A Woman's Voice

It’s all very well having aspirations but unless you know how to get the message across you might as well not bother. That's why a recent trip to Washington by a group of 23 Northern Ireland women is so important for every one of us. They were learning how best to lobby; how to approach and impress our public representatives and influence them for the benefit of all.

Julie McCaughan is public relations officer for the Royal College of Nursing and represents 11,000 nurses. "I benefited hugely from the experience, when I came home my mind was racing and I was full of ideas and already I've been able to put them into operation. Although we only got home at the beginning of October I feel the effects of meeting 'top shelf lobbyist' as they're called and shadowing congressmen. I learned how to be direct with my message, not to be intimidated by those in office and the importance of making contacts, getting to know staff as well as the people in charge."

The two week lobbyist mentor programme was designed by the Ulster People's College in partnership with the Washington based International Women's Democracy Centre and came about when Bronagh Hinds director of the UPC, first met Barbara Ferris at the Vital Voices conference two years ago.

"We were talking about what our two organisations could do together and came up with the idea of this mentoring programme. The right of women to full and equal political participation is one of the tenets of the Belfast agreement and at the Ulster People's College we are playing our part in making that commitment a reality and this Community Advocate Mentor programme has strengthened the skills of women to lobby the assembly, its committees and the civic forum."

The women who applied for the trip came from many background organisations, education, trades unions, community groups amongst others. For Kate McCullough from the NI Women's European Platform the strongest impression was the importance attached to dialogue and the wealth of information about the system of government. "I was inspired by the accessibility to committee hearings, the way the proceeding are recorded on specialised websites and the attitude of politicians who regard lobbyists as sources of valuable information."

Let's hope that can be achieved in Northern Ireland! Julie McCaughan has already taken this concept and put together a health manifesto which the launched recently to the MLA's to add specific information to individual party manifestoes. "Information is power was one of the lessons learned in America, " she says, "and working together can only benefit the public at large."

Before going to Capitol Hill, the delegates had training and induction sessions at the People's College in Adelaide Park. They included what to expect in politics here and in Washington, and how to present themselves at the many meetings and receptions laid on for them in the States. As Julie points out sometimes personal confidence doesn't come easily to women.

"So we had to talk about ourselves at the training sessions, we even had to stand up and recite a poem handed to us at the last minute which all helped get over nerves when performing doesn't come easy!" The two weeks included sessions held at universities to discuss congress and its workings at local, state and federal level. There was a congressional tour at Capitol Hill and briefings on how an issue moves from the idea stage to being debated on the floor of the house.

Joe Crowley and Peter King all supported the mentoring visit and discussed how they work with lobbyists and how they use technology and the media. From Betty Kennedy's point of view the programme she coordinated for the group of NI women worked well. "The first week was devoted to observation and the second week to shadowing congressmen and during one session on the best way forward in a Northern Ireland context, the women decided to form a network to lobby Stormont on agreed issues, starting by addressing the need for better information and more openness at Stormont."

Although it was an 8 a. m. start every morning and an intense schedule, there were lighter moments and if fighting your corner and knowing the route is a prerequisite to success in politics, these budding lobbyists passed first base on the day Bono was rumoured to be at Capitol Hill.

"We knew he was around but we were told there was no way we'd get to see him as he was about to speak at a conference on Third World debt. In fact we were on our way to do some shopping when we heard there was to be a press conference so we decided to assert ourselves!" Kate McEvoy, with the Confederation of Community groups in Newry, wasn't joking.

"Sure enough Bono was there so I went over to him . He was charming and we all had a chat and took some photographs, proof that if you don't go for it you don't get it!" The value of the mentoring programme for Kate has been to gain confidence to broaden the work she and her colleagues are doing already.

"We are lobbying here on a local level but now I feel equipped to become even more proactive and regional. I have 22 organisations which will support our work by helping get information out to the public; it's setting up strategies like this and gaining access which is so important and now I feel we can do it more effectively thanks to what we learned on the trip."

"The worst thing in the world is for someone to feel they have no voice and no control, I want to make sure that changes. The programme has assisted women to acquire new skills and exercise them with confidence," says Bronagh Hinds, who feels it has contributed to promoting, in the words of the Agreement, 'the advancement of women in public life'."

"It is important that the elements of the Agreement on 'the full and equal political participation of women and the achievement of women in public life' are fully reflected in the approach of the executive, the assembly and the Civic Forum to their work. The office of the first and the deputy first minister holds responsibility for the equality agenda in government and women look forward to seeing leadership on this matter from them."

-- Anne Hailes, Irish Times, November 1, 2000