Spotlight: Bulgarian Delegation Participates in Advocacy Training Program
FromColumns March 24, 2003
By Ann Allen
Whether the issue
is civil liberties, the environment, mental or physical disabilities,
crime or economic development, Americans are both familiar and comfortable
with the activities of citizen advocacy groups in their communities. In
many eastern and central European countries,
however, the role of non-governmental organizations in working with governments
and advocating effectively for their causes is still being defined.
A delegation representing several Bulgarian NGOs recently spent two weeks participating in a community-based citizen advocacy training program coordinated by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s International Center for Democratic Governance and sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“Through a program oriented around action rather than theory, we wanted the participants to see advocacy in action and to learn more about the strategies and challenges of NGO advocates in our country so they are able to be more effective in their efforts at home,” says Rusty Brooks, the ICDG faculty member who directed the training. “The Vinson Institute has a wide range of experience in providing outreach to governments and communities and knows of many examples of cooperation between governments and non-profits. We are in the position to highlight those successes for our international visitors.”
The young professionals, many of whom were visiting the United States for the first time, represented NGOs with interests ranging from Bulgaria’s entry into the European Union to the plight of urban street children. There are approximately 8,000 NGOs in Bulgaria today, according to Marieta Tzvetkova of the Institute for Sustainable Communities in the capital city of Sofia. “What began 12 to 13 years ago through institutes of applied science has grown into a large number of regional advocacy organizations when compared with the national population of seven to eight million,” she says.
The training agenda consisted of a mix of instructional sessions on such topics as building public support, lobbying, and putting together a media effort, as well as field experiences in Athens, Atlanta, Madison and Dalton. For example, the group spent a day at the university’s Cox Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research where, after hearing from director Lee Becker about the relationship between NGOs and the media in this country and in Central Europe, they developed model public relations plans.
Vinson Institute faculty member Steve Dempsey led the group in the session on facilitation.
“They were very interested in techniques that help all those involved in a meeting get their ideas out in the open for discussion and goal setting,” he says. “They can then take this new knowledge and tailor it to their own situations back home.”
To see advocacy in action, the group spent time with a variety of individuals and organizations, including government officials, a SPLOST advisory committee, the East Athens Development Corporation, the Madison-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, Safe Campuses Now, the Georgia Project in Dalton, the Association County Commissioner of Georgia and the Georgia Advocacy Office.
Heidi Davison, mayor of the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, is a strong believer in the power of citizen advocacy.
“What I hoped to convey to our Bulgarian visitors is that opportunities abound for citizens to work with their local governments to bring about change,” she says. “For example, our local laws and programs related to recycling and volume-based fees for garbage were initiated by concerned citizens.”
When asked how their impressions of community-based citizen advocacy may have changed as a result of their visit, several participants noted that seeing such a variety of advocacy organizations tackling difficult issues has motivated them to confront the challenges they face during their country’s changing times.
“My experience here has made me realize that my organization’s work is like a big puzzle,” says Dimo Dimov, technical administrator of the Samaritans Association, located in the city of Stara Zagora. “While I don’t have all the answers for success, my training here will help me work better with my co-workers on all the different pieces.”
