Training Courses

This course is meant primarily for representatives of NGOs and community based organisations, and it aims at developing and improving their skills in the areas of advocacy and influencing policy development. Participants will acquire basic notions of advocacy campaign management, they will learn to identify stakeholders and set up communication channels with them. During the training, we will help civil society organisations develop plans for advocacy, lobbying and influencing government policy.

This training for advanced civil society advocates will enable participants to study this popular subject in depth and in an atmosphere conducive to reflection and analysis. In this intensive course we aim at applying general notions to the current Cambodian context and critically engaging participants through presentations, case studies, interactive group work as well as by sharing insights and experience.

This training package is organised in partnership with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and it is part of the programme called “Change the Game Academy”, funded by the Wilde Ganzen Foundation (Netherlands). The main target group are representatives of civil society organisations who are concerned about certain issues, but are struggling to make their voices heard. At the end of this ambitious, five month long journey, the participants will gain a broad understanding of all key aspects of lobbying and advocacy, they will know how to get more support and commitment from stakeholders and decision makers, and will therefore be able to better advance the causes that are important to them. A key element of the package is working together in order to develop a solid mobilising support plan based on the concepts and methods participants will learn. You can find more information about this course by downloading our flyer or visiting this online resource page.

The main goal of the course is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations when they engage in local fundraising and local resource mobilization. The main target group are organisations with no or only little experience in these fields. But even if more relevant experience is available, we are convinced that the participants will still find the information, tools and exercises offered in this course extremely useful. The training deploys a blended learning approach, that is a combination of face to face classroom sessions, e-learning tools and materials, as well as collective and individual coaching. This training package is also organised in partnership with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and it is part of the programme called “Change the Game Academy”, funded by the Wilde Ganzen Foundation (Netherlands).

Access to information is a fundamental right of everyone, including citizens, government officials, public service providers, representatives of the private sector and NGOs. It is crucial in promoting transparency, accountability and fight against corruption. In other words, it enhances people’s knowledge and promotes effective participation. In this course, representatives of civil society organisations will get a better understanding of the right to access public information and the principles it is based on. Our trainers will present the main Cambodian laws, policies and regulations currently governing this field, will provide details on the roles and duties public officials have in this respect, and will also elaborate on the contents of the new Draft for an Access to Information Law.

Our aim here is to build the capacity of NGOs, youth groups and other community based organisations in the areas of citizens’ right to participate in planning and budgeting processes at the district level. We will learn about the roles and responsibilities of district authorities, enabling participants to gain the skills needed during budget dialogues and negotiations. Trainees will get the chance to share their knowledge with their teams, club or members, in an effort to advocate for their concers to be taken into account when the district authorities decide on the three year rolling investment plans (IP3). Moreover, our trainers will provide technical and logistic support, as welll as teach participants how to actively engage their members, collect issues and inputs from them and effectively represent them in the district annual planning and rolling investment planning processes.

In this course, we are focusing on the distinction between lobbying and advocacy, we define the role of a lobbyist, we analyse stakeholders and power relations, and we develop a strategic communication plan. We also learn how to draft a talking point, a briefing note and a position paper, how to arrange a meeting with government representatives, and how to develop lobbying plans, methods and tools.  

This training focuses on the main concepts, skills and attitudes grassroots advocates should possess. By the end of the course, participants will become convincing when explaining their issues related to local services and will understand the roles of relevant stakeholders as spelled out in relevant local democratic development plans, laws and policies. Together, we will learn about methods and strategies for advocating at the sub-national level, we will develop advocacy plans and learn how to monitor advocacy actions.

The main goal of this course is to build capacity for advocates to better engage in the strategic policy dialogues, especially in the formulation and the implementation of policies and strategies. The training sessions are designed and conducted to answer questions like: Why do policies, policy implementation practices and gaps in policies matter at all? What are the priorities, problems and solutions related to a certain, concrete policy? Who are the key stakeholders involved in or affected by that policy? How to design an advocacy action plan for addressing the identified issues? What are the main concepts, frameworks, techniques, principles, and best practices used in advocacy? How to debate on critical issues, develop advocacy messages, and prepare advocacy briefing papers for policy makers, the media and the general public? How to develop tools for monitoring the results of the advocacy campaigns, especially the results of meetings with government officials? Which individual and interpersonal skills, which networks, which teambuilding measures are relevant for advocacy, and how to develop good leadership?