Introduction

Participatory mapping, by definition, aims to bring about changes. These changes may be quite localised, such as allowing community members to come together to reflect collectively on their territory or landscape. More often, participatory mapping is associated with bringing about policy, legal or administrative changes.

This Unit deals with strengthening the capacity of core teams to link their maps with policy transformation and related advocacy capacity-building opportunities. It looks at approaches to networking, alliance building and using higher-level policy instruments to increase the national impact of advocacy work. The Unit illustrates tools and techniques to improve networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing and provides guidance on conducting collaborative actions.

The Unit also introduces the concept of advocacy, the characteristics of a realistic advocacy goal and the main steps of an advocacy process (including alliance building, taking actions at local, national and international levels and using international conventions and treaties to help with problems at local and national levels).

Unit objectives / expected outcomes

After the completion of the Unit the trainee will be able to:

• discuss the implications of advocacy at national and international levels;
• enhance advocacy through collaboration in networks and alliance building;
• explain the background of international policy, standards, norms and mechanisms;
• choose relevant policy instruments;
• explain the role of focal points in linking national and international policies.

Content outline, main topics covered and suggested sequencing

This Unit focuses on the topics listed below:

1. Collaboration and Advocacy Techniques (Handout4T & PPT No. 1) (45 min)
2. Linking Problems with Advocacy Solutions (Exercise No. 1) (60 min)

Components of the Unit

Exercises

• Exercise No. 1: Linking Problems with Advocacy Solutions; to articulate a strategic connection between a problem statement, decision makers and international policy and standards instruments (60 min)

Handouts for Trainee (to be distributed in printed format):

• Collaboration and Advocacy Techniques (Handout4T)
• Article - PGIS as a sustained (and sustainable?) practice; First Nation experiences in Treaty 8 BC, Canada
• List of Additional Resources
• Unit Glossary (Included in the Module Glossary)

Presentations

• PPT No. 1: Collaboration and Advocacy Techniques; shows options of building alliances and linking different levels of policy to have greater leverage on decision-making (45 min)

Duration

1¾ hours

Additional trainer resources

• Collaboration and Advocacy Techniques (3 lessons)
  tinyurl.com/msjg24

Equipment needed

Computer and data projector (beamer), flip charts and markers, access to the Internet and the Google search engine

Additional downloads

• Download this page in MS Word format (additional information included)
• Download the complete unit