Guide for Organizing a Justice Seminar
Seminars on justice related issues offer the opportunity to raise awareness about critical reform topics, begin advocating for change, and build partnerships for a reform effort. A successful seminar must be well organised around specific goals. This document outlines six stages of an effective justice seminar.
Step 1: Deciding to Host a Seminar
While it may seem to be the simplest part of organising the event, the decision or commitment to host a seminar requires several smaller steps and decisions. A seminar should not be a single, stand-alone event. While the event itself may go well, a month later people forget that it even took place. Instead, a seminar should be part of a well thought-out strategy to accomplish a justice reform initiative over several years. Some questions to consider in deciding to host a seminar include:
Step II: Identifying the Target Audience
You may have addressed this in working through Step I, but if not, now is the time to decide who your target audience will be. A seminar for community volunteers will be different from one for key government officials. Even though the topic might be the same, the specific content, speakers, setting and so forth will be influenced by the kind of audience you want. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Step III: Raising Resources
At this stage you should be able to calculate what the costs will be and you may have ideas about where to look for funding. A seminar requires financial investment on the part of all the partner organisations. With the work you have done in Steps I and II, you should be ready to answer the following questions:
Step IV: Developing Content for the Seminar
In light of the decisions made in Step II about the target audiences, the organisers will want to consider the specific issues that should be addressed in the seminar and how those should be presented. These questions can help you:
Step V: Arranging the Event
There is a great deal to think about concerning the actual arrangements for the seminar. The following are some of the typical matters that should be considered:
Step VI: Follow-Up
A seminar is the first step in a justice initiative. For a lasting impact, it will be important to develop a preliminary strategy for follow-up before the event takes place. This can be adjusted afterward. Here are some things you to consider:
Seminars offer an excellent opportunity to share information with justice officials and community leaders and to motivate them to implement justice reforms. As you plan justice initiatives, the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation at PFI is available to help provide national Prison Fellowship leaders with:
Download the Guideline booklet for a fuller explanation of these steps.
While it may seem to be the simplest part of organising the event, the decision or commitment to host a seminar requires several smaller steps and decisions. A seminar should not be a single, stand-alone event. While the event itself may go well, a month later people forget that it even took place. Instead, a seminar should be part of a well thought-out strategy to accomplish a justice reform initiative over several years. Some questions to consider in deciding to host a seminar include:
- What is the purpose of the seminar?
- Is Prison Fellowship willing and able to sponsor a seminar?
- What is already happening (or has happened) in the country concerning the justice issue?
Step II: Identifying the Target Audience
You may have addressed this in working through Step I, but if not, now is the time to decide who your target audience will be. A seminar for community volunteers will be different from one for key government officials. Even though the topic might be the same, the specific content, speakers, setting and so forth will be influenced by the kind of audience you want. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What kinds of people do we want to invite?
- Which specific people will we invite?
- Who will make the invitation?
Step III: Raising Resources
At this stage you should be able to calculate what the costs will be and you may have ideas about where to look for funding. A seminar requires financial investment on the part of all the partner organisations. With the work you have done in Steps I and II, you should be ready to answer the following questions:
- How much money will we need?
- How much of the budget can the partners cover?
- Who else funds these sorts of events?• Is local financial support available?
Step IV: Developing Content for the Seminar
In light of the decisions made in Step II about the target audiences, the organisers will want to consider the specific issues that should be addressed in the seminar and how those should be presented. These questions can help you:
- What topics should be covered?
- How should the information be presented?
- Who should make the presentations?
- What about audience participation?
- Will the seminar produce a declaration or other statement?
- Can the discussion and decisions made about content increase participation?
Step V: Arranging the Event
There is a great deal to think about concerning the actual arrangements for the seminar. The following are some of the typical matters that should be considered:
- Where will we hold the seminar?
- Will we distribute materials to participants?
- How will participants and speakers get there?
- Will we need translation and interpretation services?
- How will we publicise the seminar?
Step VI: Follow-Up
A seminar is the first step in a justice initiative. For a lasting impact, it will be important to develop a preliminary strategy for follow-up before the event takes place. This can be adjusted afterward. Here are some things you to consider:
- Will we issue a press release to the media?
- How will we follow up with participants?
- Who will take care of loose ends after the seminar?
- How will we transition from the seminar to the ongoing effort for justice reform?
Seminars offer an excellent opportunity to share information with justice officials and community leaders and to motivate them to implement justice reforms. As you plan justice initiatives, the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation at PFI is available to help provide national Prison Fellowship leaders with:
- Information on restorative justice
- Assistance in preparing a proposal and agenda
- Suggestions about speakers
- Research support on justice issues and solutions
- Prayer support
Download the Guideline booklet for a fuller explanation of these steps.