to i.butler (at) liberties.eu.
• See all messaging guides here.
• Visit knowledge hub, an e-learning platform that helps NGOs and civil society organisations to develop their teams' professional skills in various areas. Here you will find free, easy-to-follow courses that will help make your advocacy work and campaigns more impactful.