Working as an Advocacy Assistant for an NGO is never boring. The tasks are so broad and diverse that no working day is the same as the previous one. So, if you are a dynamic, intuitive, and independent person, this position might be the perfect one for you.
I am working for Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, an NGO aimed to support the implementation of human rights in the Gulf Countries by advocating in the EU and the US about the systematic violations which occur in the Middle East. Despite the seriousness of the cause, the projects we work on can be quite enjoyable. In the past three months, I was able to work on many different projects, tackling this issue from various angles.
Something that I found extremely challenging but interesting at the same time was an advocacy plan for the acquisition of the football team AC Milan. An operation that usually goes unnoticed is the practice of sportwashing, for which regimes and unethical corporations acquire sports teams or participate in sports events in order to improve their image and reputation, showing themselves off in the eye of the West. Last month, we became aware that the Bahraini fund Investcorp was about to acquire AC Milan. We discovered that the corporation based in Manama is linked to the Bahraini government, which is responsible for many human rights violations such as torture, extrajudicial killings and ill-treatment of political prisoners. Who knows where that money would go then?
Therefore, my team and I created an advocacy plan to stop such an acquisition.
The first step of the advocacy plan is always the most tedious. Many stakeholders are involved in these operations, so, first, it is fundamental to research who is involved and who is influential enough to change the course of action. Then a contact list for all these people should be created. This is usually a very repetitive and dull task. However, if you manage to pass this first stage, the work becomes rather dynamic and thrilling.
On such occasion, we decided to develop a social media strategy where we designed a lot of infographics, tweets and posts. If you like graphics design, this is surely an enjoyable task. Then, we created a media strategy. We drafted press releases and op-eds to share with the major Italian sports and international affairs media. I enjoy content creation and writing a lot; therefore, seeing my personal op-ed published by many football magazines has been an immense satisfaction. But the project did not stop there. Besides raising awareness with the public, it is also crucial to involve the influential figures who have the power to stop such acquisitions. Therefore, we contacted various MPs and spoke with them about the issue. Speaking with politicians is always demanding. They are usually quite busy and disinterested, so the challenge is being able to tailor the discourse to their interests. However, persuading them to support your cause is extremely stimulating.
Eventually, in just one day, you can improve your graphic design, content creation and speaking skills. And all of this while working for a good cause.
How did the advocacy plan go, though? Well, the latest indiscretions claim that now Investcorp is out of the game, while Redbird, a US-based fund that has nothing to do with Middle Eastern regimes, is about to acquire the team. So, I would say it is going well!
Lucrezia Lesa