The fourth ‘Understanding & Influencing Your Parliament’ conference will be held at Holyrood on Saturday 27th October 2012. The day will focus on practical advice and guidance, looking at what works best in terms of successful and effective campaigning at Holyrood.
The conference will target local, grass-roots community organisations, small voluntary and charity-sector groups, civic associations and local campaign groups. Almost two hundred attendees from across Scotland will attend the event aimed at developing effective skills to allow such groups to have their voice heard at Holyrood.
Importantly, like the first three communities conferences held in 2009 2010 and 2011, this year’s conference will be aimed specifically at groups which have had no - or little – prior engagement with MSPs and the Parliament.
Delegates will have the opportunity throughout the day to take part in question-and-answer sessions with speakers, and to meet with MSPs, Scottish Parliament staff involved in engagement, local journalists and successful petitioners and campaigners.
Workshops
Delegates will be able to attend two workshops, all of which are focused on practical campaign advice and guidance.
Workshops include:
- Social Media
- Public Petitions
- Working With the Media
- Help Me to Help You: an MSPs View
- Events and Exhibitions at Holyrood
The communities conference approach is unique. As far as we know, no other parliament, assembly or legislature anywhere in the world runs anything like it, with the same audience, and aims and objectives. As a result, the communities conference has attracted interest from other representative bodies both in the UK and overseas.
Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick MSP discusses the fourth Communities Conference, which aims to help local organisations understand more about their Parliament and how to engage with it.
Further information and related videos