There are a number of ways in which individuals can participate in society. One method is through 'active citizenship' which typically refers to the involvement of members of society in public life and affairs. Active citizens inform themselves to develop an understanding, knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about the condition of society. Based on these decisions 'active citizens' can participate in society, at a local, national or international level, to tackle problems, bring about change or even resist change to improve the condition of society.
Active citizens can bring about change in society through campaigning which can influence the opinion of other people. Citizens can join a pressure group which is a voluntary organisation consisting of a group of citizens who aim to influence public policy and opinions about a particular cause. Pressure groups can employ a variety of tactics when campaigning which can take the form of either direct or indirect action.
Active citizens can bring about change in society through campaigning which can influence the opinion of other people. Citizens can join a pressure group which is a voluntary organisation consisting of a group of citizens who aim to influence public policy and opinions about a particular cause. Pressure groups can employ a variety of tactics when campaigning which can take the form of either direct or indirect action.
Tactics Used by Pressure Groups
There are a variety of methods and tactics pressure groups use a to promote their campaigns each of which target different groups in society, e.g. government, media and the public.
1. Petitions: are a collection of signatures indicating individuals support for a particular cause. Petitions are utilised to demonstrate the strength and support of a campaigns view.
2. Leaflets: to bring about awareness and support for a issue or issues the pressure group if aiming to tackle. Leaflets may also ask for financial and moral support. 3. Media Promotion: the use of paid media to promote campaign for instance through TV adverts, printed advertisements in newspapers or even using direct mail. For example the NSPCC advert |
4. Boycotts: when individuals as a form of punishment and protest withdraw commercial or social relations with an individual or organisation they oppose to. One example would be the global boycotting campaign against Nike which started in the 1990s where consumers boycotted Nike products to protest against sweat shop conditions, child labour and exploitation of its workers.
5. Use of celebrity: Many pressure groups use celebrities as part of their campaign mainly because by attracting a celebrity the group can also gain some media interest. Also celebrities can encourage other citizens to support the campaign and its cause. The Make Poverty History campaign has been known to use a various celebrities to help raise awareness and increase support for its campaign against poverty. |
6. Lobbying: the main aim behind lobbying is to influence the opinions of those in a position of power from the government, e.g. MP's Lords, to devolved legislators to develop legislation or take action which will aid the organisation. Lobbying involves a range of activities from sending letters to provide briefing material to Members.
7. Professional Lobbying: Wealthier pressure groups can employ professional lobbyists who are paid to lobby full time on behalf of the pressure group. Professional lobbying partly involves approaching individuals with power to put forward the case and views of the pressure group. 8. Demonstrations: can be undertaken by a small collection of people or by a mass group, consisting of either a march or static protest, to exhibit their views. |
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9. E-media: This form of campaigning has become increasingly important in moderns society. The main advantage of employing e-media as a campaigning technique is that it quickly enables pressure groups to reach and provide its supports with news and information. This can be done through for instance Facebook or twitter pages. |
At times campaigners make these demonstrations disruptive or eye-catching through publicity stunts to ensure their views are heard and increase the potential of media coverage.
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How are some campaigns successful?
The diagram above illustrates some of the key factors which contribute to whether a campaign can be successful or not. An example of a campaign which has proven unsuccessful due to its campaigning methods can be seen in Fathers4Justice. The pressure group aimed to change the law regarding fathers' access to children after divorce can employed a variety of campaign techniques;
- Media attention stunts: such as dressing up in costumes and scaling Buckingham Palace and the London eye.
- Demonstrations and sit-ins: at ministers homes, outside courts and parliament.
- Leaflets/posters: used to inform the public on key issues faced by fathers in the UK.
However while many of these methods have been successful in raising the issues which concern the Farthers4Justice pressure group it has also been the key factor which has impeded its own success. While the group attracted media attention on a large scale some of its actions were not legally or morally acceptable. For instance Fathers4Justice Crummy Mummy campaign used celebrities in their campaign without their consent. The campaign was criticised for using bullying techniques and being a misogynistic poster campaign. Fathers4Justice
achievements and success politically has been limited because of the campaign methods
they employed. The groups campaign methods made the government reluctant to
take political action in favour of them because it would indicate support for its wrong
actions.
CASE STUDY
Teaching Ideas
Lesson Starter: Who am I activity? Putting clues on the board for students to guess who or what the clues are about. The people and things will be associated to something or someone who has aided in fighting for or promoting a right or changes in society. For example, person: Jamie Oliver: campaigning for healthy school meals or object: make poverty history wrist band.
Main part: The lesson will consist of mainly a PowerPoint that outlines the subject knowledge of pressure groups. including:
Activity: Creating a Pressure Group
What To Do:
FINALLY
You need to create ONE PowerPoint slide outlining:
Finally present one of these techniques to the class (so you could make a leaflet, poster or even act out a TV advertisement you would make)
Students will be required to complete this activity across a number of lessons, where one whole lesson would be allocated to presenting their pressure group.
The student presentation will be peer assessed (only one group will be assessing the group presenting).
Main part: The lesson will consist of mainly a PowerPoint that outlines the subject knowledge of pressure groups. including:
- What are pressure groups
- What techniques do they use
- What makes them successful
- Case Study
Activity: Creating a Pressure Group
What To Do:
- Get into groups of 3/4.
- Decide as a group ONE issue that you feel strongly about and would like to change e.g. could be environmental, a particular human right.
- Now invent a pressure group around this issue: you need to come up with a name and think about what techniques you would use as a pressure group and why (maybe include some examples of how these techniques have worked for other pressure groups)
FINALLY
You need to create ONE PowerPoint slide outlining:
- Name of your pressure group
- What is it aim
- What techniques you would use and why
Finally present one of these techniques to the class (so you could make a leaflet, poster or even act out a TV advertisement you would make)
Students will be required to complete this activity across a number of lessons, where one whole lesson would be allocated to presenting their pressure group.
The student presentation will be peer assessed (only one group will be assessing the group presenting).