Are you a trainer or aspiring trainer eager to see more victories on progressive causes? Are you searching for tools to help campaigners win over public opinion? Are you keen to deepen your knowledge of framing, narrative change or persuasive messaging?
If so, then Liberties Progressive Messaging Programme is for you. This intensive train-the-trainer programme will give you the expertise you need to train activists, civil servants and others working to grow public support for causes related to human rights, social justice and environmental protection.
The Programme runs from May to September 2026 and consists of seven online sessions and one in-person meeting of three days from 28th September to 1st October. There is no fee for participants and Liberties will cover the cost of travel and accommodation for the final in-person session in Berlin.
Applications are now open. Participants will be part of a select cohort of nine people. The deadline for applications is midnight on 22nd April. Apply here.
Is this for me?
The aim of this programme is to equip you with the knowledge you need to develop and deliver your own training session on progressive messaging to others.
We welcome applications from anyone who wants to train staff at NGOs, government departments or other organisations and bodies to message persuasively so they can grow support among public audiences on topics related to human rights, social justice or environmental protection.
Applicants should either already deliver training (though not necessarily in the field of communications) to these kinds of audiences or have firm plans to do so in the near future.
Maybe you work for an NGO, foundation or national human rights institution that runs - or intends to run - capacity-building for other organisations, or you’re a freelance trainer who works with civil servants and campaigners. Or maybe you’re none of the above. The key is that you’re in a role that will allow you to take the expertise we give you and spread it to others who are working to promote progressive causes.
You don’t need any prior knowledge for this programme. Over the years we’ve trained folks from all sorts of backgrounds, whether trainers themselves, policy and legal experts, press officers, social media managers, fundraisers, direct action organisers and executive directors.
What will I learn?
- Where do people get their attitudes and opinions from? Discover things like why so many people are attracted to authoritarians like Trump or Orban and why morality matters more than facts to determine what we think about progressive causes;
- What do NGOs and others communicating and campaigning on progressive issues tend to get wrong? Find out things like why images of burning forests or people suffering injustice or mythbusting don’t work or even backfire;
- What goes into a persuasive message and why? Dig into the results of messaging testing and learn what persuasive messaging looks like in practice with case studies of successful progressive campaigns on issues like marriage equality in Ireland or asylum in Australia;
- How can you convert a persuasive written message into creative content like videos and visuals? Look at why fancy ad agencies making slick videos for NGOs usually get things completely wrong and find out how you can guide campaigners and communicators to make simple, effective content.
We’ll give you the basics and then help you deepen your knowledge - with campaign case studies, expert guidance, academic literature from fields like social psychology and cognitive linguistics and recommendations for further reading.
To help you prepare for running your own training sessions in the future we’ll give you a sample slide deck that you can make your own and you’ll be required to develop and present your own mini training session when we meet in September in Berlin. And, of course, we’re happy to give you additional one-on-one support and feedback during and after the Programme.
By the end of the Programme you’ll be able to pick out and correct the mistakes your own trainees are making in their work and recommend new approaches based on the research and practice you’ll have encountered during your training. You’ll be able to help the organisations you’re supporting develop more persuasive messaging and get them practicing developing creative products for future campaigns.
What’s the time commitment?
The programme will run from May to September 2026, with a maximum of nine participants. It will be made up of:
- One introductory online group meeting (7th May, 11.00-12.00);
- Six 90-minute online sessions (13th & 27th May, 11th & 25th June, 8th July, 4th September). Each session will require +/- three hours of preparation time (reading and/or listening to a podcast). Each session will be held from 11.00 until 12.30.
- One intensive in-person session for all participants and trainers for three and a half days in Berlin from 28th September to 1st October, which will require +/- six hours of preparation time (for you to give a 30-minute mini-training session on your chosen topic).
Are there any costs involved?
There is no fee for participants. Travel and accommodation for the in-person gathering in Berlin at the end of September is free of charge to participants.
Are there any criteria that might stop me from participating?
You should be based in the EU. We will not accept applications from candidates based outside the EU. We will accept applications from people based in EU accession countries, but priority will be given to those in member states.
Who’s the lead trainer?
Israel Butler, Head of Narrative and Framing at Liberties is leading the Programme. He has been offering training and advice to NGOs, national human rights institutions, government ministries and international organisations on messaging and framing since 2019. Among others, he has worked with Greenpeace, Amnesty International and WWF. He began his career as a university lecturer and researcher in the field of international law and human rights in the UK where he also got his PhD. Later he worked in different legal, policy, advocacy and communications roles at the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and the Open Society European Policy Institute before joining Liberties as Head of Advocacy and finally retraining to become an expert in messaging, framing and narrative change.
How do I apply?
Please apply by filling out this form. The deadline for applications is midnight on 22nd April. If you have questions, please contact Israel on i.butler@liberties.eu.
