Summary
Have you ever wondered why civil society organisations are important agents of social change? Do you know how they can effectively exert significant influence on policy making process in their countries? Would you like to learn how civil society organisations can positively contribute to democratic developments in EU’s neighbours, or how the European Union supports civil society empowerment? If yes, then this course is for you.
The course will explain why the European Union views civil society as its natural partner and ally which plays a crucial role in promoting democracy and liberal values. It will familiarise you with the notion of civil society and the legal and regulatory framework for civil society functioning. Furthermore, this course provides and analyses the ways the civil society organisations can influence the policy making process, e.g. mobilise financial resources and organise advocacy campaigns. Finally, the course discusses how the European Union contributes to the civil society development, and touches upon the influence that EU association and accession process has on civil society organisations.
By completing this course you will have a good understanding of the broad area of civil society organisations functioning, and how to generate their impact on various policies. You should also be able to critically discuss different modes of operations of civil society organisations and their role in building a culture of cooperation with state agencies.
Structure
Lesson 1: The notion of civil society
- Definition(s) of civil society
- The role of the civil society
- Legal and regulatory framework for civil society operation
- Governance, socio-economic and socio-cultural environment for civil society operation
- Ways of influencing the policy making process
- Ways of boosting civil society capacity
- Financial sustainability of civil society organisations
- Fundraising
Lesson 5: Structuring the process of advocacy and engagement with stakeholders
- Community mobilisation and advocacy
- Analysing the community mobilisation strategy
- Defining the advocacy plan and the ways of its implementation
- Public image of civil society
- Building a positive image of civil society and constituency outreach
- Constituency outreach
- EU’s civil society capacity building instruments
- Putting the EU civil society support programmes in context
- Civil society’s role during association, pre-accession, and accession
Author
Mr Ivane Chkhikvadze Bio note