The project to develop the legislative environment regulating civil and community work in Syria completes the first of the 3 work tracks, the assemblage track.

The Nation Building Movement implemented, within the assemblage track of the project to develop the legislative environment regulating civil and community work in Syria, 3 workshops during the months of October and November 2021, with the participation of 76 activists who were distributed to attend according to the region (governorates), after developing a mechanism for thinking about targeting and its circles.

This track aims primarily to unify the scene, language and discourse of the participants, activate their spaces of influence and advocacy, and work with them to expand and develop spaces for assembly and advocacy.

Each workshop focused on raising participants’ awareness of the legislative environment regulating civil work in Syria, the space and roles of civil society, the concept of advocacy, its requirements and tools.

Each workshop lasted for three days. Each workshop was opened by the project manager, Ms. Rula Bash Imam, who gave the participants an explanation of the project, what we have accomplished, and where we are going. Then, Mr. Firas Hamadeh gave a presentation on the definition of advocacy, the stages of advocacy, context analysis, stages of change, and types of strategies for support and influence.

The workshop participants were divided into several groups to work on analyzing the forces that could affect the requirements of the legislative environmental advocacy project according to the force analysis path. Each group discussed the results it reached, after which new groups were formed to study a number of civil entities that the guide addressed to classify them according to their role (guide chapters).

On the last day of each workshop, the guide was presented and how civil entities were classified. The contents of the guide include an introduction that addresses a historical view of civil society in Syria. The five chapters of the guide were also discussed according to the proposed classification.

Finally, the groups prepared proposed messages to advocate for the project, and identified the people who were expected to carry this project in their areas. The groups were distributed according to the governorates in which the workshop participants resided.

Our road is long, but its features are beginning to become clear, with everyone’s efforts, towards an independent and effective civil society.