This workshop helps activists clarify their diverse goals, then choose a single, achievable campaign goal to focus and plan around.

This is a tool to help people express all the different things they want to achieve with the campaign. The second step is to use this material to focus in on choosing a campaign goal that can be used as the basis of a plan.

The reason for the two step process is that people often find it challenging to pick an achievable goal to plan towards. It is often easier for people if they have space to articulate the big, over-arching reasons why they want to be part of the campaign (e.g. ‘world peace’), and then see how their specific campaign (e.g. against the local weapons factory) feeds towards that.

Stage one #

The first step is for everyone to write down the different goals they want to achieve that have led them to get involved in the campaign. Each one should go on a separate piece of paper.

Each person then adds their own goals to a spectrum along the floor or wall, with long term over-arching aims at one end, and immediate short- term goals at the other. In the example of the campaign against a local weapons factory, you might have ‘world peace’ at the long term end, and ‘increase awareness of where the weapons go’ somewhere near the short term end.

Take time to read each others’ ideas. Give people chance to move their goals based on how other people have placed theirs on the spectrum. You might also cluster similar ideas together.

Be clear that what you have at this stage represents the spread of motivations in the group – not necessarily something you all agree on. You don’t need to have complete agreement on everything you have down – but if major disagreements come up, make time to discuss them. Otherwise, simply record what you have (e.g. take photos), so that none of the ideas get lost.

Stage two #

Focus in on choosing a concrete campaign goal which you will use to make a plan together. This is where you definitely need agreement!

Explain the campaign goal should be a meaningful, concrete step in the direction of your long-term goals. In the weapon’s factory example, concrete steps might be ‘close the factory down’, ‘convince pension funds to divest’ or ‘expose their illegal weapons sales’.

The goal should also be achievable enough that you can make a plan towards it. You may need to do research and analyse the situation before deciding which goal you will base your plan around. In the example above, you might decide your campaign ultimately wants to shut the factory down, but you will base your initial plan around divestment as a first step in that direction.

Give everyone time to think individually or in pairs, then ask for suggestions. This might be one of the goals already written down, or something new they have come up with. Compare the things you’ve heard and try to reach agreement.