An insight into SMK’s Campaign Carousel™ from Evangeline Knapman, Campaigns Officer at Z2K.
”Learning from each other’s experiences has helped me become an even more determined, resilient campaigner.”
I first got involved in campaigning as part of Free the Flow – a period poverty campaign for free sanitary products to be provided at the University of York – where I saw the tangible change that a coordinated and persistent movement for social justice can achieve.
I started my role as Campaigns Officer for anti-poverty organisation Z2K last year and was looking for training that would help me to become a more effective, collaborative and strategic campaigner. When the Oak Foundation got in touch to say they were offering places for grantees on SMK’s Campaign Carousel™, I jumped at the chance.
I am currently working on our #SecurityNotSanctions campaign to defend vital benefits for seriously ill and disabled people and advocate for a system that works for disabled people. Learning about the Problem Tree planning tool on the core workshop on Analysing the Problem and Planning for Change has helped me to identify the key issues with our disability benefit system and where to target our campaigning resources.
The workshop, Influencing Locally has been invaluable for the projects I am working on to improve people’s experiences of living in the Private Rented Sector and Temporary Accommodation in Westminster. I came away from the session with a much clearer idea of who our targets should be and how we can use lived and learnt experience to engage with them.
Campaigning for ambitious changes to broken systems can feel like a fruitless task at times. As an early-career campaigner in a small charity, I have relished the opportunity to connect with others who are also on the campaign journey through SMK’s Campaign Carousel™. Learning from each other’s experiences has helped me become an even more determined, resilient campaigner and translate the insight I have developed, into building social security and housing systems which work for everyone.
