The European Green Party Council of Glasgow in December 2016, adopted the resolution on the ACT Network. Due to the fact that another European Political Party also uses that name, the EGP committee decided to change the name into “ChangeMaking Network”. The basic principles remain the same.
The EGP committee has investigated the possibilities to create the ChangeMaking Network, as directed by the Council.
Technical overview and administration
The ChangeMaking Network will be a space of online action, which will enhance the online presence of the European Green Party. This virtual space will consist of a database and a website, as agreed in the resolution at the Council in Glasgow. The database will be technically developed, maintained and updated by an external stakeholder (or agency) in close cooperation with the EGP office. The EGP will retain control over the data. This database will be the backbone of the ChangeMaking Network, and will be used to organise actions, campaigns and other (online) activities. The database will be set up in line with the EU regulations on data protection regulation and if possible with open source software.
The website is the “physical” space where Green-minded people, with an interest in European affairs, can sign up for the ChangeMaking Network, either through petitions, newsletters, or other actions alike. People will be asked to sign up, by only giving basic information, to make the threshold low. More information can be asked once people have signed up. This website is the place where the calls to action are collected, and where people can find out more about these. People are asked to sign, to share, and to participate, also via social media.
The ChangeMaking Network will not get involved in activities regarding issues of national or regional scope, nor will it get involved with activities in a member state unless the member party concerned explicitly welcomes that.
The EGP Committee sees the ChangeMaking Network as a tool through which issues that the Greens in Europe care about, can be spread, and to widen the outreach of the European Green family. Through the ChangeMaking Network, the EGP can shine a light on certain topics that deserve this attention in Europe. Also, through analysing the data in the database, the EGP will find out which topics are of relevance for Greens in Europe, and use this information for future campaigns and the European Election campaign 2019.
Transparent structure of how the ChangeMaking Network is organised and how responsibilities are defined.
Cooperation with the member parties is the basis for the success of the ChangeMaking Network, both for specific as well as for election campaigns. Member parties are requested to appoint one person in the party as a liaison for the ChangeMaking Network development. This liaison should be from the executive level or able to communicate with it. This person should take a seat on the Advisory Board of the ChangeMaking Network.
A Working Group from the EGP Committee, consisting of 3 people, is responsible for making the political decisions at the time they are necessary to be made. The Committee will be informed and has the possibility to overrule. In very urgent cases, the Secretary General may decide on her own, yet in conjunction with informing the working group immediately. The members of the Working Group will also take a seat in the Advisory board, together with the Member Party liaisons.
The EGP will open the possibility for ChangeMaking Network members to hand in proposals (but no public voting on them). They will be checked by the Working Group and – in cases of long-term or very important issues – be forwarded to the Advisory Board, consisting of the Working Group and Member Parties. After receiving their feedback, the decision process would work as described above.
In creating and setting up the ChangeMaking Network, the EGP will request the expertise of some people in the member parties, for support. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, and the EGP wants to work closely together with the member parties to develop this in a way that is mutually beneficial for all.
Goals and how to reach those
For the European Election campaign 2019, we will move the balance from a ‘paper’ oriented campaign, to a digital campaign. We have to be able to reach out to the people in the ChangeMaking Network, and beyond. We aim to make them Green ambassadors and multipliers of the campaign, they have to distribute the digital information flow through mails, social media, and more. We aim to gather data from the ChangeMaking Network and use it within the European laws to optimise and maximise our outreach. The main goals of this campaign are strengthening our European presence and spreading our Green values.
The EGP will ask the people who sign up to allow transfer of their contact information to the national member party, so they can be kept updated by the national Green member party as well. This way, the member parties can benefit from the ChangeMaking Network for their campaigns and actions, being aware of the need of data security and protection.
The member parties will be asked to actively engage in the process of keeping contact with the people that are in the ChangeMaking Network, when agreed that the EGP transfers their contact details. If necessary, the EGP can support in the development of the member party’s strategy: sharing the software, support in sending (campaign) e-mails and in online actions on how to keep these people engaged.
The EGP intends to create the ChangeMaking Network to be as big as possible as a pan-European space for campaigning on Green issues, but we also understand the limitations of our capabilities. Therefore, the cooperation with the Member Parties is very important to the EGP, in order to allow this ChangeMaking Network to grow and be of relevance.
Possible actions and campaigns
In close cooperation with the agency, the EGP will develop a strategy and define which actions and campaigns will be run by the ChangeMaking Network. Together with the agency, we will define the goals, and how to reach those, which is all part of the strategy. The strategy will also take into account the common campaign for the European Elections 2019.
The agency will set up the technical aspects of the database, and support the EGP in defining the strategy. The actual work and the maintenance of the ChangeMaking Network will be done by the EGP office.
