More useful insights on SMK’s Campaign Carousel™ from participants reflecting on their learning journey. This week we hear from Ruby Cardona Senker from Sightsavers.
‘Campaigning is one of the most powerful tools we have to make change. In the fight for disability rights, I believe we can hold decision-makers accountable to their commitments, encourage laws, policies and development programmes to be disability-inclusive.’
My role is Communications Officer for Sightsavers and I work on global inclusion projects that support people with disabilities to work, go to school, and participate fully in society. Outside of my work, I run a project called Give Street which supports people experiencing homelessness and food poverty in Brighton, and I’m aiming to bring more advocacy to the work we do.
I work closely with the campaign team at Sightsavers and the Campaign Carousel looked like a good way to introduce me to a range of areas within campaigning.
Throughout the Campaign Carousel, I enjoyed the range of course topics that were offered, as well as the opportunity to hear from a variety of campaigners from different causes.
I found the discussions during the Lived Experience, Solidarity and Social Change session interesting, especially around how we can put solidarity into practice. I also enjoyed the deep dive into digital campaign tactics during the Digital Campaigning session, where we explored the many creative ways that activist organisations have called for change.
Something I will take forward in my work will be ensuring I write external communications in an audience-focused way, a tactic which helps to empower and encourage supporters to feel like they can really make a difference. I’ll be taking on board some useful guidance from the Community Organising session on how to manage the time and effort you invest into campaign allies and partners. Finally, I will be referring to the helpful prompts that were shared with us from the Analysing the Problem and Planning for Change workshop, when developing campaigns in the future.