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PLAN Aim: to construct a group project addressing issues youth have identified.
After identifying issues of importance to them, the group must now Plan what they want to do together to address one or more of these issues. Planning should focus not just on what type of action project the group wants to undertake, but also on developing the best strategy for addressing the issue(s) the group has chosen. The following will outline the important elements you need to plan your project (inspired by “Steps in the Advocacy Process” Roberts, 2002):
Goals/ Objectives
Target Audience
Supporters, Stakeholders & Challengers
Action
Timeline
Evaluation
Issue- What is your issue? The first step is to choose and clearly articulate the issue that the group wants to focus on. The group may choose one issue or a few interrelated issues to address. Often one main issue or focus will emerge naturally from the discussions during the Identify phase. If this does not occur, the group will have to enter into a decision-making process in order to choose which issue(s) they want to work on.
Goal and Objectives- What are they? Group Goals The group has chosen an issue, now what is it that they actually want to achieve? It is important to set clear, measurable and achievable goals and objectives. A distinction should also be made between short-term and longer-term goals.
Goal:
A goal is what you ultimately want to achieve. It should relate specifically to the issue. It needs to contain a target audience, time frame and action.
Objectives: Objectives are steps you have to complete to achieve the goal. A lot of the writing
on objective setting stresses SMART (sustainable, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound). It is sometimes difficult to get SMART into every objective, but it is important to keep the concept in mind.
The group goals should be revisited and refined at each new phase of the project to see if they are still relevant or if they need to be changed or added to.
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“It’s been powerful for the youth to be in the project and talk about their lives.” Youth Voices community partner
Individual Goals Participants should also develop personal goals/indicators of success. These can be framed as things the youth want to learn, get out of the group or see happen in the group. They can also be thought of as outcomes that would make the group a positive experience for them.
tip:
Once the group goes through one full cycle of the Youth Voices process, they should take stock of whether their goals were achieved and why.
Target Audience- Who are they?
In order for an action to be successful it must be directed at a target audience. The group must determine who the target audience is for their action. For example, local youth, the media, policy makers, local leaders/government, local businesses, the community at large, etc. You may have several target audiences, but you then need to decide - who is the primary target audience? Are there secondary target audiences, who are they? Is the issue the same for each demographic? Does the message or action need to change depending on the audience? Discuss with the youth group who the target audiences are and have them work through how the issue affects each and what the specific message is.
Message Development - What do you want to say? It is important to figure out what the specific message the group is trying to convey. The group should think about whether the message is the same for each target audience.
Action – What are you going to do?
The group may already have an idea of the type of action project they would like to do, such as a play or a video. However, it is important to make sure that the choice of action project corresponds with the issue, goals, target audience and message that have been discussed. For action idea activities and resources please refer to PLAN Appendix
!
Check out www.globalyouthvoices.org for youth group action projects
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Examples of potential action projects include: Public art or performance e.g. visual art, performance art, play, and music Community awareness and education e.g. posters, ‘zines, talks and meetings Internet technology e.g. website development, blogs, and chat rooms Lobbying e.g. government, community leaders, and corporations through press conference, telephone, mail, email, and face-to-face meetings Media e.g. articles, news stories, writing letters to the editor, press releases, public service announcements, and talkback radio Public speaking e.g. community meetings
tip:
remember to have youth facilitate meetings and activities
Resources- What do you have? What do you need? A next consideration will be the resources that the group has and/or needs in order to engage in their action. Resources can be people, financial or material. The group should take stock of what they have and what they will need for Action project.
Supporters, Stakeholders & Challengers Who are they?
It is a good idea to look at potential supporters and challengers of the project. Which people and organizations in the community are likely to support the group’s objectives? Partnering and creating coalitions can be a very effective way of making a difference in the community. At the same time, knowing who is likely to oppose the project is also helpful. The group can avoid problems or improve their strategy by knowing who will stand there way and why. Supporters:
Those who may be able to assist your group or action. Some of these may wish to become partners which can strengthen your cause.
Stakeholders: Key people who have a stake or say in what you are doing. They may be people you need to gain permission from for elements of your action project. Challengers:
These are people who may disagree with your chosen perspectives on an issue or the message you are conveying or how you are taking action.
For Activity please refer to PLAN Appendix
Timeline
When working thought the project plan, the group needs to set a timeline for the community action and for each step. It is best to work backwards from your objective to when you are going to start.
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Evaluation
Think about evaluation during the planning phase of your action project. The idea of evaluation may sound intimidating, but really it is just about determining if the group achieved their goals and objectives. Thinking about it now is important as the group may decide to take pre- and postmeasures. For example, interview or survey the youth participants before and after the action project to see if there is a shift in awareness, knowledge or attitudes. Not all outcomes are planned, so it is good to keep in mind that an evaluation plan should have room for unexpected outcomes, even the ones you think are negative. There is no such thing as bad outcomes, just unexpected ones you learn from. For Activity please refer to PLAN Appendix
Project plan
An easy way to summarize all the aspect of the planning phase is to work through a project plan sheet. This can be done as a group on a flip chart paper or white board then copied onto the sheet. The sheet has 6 columns:
Goals/ Objectives
Target Audience
Supporters, Stakeholders & Challengers
Action
PLAN Appendix:
Timeline
tip:
Idetification Activities p. 35
Evaluation
Check out Reflect/Research phase for more information & ideas on evaluation
Action Ideas & References p. 36 Supporters, Stakeholders & Challengers Activity p. 36 Evaluation Plan Activity p. 36
Checklist of things to accomplish during the Plan Phase: Set realistic, achievable goals and objectives for action Determine who the primary target audience is Refine the issue and develop message that is very specific Identify the type of action they want to use to address the issue Identify possible supporters, stakeholders and challengers Determine timeline of various project elements Create evaluation criteria Develop an action plan (a summary of all the above components)