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Approaches

NICE Trust’s key delivery strategy is based on the 360 Degrees Civic Education Model. The underlying principle of civic and voter education seeks to address challenges confronting democracy and good governance in the same manner a military establishment looks at a war and uses air forces, infantry and marines. The 360 Degrees Model is, therefore, premised on the same thinking that the war against good governance and democracy enemies should be multifaceted and fought in all fronts. In this regards, NICE just like the military establishment, shall confront governance vices through mirroring the way of fighting using the air waves instead of air forces (using radio, TV programmes, social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc); deployment of NICE structure and collaborating stakeholders on land mobilization campaigns instead of infantry (using well trained civic education officers and volunteers who reach out to all parts of the country; undertake awareness rallies, debates, trainings, citizen forums etc); water ways instead of marines to reach different islands (through canoes, ships and boats).

Source: NICE Strategic Plan 2021-2026

As a way of breaking down the strategy and approach employed by the Trust, it is important to appreciate the fact that NICE has numerous tried and tested methodologies that have proved to be effective in the delivery of civic education that has been empowering to many communities across the nation.  The 360 degrees civic and voter education is a strategy that does not leave out anyone. It is important to appreciate some of the selected approaches below that will be part of NICE’s methodological approach in this action:

NICE Trust uses capacity building as a very important approach to many civic education interventions. Through such interventions, critical pools of leaders and citizens are created as gatekeepers and entry points into communities at its core centres and peripherals. These workshops expose them to vital concepts that revolve around democracy as well as all its principles and values. All accountability interventions start from capacity building sessions for duty-bearers, stakeholders as well as all other relevant community structures like citizen forums that lead community members in the engagement of different categories of duty bearers. As such NICE Trust is known for conducting training or orientation workshops for such groups of people as a way of transferring knowledge and skills that translate into practices that transform community behaviours and practices. These trainings follow a pedagogy that focuses on four of the key principles of a well-designed Human Rights Based Approach to programming initiative, KAPS: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Skills.

The following methodologies will be utilised in reaching out to large numbers of people in both urban and rural settings considering their potential to reach out further to large numbers of people:  
  • Road shows/village caravans: These involve the hiring and use of public address systems as well as vehicles on which the public address systems are mounted.  Specific routes are selected on special days in order to reach out to many people as messages are disseminated by NICE staff, volunteers or partners that travel on these vehicles and make continuous announcements through populated areas. In some cases, comedians are also included so that at some designated populated places performances are staged, and messages spread through comedies. Most likely, some of the activities under the Boma Lathu program will require the use of this approach.
  • Village or community meetings: Being such a grassroots institution, NICE utilizes gatherings of local communities for outreach. In the local settings, traditional leaders wield a lot of authority and are so influential as “Gate Keepers”.  They periodically convene junior traditional leaders and their subjects to gatherings where different messages are disseminated, and topics discussed.  Such free ‘workshops’ or meetings are opportune moments for dissemination of messages without organizing a workshop as IEC materials by NICE and/or its stakeholders can easily be distributed on specific topics.
  • Use of already existing groupings or gatherings: NICE Trust believes in embedding its programs into already existing or already mobilised gatherings where possible. NICE only spends on unavoidable elements, for example, transport/fuel or meal costs, printing charges or fees for resource persons. NICE may only use its volunteers to deliver printed materials to different institutions, e.g., churches and mosques or engage the congregations through discussions.  This engaging approach brings about a high multiplier effect on critical governance issues and messages and provides interface in an interactive manner allowing for clarifications to be made on salient aspects of topics being discussed.  In all these, use of context specific personnel, idioms and materials is highly pursued as it is not only cheaper, but also leaves behind capacitated members who can sustain the momentum beyond the implementation time.
Considering that civic education is aimed at changing the mindset of the young generation through knowledge and skills transfer, NICE Trust believes that special approaches have to be employed. Among them are the following:  
  • Sports bonanzas: This is an effective mobilisation strategy that NICE Trust uses sports to reach out to many young people and adults who come to spectate.  Some teams are identified and engaged to help in the mobilisation initiatives that attract many young people and adults.  Messages are given out as part of the running commentary for the sports event and during break sessions.
  • Brief talks in video-show rooms as well as discussions and leaflet distribution in popular salons, barber shops, Bawo (a game that uses a board with some holes engraved on it) and pool table venues at trading centres and in urban settlements.
  • Nocturnal civic education approach that involves use of film shows (with Ministry of Information and Digitization): NICE believes that some rural populations may be left out from the other listed approaches.  Film shows target rural populations in areas where electricity may not be available and are attracted to public film shows in strategic places in their areas.  During the films that are shown at night, different messages are disseminated.  At other times, special programs are beamed, e.g., the voting procedures and how to mark on the ballot.