Raising Awareness of the Arms Trade

Many campaigners say that when they have an opportunity to explain what the arms trade is about, they often get a very good response. That's why raising awareness is so important. Below are a few ideas on how to go about this in your local area.

Holding a Public Meeting

Whilst to many people the thought of organising a public meeting on the arms trade seems a daunting task, with careful planning and preparation, you could have a highly successful event and raise a lot of awareness about the impact of the arms trade. The most important elements of a good public meeting are:

• a central venue
• a good speaker
• lots and lots of publicity

It is also worth inviting some public figures like the local MP, as Tony Hough found out (see example below).

CAAT are always ready and willing to provide a speaker and can also help with publicity - for instance by letting CAAT supporters in the area know about the event. It will also be worth letting other groups in the area - such as Amnesty International, WDM, Oxfam etc. know about the event so they can help publicise the meeting. Also, don't forget to let the local press know that the meeting will be taking place.
 

How we organised a successful public meeting

At first glance we are not situated in a promising area for a peace meeting. The Clun Valley lies in the border country of England and Wales and in in a fairly conservative area - both small and large 'C'. However, one of the members of our local Quaker meeting suggested we should "do something" and having supported CAAT for many years, it was agreed to hold a public meeting.
We formed a small committee and had our first meeting to sketch out the main details such as date, venue, etc. We then met regularly and agreed a division of labour with each of us taking responsibility for the various aspects of the proposed meeting. One of the committee took on the publicity and made sure that as many other organisations in our area, who were likely to have an interest in the meeting were notified, especially where the organisation had a newsletter. Another member who is active in local politics arranged the delivery of leaflets advertising the meeting in our local village and those surrounding it. We agreed on the design and text for the leaflet and adopted the suggestion that we also print some invitation type cards, so that we could send a personal invitation to friends and others we knew might be interested.
The meeting itself was a great success attracting an audience of 80 people, including our local MP. We had estimated that it could be 20 to 50, so we were pleasantly surprised and the hall we had booked was full.
I feel that a lot of our success in attracting the audience was due to the publicity. We also took steps to ensure a welcoming atmosphere and tried to run the evening in a business-like manner.    Tony Hough, Shropshire

Street Stalls

Street stalls are a really important way to reach out to ordinary members of the public about issues such as the arms trade. All that is required are some basic materials such as leaflets, petitions and posters, together with a fold up table and you are pretty much in business.

Of course it can be daunting wondering if people are going to ask lot of difficult question relating to the arms trade. However the vast majority of people are very supportive when they realise what the campaign is about. If you are nervous about answering any questions, the best way to be prepared is by reading some of CAAT's basic briefings (see the publications section).

Things to bear in mind when running an information stall:

• Find somewhere with a regular flow of people, but not so crowded that passers-by can't or don't want to stop;
• Petitions are useful for starting conversation;
• Have at least two people to staff the stall;
• Always have a 'sign up for more info' sheet, or a column on your petition for to allow people to do this;
• Always be polite!

Using the local media

Lots of people read local newspapers or listen to local radio stations, so using your local media effectively can be a great way to reach out to a new audience. This can be done either by encouraging the media to cover a protest or meeting you are holding, or by writing a letter to your local newspaper. CAAT's Local Media Guide has lots of information on how best to go about this.

Other Ideas

• Make a call to the local radio phone-in programme.
• Ask if you can put up a display about the arms trade in your local library.
• Ask any local alternative shops, bookshops, theatres or cafés to take CAAT leaflets.
• Invite a CAAT speaker to any group or organisation that you are involved in such as a union branch, Church group, student society, Women's Institute group or local political party branch.
• Wear a CAAT badge - it helps to start conversations about the arms trade.
• If you belong to a professional body, write an article or letter for your local or regional newsletter.
• Speak about the arms trade to friends, family and colleagues - one-to-one conversations are the best form of communication.