Resource contents

Each section should take you around 10 minutes to complete.

Section 1 : Who are the decision-makers?  

• Who holds the power, what kind, and how?  
• How might they be useful people to get involved in your social action project? 
• The Power & Influence Matrix     

Section 2 : Political power - navigating the right path  

• Why bother? The importance of young people engaging democratically  
• The differences between central and local government structures, and who is responsible for what aspect of public life   
• How to find out who your local councillors/MPs are 

Section 3 : Financial power - money, money, money 

• Who different financial decision-makers are 
• What they might be able to offer (note - not always money!) 
• How to go about making an approach

Section 4: Decision-makers with social (or community) power  

• Who different social/community decision-makers are 
• Using surveys or polls to generate interest 
• Communicating through the media 

Section 5: Communicating with empathy  

• The advantages of taking a relationships-based approach 
• The 4 point approach 

Section 6: Making the most of the moment 

• Different ways of contacting decision-makers 
• Planning your contact (template form) 
• How to get the best from face-to-face meetings  
• How to write persuasive letters and emails  

Section 7: Additional support and guidance  

• All of the links we've used throughout this resource in one place

Section 8: Evaluation and feedback

• Please complete our short survey to let us know your thoughts