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== 3- Types of engagement initiatives: examples and tips ==
 
== 3- Types of engagement initiatives: examples and tips ==
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'''''Organizing in-person and online events'''''
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Examples: seminars, conferences, webinars, study tours, photo or art exhibit, film screening
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Tips:
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•Plan an event with clear objectives.
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•Focus on specific audiences instead of ‘’Canadians at large’’ and develop specific engagement strategies for each audience.
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•Before planning an event, evaluate what has been done or planned by partners for the same target groups (NGOs working within the same communities, including non-traditional groups).
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•When possible, work in partnership with other likeminded and complementary organizations to maximize reach, share best practices and build capacity.
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•Include clear and consistent key messages as part of the events, to communicate long-term results and effectiveness (going beyond isolated events and facts).
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•Present the same event in various locations, when possible.
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•If you are holding a series of events in a number of cities, develop a plan to engage with local organizations and media, when possible. Evaluate the possibility of including large cities and small communities, including rural and northern locations.
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•Have an evaluation plan for all events/products, including both quantitative and qualitative indicators, to assess behaviour changes.
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•If you are planning an event with a southern speaker, reach out to other Canadian partners. They might be interested in inviting this guest to speak at their own event.
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'''''Engaging and involving the Canadian education sector'''''
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Examples: Development of curriculum content with teachers, training sessions for Canadian teachers, partnerships with local education institutions, etc.
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Tips:
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•Consult with teachers and get their feedback on curriculums;
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•Help teachers distributing the material;
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•Engage education faculties to target students studying to become teachers;
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•Get in touch with the Inter-Council Network, which has strong ties with different local school boards across the country.
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'''''Sharing personal stories of experiences abroad'''''
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Example: blog, news article, podcast or video about an intern or a volunteer who undertook an international experience with your organization
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Tips:
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•Interns and volunteers should prepare an engagement plan to implement before, during and after they go abroad, as well as a short report upon their return to Canada.
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•During their stay abroad, ask them to write a blog post, tweet, share photos or use the social media platform of their choice to share their experience with other Canadians.
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•Suggest that they contact newspapers and TV and radio stations in their communities; a journalist might be interested in featuring a story about their experience abroad.
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•Create links to intern or volunteer blogs on your organization’s Web site.
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•Develop a speaker’s bureau to have interns and volunteers participate and share with others when they return to Canada.
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•Develop joint public engagement campaigns with other Canadian, international or multilateral partner organizations (e.g., international days, UN SDGs).
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'''''Developing a social media campaign'''''
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Tips:
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•Before developing a social media campaign, evaluate the possibility of working in partnership with other organizations
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(likeminded and complementary) to extend reach, build capacity, share knowledge, harmonize messages and eliminate duplication.
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•Plan public engagement campaigns (using traditional and new media) to promote Canadians who have worked in developing countries to make a difference.
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•Think about partnering with a ‘social media champion’ or ‘influencer’.
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•Measure the reach by counting the exact number of people that a social media post could reach. Note that the number of impressions (potential views) of a social media post does not represent a significant result.
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•Calculate the number of actions resulting from the publication of messages in social media, e.g., number of retweets, likes, shares (quantitative evaluation).
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Evaluate the content of comments published on social media (qualitative evaluation).   
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'''''Producing and disseminating communication products'''''
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Examples: Videos, films, photos, podcasts, paper and electronic publications (pamphlets, books, etc.);
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pre-paid media articles; Web sites or interactive platforms; TV, radio and newspaper ads directly linking to the engagement project funded by GAC.
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Tips:
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•Define objectives and confirm target audiences. Develop a rationale to justify the choice of medium for those audiences.
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•Establish a distribution strategy before developing communication products (confirm target audience, distribution list, timelines, responsibilities, etc.).
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•Before developing a new communication product, check if another partner has already developed a similar tool.
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•Prepare an evaluation plan for all products, including both quantitative and qualitative indicators wherever possible