Global Change Denmark Spring 2011

This spring, Global Change will campaign for a new EU Agricultural Policy, which do not hurt the livelihoods of farmers in the developing world. We call on Danish and European decision makers to refrain from business as usual!

Join the Global Change course in Denmark and learn how to campaign on global issues and advocate the voices of the world’s poorest. The Global Change course offers you an intense period of learning and campaigning. You will learn a wide range of campaign tools and attend lectures with progressive campaigners from both Europe and Africa. Global Change Denmark offers the following:

• Concrete campaign experience - parallel to the training programme you will plan and manage a campaign on the EU’s Agricultural Policy in cooperation with campaigns professionals from Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke and ActionAid International.
• Strategic and political communication - learn how to make your message relevant in a world determined by political strategy and news media. Methods are based on SmartMeme, Chris Rose, George Lakoff, Orla Vigsø, Preben Sepstrup.
• Strategy - learn how to build an effective campaign strategy. Methods are based on SmartMeme and Chris Rose.
• Creative events - learn how to spin the agenda with public events. Methods are inspired by The Yes Men.
• New and social media - learn how to mobilise debate and other people by utilising social media and other forms of new media. Methods are inspired by Tactical Technology Collective and Avaaz.
• Mobilisation of volunteers and activists -  learn how to organise and inspire other people to engage in your campaign. Methods are based on Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke’s wide range of training programmes for volunteers.
• A study trip abroad - meeting with decision makers and progressive civil society organisations in Brussels or attending peaceful rallies (NOT black block rallies) at the G8 summit in France.
• Lobbying -  learn how to engage decision makers through informal meetings with Danish and European politicians.
• Globalisation and social movements - weekly lectures with social movement leaders, trade unionists and renown academic activists such as Raj Patel, Patrick Bond, Yash Tandon and many more.
• Innovative working methods inspired by Otto Scharmer's Theory-U 

Campaign focus 2011

Today, almost 1 billion people are undernourished. 75 pct live in the rural areas of the developing world, and most depend on agriculture for livelihoods. The good news is that hunger can effectively be fought through agricultural development and support for small scale farmers.

Cartoon by Nicholson from "The Australian" newspaper: www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au

Unfortunately, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy work against the potential benefits of farming in the developing world. For decades, the EU’s subsidised export of agricultural goods has hurt the livelihoods of local farmers in many developing countries. Most farmers find themselves unable to compete with the cheap subsidised products of the European agricultural industry. Consequently, the EU’s agricultural policy has become a main obstacle to the development of local markets in many developing countries.

However, 2011 and onwards offers a historical opportunity to make political changes in favour of the world’s poorest as the EU is set to engage in a major reform of its agricultural policy. But change does not come by itself. Civil society in Europe must support small scale farmers and their right to development.