Last week we convened the Policy Leadership Virtual Skillshare, one in a series of virtual gatherings we intend to offer to respond to requests from our community to provide opportunities for policy practitioners to connect and exchange knowledge, to acquire and refine policy skills and to support each other while navigating their career journeys.
The participants came from various parts of the digital policy ecosystem, ranging from policy practitioners in civil society organisations based in Brussels, around Europe, and globally; to impact litigators, academics, to officials at the European Commission, and from regulatory bodies. We are grateful for all who joined and particularly those who so generously shared their knowledge and experience.
Reinforcing the field for greater impact
2024 is a momentous year for democracy, human rights, social and climate justice. In the second half of this year in Brussels, a new EU mandate, which includes a new European Parliament, college of Commissioners, and a new five-year policy strategy will be revealed. In addition to developing strategies and approaches to influence this new mandate is the broader global context including but not limited to: the climate crisis, the ongoing devastating crises in Gaza, Sudan and the Congo and the range of democratic elections worldwide.
Ramping up capacity for civil society actors has never been more important; for practitioners to feel supported, to be more confident in their craft, and ultimately to build power in their collective efforts to drive systemic change.
The agenda was split into two rounds, with facilitators leading sessions focused on three thematic areas: effectively engaging different stakeholders; building sustainable and impactful coalitions; and creatively and confidently navigating and influencing complex institutions.
The sessions covered included:
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How to organise coalitions to build political power;
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How & when to engage the technical/hacker community and involve them in policy processes;
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How to push EU policymakers' buttons when you’re trying to influence them;
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How to target companies without getting sued;
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Effectively engaging with regulators;
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Strategies for influencing standard setting bodies: the AI Act and beyond;
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How to engage with communities in crisis zones;
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Building a checklist for meeting a policymaker, including tips on non-verbal communication;
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How to navigate the Brussels institutional maze.
Participant feedback emphasised the practical nature of the learnings, and they particularly appreciated how they were able to apply them into their daily practice.
Next steps
We will offer more virtual peer-learning events, including a policy strategy focused edition in the Fall designed to support practitioners looking to understand, influence, and drive impact in the new EU mandate, and strategically engage on key policy issues, from the implementation and enforcement of the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, to the intersection of climate justice and technology policy, to spyware accountability, to age verification and protecting encryption, and more.
Our goal is to design program offerings which are tailored to the needs and goals of the field, so we’d love to hear from you! In particular what kind of knowledge, skills, and insights would help along your policy journey for future Skillshare sessions. You can reach us by email at policyleadership@aspirationtech.org or on LinkedIn.
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