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THE FEDERALIST ACADEMY
A UEF Training Event
at the College of Europe in Bruges
26-28 June 2015 | Bruges, Belgium
First Edition
OUTLINE
When?
26-28. JUNE 2015
Where?
Bruges, Belgium
Participants:
Maximum 25 leaders and future leaders of UEF sections
Aims and outcomes:
To enable members to develop:



practical skills in political activism
knowledge of current UEF policies
membership numbers in their national sections
As part of the UEF’s membership development plan, and as mandated by the UEF Federal
Committee, the European Secretariat has developed a draft programme for the first edition of the
Federalist Academy. The Academy, a three-day residential course, will be hosted in the Flemish city
of Bruges and look to repeat the success of previous Debate and Training Weekends but with a
greater focus on the practical elements of activism.
The event will begin on Friday 26th June and finish on Sunday 28th of June and offer places to a
maximum of 25 participants, selected from across the UEF’s national sections. Potential participants
should be current or future leaders of UEF sections, looking to develop the theoretical and practical
skills required to help spread Federalist ideas and grow the organisations’ membership.
The Academy will include both optional theoretical and practical seminars alongside central taught
elements covering both essential practical skills and essential knowledge of EU decision making and
Federalist policy. Practical workshops will help activists identify the most important skills required for
political action and then enable them to develop those skills, with a focus on: actions,
communication, advocacy and membership.
The course will include facilitator-led project groups where participants, divided into small teams, will
be given a scenario and asked to design a response to the problem it presents.
The weekend will empower participants to renew their effort as political actors and activists and
enable them to apply newly developed knowledge and skills in an effective manner.
DRAFT PROGRAMME
FRIDAY
14:00 INTRODUCTION
Welcome and getting to know each other, outline of the weekend’s activities, targets
and desired outcomes.
15:00 WORKSHOPS: FEDERALIST ACTIVISTS’ ESSENTIAL SKILLS
ACTIONS
COMMUNICATION
ADVOCACY
MEMBERSHIP
Workshops on the four skill groups: actions, communication, advocacy and
membership. The groups run three times so participants must choose three from the
four available and are invited to discuss the explore the essential skills of the
federalist activist.
18:00 Break
18:15 ESSENTIAL SKILL SESSION: POLITICAL LOBBYING
An expert guest on the essential skills required for effective political lobbying.
19:30 Dinner
SATURDAY
09:00 LECTURE: EU INSTITUTIONS AND DECISION MAKING
A 60min lecture followed by 30min feedback/Q&A.
Lecture outlines the structure of the EU and the process of law and decision making.
10:30 Break
11:00 WORKSHOPS: GROUP SKILL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS
Participants visit one workshop per session to focus on specific skill-development
11:00 SESSION I
CAMPAIGNS
How to run a
campaign that
matters and makes a
difference.
12:00 SESSION II
EVENT
MANAGMENT
What to remember
and what to forget,
about hosting a great
event.
COMMUNICATION
TOOLS
DEBATING SKILLS
RECRUITMENT
Who’s your audience
and which tools
should you to use to
reach them?
“You talkin’ to me?”
What (not) to say and
how to say it.
“Locate, engage,
train, maintain”
PRESS RELATIONS
POLICY
DEVELOPMENT
TRAINING
How to make your
story and then make
it sell papers.
How to “think
together” to turn
ideals into ideas and
policies.
What do Federalist
activists need to
know and where and
how do they learn it?
How to grow
membership.
13:00 Lunch
14:00 SESSION III
PUBLIC ACTIONS
How to engage
citizens through
public actions.
ONLINE PRESENCE
STRATEGY
NETWORKING
FINDING
SPONSORS
How to use internet
and social media
effectively.
The enduring power
of connections:
Where to find them
and how to maintain
them.
Where to find the
funding you need
and how to get it.
15:00 Break
15:15 WORKSHOPS: PRACTICAL PROJECT – PART I
Participants split into four groups to develop a practical project based on spreading
Federalist ideas and growing membership using existing and newly acquired skills.
16:15 Break
16:30 CRASH COURSE: FEDERALIST POLICIES
A 20min intense introduction followed by 10min discussion on each of the 3 main
current UEF policies (Economic and Monetary Union, Security and Defence, EU
institutions)
18:00 Break
18:15 ESSENTIAL SKILL SESSION: PUBLIC SPEAKING
An expert guest on the essential skills required in public speaking.
19:30 Close of session
20:00 Dinner
SUNDAY
09:30 WORKSHOPS: PRACTICAL PROJECTS - PART II
Participants continue their work on the assigned project in small groups.
11:00 Break
11:15 PRESENTATION OF PROJECTS
Each group given 15min to present their work, judged based on pre-defined criteria:
effectiveness, imagination, professionalism etc.
12:15 FEEDBACK AND EVALUATION
12:45 Departure
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should apply for a place as soon as possible. The final deadline is Monday 18 May at 12:00
Brussels time. However, applicants meeting the ideal participant profile will be selected in advance of
the deadline and the number of participants per national section will be limited, so applying sooner
will increase your chances of securing a place.
National sections are invited to recommend a number of members for the Academy; participants will
be selected based on their statement of intent, which should include details of how they hope to
implement the skills developed over the weekend in their local or national section.
COSTS
The UEF will cover all expenses over the weekend including meals, accommodation and learning
resources. Travel costs will be covered by participants (or their section). Participants are asked to pay
a deposit of €100 to guarantee their place and to provide their original travel documents and proof
of purchase following the event. Selected participants will be contacted with payment instructions
before Friday 22 May 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Please contact the UEF European Secretariat:
Mana LIVARDJANI
Director
mana.livardjani@federalists.eu
Anton LAZARUS
Actions & Network Officer
anton.lazarus@federalists.eu