Participatory advocacy

A simple, practical toolkit that covers: participatory research, strategic planning for advocacy, lobbying and campaigning, media work and communications.

START is a companion piece to the toolkit with a focus on participatory research. It is especially practical and provides examples of how to engage and carry out research with stakeholders, including guidance on focus group discussion (p.25), one to one interviews (p.26), how to organise a round table discussion (p.47) and how to analyse and present research data (p.31-33).

Although developed for VSO staff and partners, the essential information in the publication can be adapted and applied across a range of organisations and contexts. The START toolkit can be used to support teams to design and choose appropriate methods for engaging stakeholders in research.

Skills and resources required: Some basic understanding of participatory methods and wanting to know more about adapting them for policy and advocacy work.