Country Profile: USA 2017

The Alliance Academy - 2 weeks of advocacy training

14 participants from 14 countries

The Alliance Academy - equipping advocates with comprehensive skills.

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (also known as 'The Alliance') received a generous grant from FedEx to help further develop the capacity of the 200+ Alliance members (reached in 2017) in 90 countries.

The Alliance created the 'Alliance Empowerment Program', an overarching program that has the aim to work with NGO leaders to improve their effectiveness and impact. Members of the Alliance identified several key areas for development that would help them in their road safety missions on the ground. This was realized through an Alliance wide 'Learning Needs Assessment' in which members reviewed the skills they need to make real lasting change in road safety. In response to a clear capacity development need, the Alliance developed supportive programs under the banner of the Empowerment Program. These include: The Alliance Academy: which offers trainings such as online webinars and in-person training workshops.

The Academy Advocates: is an initiative that results from the Alliance Academy. The overall aim is to increase the quality of work that Alliance member NGOs implement. It builds on key skills such as planning, identify funding, implementing and evaluating effective advocacy activities, community mobilization, press attention, legislative change and more.

We (YOURS), were called in to develop the training curriculum based on our training experience. The curriculum was developed through month-long consultations with the Alliance and informed by the Learning Needs Assessment. In 2017, we tweaked and adjusted the training content to match the reflections of the class of 2016. We built on the already successful programme to ensure a cutting edge, relevant and empowering training.

We used our track record in workshop delivery to design, develop and implement the training. Floor Lieshout and Manpreet Darroch conducted the training at the FedEx Global Technology Campus in Memphis, Tennessee. External speakers from the the FIA Foundation and Amend offered insights to the global context of road safety advocacy as well as a special motivational talk from the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Road Safey Jean Todt. FedEx staff were brought in to provide specific inputs to compliment the training on topics such as branding, social media and press releases.

“It was beyond my expectation”

“Everyone was completely involved, and the facilitators made sure we were on the same track and that everyone understood. They made it look so easy and practical.”

Texel Cossa

Amend - Mozambique

Workshop delivery in USA

Discover our work with the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and FedEx.

Continuing our partnership with the Global Alliance...

The first class of 15 Alliance Advocates participated in an intensive training at the FedEx World Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee in August 2016. We continued our partnership with the Alliance in 2017 to deliver the training at the FedEx Global Head Quarters in Memphis, Tennesse. The Alliance Advocate training program is one part of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety’s capacity building initiative, the Alliance Empowerment Program.

The Empowerment Program includes three main components: Alliance Academy – offers trainings such as webinars and training workshops; the Alliance Seed Program which offers small grants to small evaluated and replicable road safety projects and the Alliance Mentorship Program – which pairs Alliance members with experienced organizations to grow them in a specific area.

We joined the project as consultants in workshop facilitation and worked with the Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs and FedEx to develop a robust agenda to meet the needs of ambitious NGO leaders in road safety. In 2017 worked to tweak, develop and refine our training materials to be delivered at the 'Alliance Academy' through our interactive, brain-friendly yet engaging and informative style.

The Alliance Advocates were selected through a strict, competitive, bidding process from among member NGOs. The 15 chosen advocates each came different countries and organizations and will become role models for other Alliance members, governments and their home communities.

‘Inspire and motivate Alliance Members in their region to become actively involved in contributing towards the road safety target mentioned in the Global Goals of halving road deaths and injuries by 2020. This will be done by further developing their knowledge and skills that they need to implement their own effective advocacy campaigns.’

Overall goal of the Alliance Advocates
“The Academy selected and trained 14 Alliance Advocates who will push for and support action in established risk areas. The Alliance Advocates will work together as a team to focus on specific deliverables and outcomes.”

The Alliance Advocates will:

Define and demonstrate all of the skills needed to act as an effective road safety advocate for change.
Identify gaps in road safety policy, action and initiatives using an evidence-based approach.
Build a coalition for advocacy, mobilize key stakeholders and take action together for a defined advocacy goal.
Demonstrate key methods to get your message across and monitor & evaluate progress and impact.
Design a comprehensive strategic action plan, raise funds for its implementation and execute the plan.

Road safety education reinvented for advocates...

Alliance Advocates underwent a comprehensive introduction to a range of topics designed to bolster and develop skills to take meaningful road safety action. Advocates were taken through a range of interactive sessions to stimulate group work and personal reflections.

Topics included:

Advocacy in Road Safety
Road Safety Messaging
Strategic Planning for Advocacy Activities
Talking with Decision Makers
Building a Coalition
Getting your Message Across
Presentation Skills
Facilitation Skills
Budgeting
Fundraising
Monitoring and Evaluation Skills

As well as specially selected 'Master-Classes' by expert guest presenters on a range of in-field experience sharing.

Workshop in Action

See a short video from the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety capturing the highlights of the training in Memhpis, 2017.

"YOURS trained the participants to become more effective advocates"

“This past August we hosted the second annual Alliance Empowerment Program training session at FedEx headquarters in Memphis. Professional staff from several departments at FedEx also provided their expertise in areas from marketing to road safety to fundraising to help increase the capacity of the participating NGOs to be more effective in their work. We are excited to follow their progress in their home countries in the months to come.”

Shane O'Connor

Communications Advisor, FedEx Global Citizenship

Results and Impact

A workshop is only as powerful as its impact and measurable results. Participants to the training became 'Alliance Advocates' on graduating from the Alliance Academy.

At the end of training, Advocates took the opportunity to evaluate the programme in its entirety as well as offer feedback on the content, delivery and impact. They were asked to rate the Alliance Advocate training course.

100% of participants said the training was successful in preparing them for advocacy for change upon their return. During the training, the advocate refined and built upon new skills required to make positive change in specific key risk areas.

Action to Follow...

The findings from the evaluation reports on a very successful training. There is an overall sense that the skills acquired at the training, will contribute to an increase in the quality of Alliance members work, and enable them to raise funds, identify and implement relevant advocacy projects in their country within in key areas, that leads to relevant advocacy projects and relevant law changes. Alliance Advocates also made robust action plans to take their work forward in their countries. Regular updates and progress logs will be undertaken to track progress.

More information about the Alliance Empowerment Program can be found at the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety's website.

"It’s been great"

A focal point of the Empowerment Program has been the training of a core team of NGO advocates, the Alliance Advocates. Floor and Manpreet from YOURS have been our main facilitators for the Alliance Advocate training for two years now.

We collaborate intensively throughout the preparation of the training to ensure there are clear learning objectives. They translate the learning objectives into a tailored training that uses the expertise and skills in the group. Their engaging, interactive and easy going facilitation style convey topics that otherwise can be difficult to grasp.

Lotte Brondum

Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, Administrative Director

Check out our workshops in other countries too!

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