Training on Campaigning in Serbia

The training was about campaigning and climate justice. It was the third training of EYA - European Youth in Action project and it was organised in Serbia. Participants were young people from all over Europe from different participation organizations: Legambiente, Young Researchers of Serbia, Youth and Environment Europe, De Amicitia and of course Allianssin nuorisovaihto.

In the training we learned about different campaigns by having short presentations about them and then analysing them together. We also had severe visiting lecturers on site and on remote connection. They told us about communication (how to do it efficiently and effectively, and why it matters), social impact methods locally and at the European Union level and insight into what is happening in the European Union in the context of climate issues, for example. During the training we also started to plan our own campaign piece by piece ultimately creating a comprehensive picture of what our campaign is about, a common framework and how it can be implemented nationally in different ways we finally choose.

We expected from the training that we would gain knowledge about different campaigns that have been successful in Europe. We wanted to learn how to create a campaign from the start and how to implement it in different countries since societies work differently even in different European countries. Some of us already had experience in campaigns, so for them the training was also about utilizing what they had learned earlier and develop further as active participants together with other inspiring people.

We all noticed that even between European countries there are big differences in what kind of environmental discussions are current. Participants also brought up stories from their local environmental and political issues which brings depth to the things we see on the news or social media. Regarding the geopolitical situation, there also tends to be different views and fears depending on which part of Europe one is from. The meaningful discussions are always valuable in these kinds of international get-togethers. 

Regarding campaigning, we learned more about effective campaigning, for example through how to define the target group and how to possibly influence that group specifically. We met amazing people who had many skills and knowledge from diverse perspectives. Those ones of us that were more experienced had the chance to recognize their already existing competence and to use it! Each of us recognised our own skill areas even better and possibly even gained confidence. 

We learned to work better in a group consisting of people from different backgrounds which also caused some challenges. It was difficult to build a campaign with so different starting points in different countries, and so little time to discuss about the goals and purpose of the campaign. The training was intense and at times some of us felt quite overwhelmed and sometimes it even felt like we’re not getting anywhere. It was surprisingly difficult to express your own opinion or goal in a large group where everyone has their own views and ways of doing things. But then further planning and discussion got us inspired and hopeful again – and the end of the day we succeeded!

We will use the tools that we learned when we are planning our own campaign in Finland as well as in possible other future campaigns that some of us may plan. It was beneficial to learn from the other participants areas of knowledge and points of views regarding climate justice. It broadened our understanding and makes us consider new aspects when planning future campaigns. We also gained experience that benefits our everyday life, such as substantive knowledge, teamwork skills, adaptation and analytical skills.

Amanda, Disa, Essi and Liisa