The Regional Advocacy Manual for the Partnership for Reconciliation through Early Childhood Education and Development in Europe (PRECEDE)

By advocating and lobbying for a particular purpose the Civil Society Organizations may make dem ocratic changes in the society, changes in the policies and the system in order to help the concerned citizens for which they advocate. The CSOs have a great role in creating the public awareness and they publicly advocate for overcoming some of the problems which the citizens face every day. They articulate the needs of the citizens and the advocate for their resolution. In fact, advocating often starts with detecting and defining the problem or issue for which we want to promote, initiate and propose a change in policy, system and practice. T here are many concrete steps which a CSO can undertake in creating changes in the public awareness and resolution of some of the problems that the citizens in a country face. Activities through organizing debates, forums, advocating for a certain case, collecting signatures, organ izing petitions, public debates, public hearings, testimonies and campaigns can help the CSOs to gain and include more supporters and allies in the process of lobbying and advocating. CSOs advocate for making certain changes, if it is necessary to amend certain laws which will be of use and in function of citizens in overcoming their problems. But, CSOs before starting the process of advocating and lobbying should obtain the mandate and legitima cy by citizens, they should get support by them, only that way they have the power to conspire and advocate. T he changes for which the CSOs advocate often are connected with undertaking activities whose purpose is advocating social justice, better justice system vulnerable, marginalized groups and disadvantaged citizens, implementation of human rights in practice. CSOs strive to include the agenda they advocate and lobby for in the public to be part of the agenda of the decision makers. By addressing the issue in relation to the Government and Parliament, by receiving citizen and media support, the initiative of a CSO gets significance and fights for that issue to get more attention in the public space. By receiving public support CSOs become stronger and can ask and insist the decision makers to find a solution to the certain problems. But, it is also important for them to be included in giving suggestions and solutions and continuously to ask for support by the public to implement the solution in practice. In this process of advocacy and lobby CSOs undertake a concrete action and they offer concrete solutions in order to cause a certain change which will help the citizens to improve some situation in society. The CSOs should convince the decision makers that these suggestions and solutions for which they advocate to be in the best interest of citizens. T his manual for advocacy and lobby should help the CSOs regarding the issue they advocate and lobby for to succeed in creating policies which will be accepted by the decision makers, therefore directly to help the citizens to resolve real problems which they advocate for. Dragi Zmijanac Regional Coordinator for Advocacy