Without INQUEST we would never find any answers about the degrading deaths of our children. – Family member
- decide what you want to achieve before getting involved and set that as your objective or aim.
- do some research in advance – find out what’s going on already, what the government is doing on the issue, policy, other groups, or families who might have been affected. Talk to them to get ideas on what campaigning involves, and whether there are campaigns up and running already you might want to get involved in. Section 1.5 Dealing with Information could be useful.
- find out who has the power to make the kind of changes you want, and then consider how you might influence them directly.
- set out your priorities – is it justice for you and your family, for others, or is it to change the way the state acts, or the way government makes policy on your issue.
- co-operation with others is crucial – this may be other families, friends, voluntary organisations, faith groups, trade unions or bigger non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
- identify your strengths and weaknesses – think carefully about what you do well, what you might need help with (designing a website, public speaking, writing letters etc) and plan how you get it.
- think carefully about your tactics– the previous sections in the Toolkit will help you decide if you want to lobby, use the media, write letters etc
- be creative; consider all the tactics for campaigning and how you might use some or all of them. Using a number of tactics will be more effective than simply using one
- think about writing an action plan – Section 1.2 Planning Skills has advice and information about this
- take time to assess whether what you are doing is working, talk to others about it and don’t be afraid to do things differently. Never be afraid to ask for help.
Campaigning should start with a plan. Consider all the things you need to do and work out how you are going to do them, by when and if you need the support of others. And remember don’t feel guilty about a lack of involvement or not doing enough. Do what you feel comfortable with and every action, however small, can make a difference in the long term.