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BRIDGE has a new Website and Logo
In November the BRIDGE Office launched a new BRIDGE website. This change has meant that we have upgraded the Content Management System (CMS) that the site uses as well as changing the design of the site.
The new site is less vulnerable to web attacks and can support all languages with one encoding system (UTF-8). It also has a new calendar that allows facilitators to control the event they are planning. Facilitators can now create an event, invite participants and keep track of it's subscribers through the calendar.
You may also notice that the site has a new BRIDGE logo. This logo was intended to represent the important links and networks that BRIDGE uses.
We are currently devloping parts of the site such as a 'facilitator' page that has all of the 'call to actions' that they are required to complete when planning and conducting a BRIDGE event.
This will include things like:
On line Forms:
Action Buttons:
- Help Guides
- Upload a BRIDGE Web Article
- Add a BRIDGE event to the 'Event Calendar
- Download the Facilitator Implementation Manual & Toolkit
- Download the Implementation Manual for Organisations
- Download the BRIDGE Curriculum
- Guide for creating BRIDGE folders (Graphics)
- Train the Facilitator: Checklist
- Workshop Checklist
- Upload – Photos, modified materials, translations
Please send us any feedback or suggestions that you have for the new site to projectoffice@bridge-project.org.
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LATEST NEWS
IDEA organises a BRIDGE TtF in Pretoria South Africa in October 2009
International IDEA as part of its ongoing partnership with the Africa Union organised a BRIDGE Train the Facilitators Course in Pretoria, South Africa from October 5-16 2009. Read more...
International IDEA hosts a BRIDGE TtF in Pretoria
International IDEA was please to be able to host a BRIDGE TtF in Pretoria, South Africa, Read more...
BRIDGE in the Kalandula Waterfalls - Angola
Angolan election administrators gathered nearby the lush cliffs of the Kalandula waterfalls to learn about elections management last month, as part of a USAID-funded training program led by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Read more...
Gender Workshop: Opening Remarks by Ms Ethel Sigimanu, MWYCA
It is a great honor and privilege to be here this morning especially to be involved in a subject which is very close to my heart. Read more...
BRIDGE supports Women Politicians
A good two years after BRIDGE was first introduced in Peru (TtF in Nov 2007), BRIDGE came back to this fascinating and complex country in October this year for a series of two BRIDGE Workshops. Read more...
Long - awaited Bridge Workshop comes to Brussels
 To run a BRIDGE workshop in the “capital of Europe” has been a long-standing discussion amongst some of the key election practitioners working in Europe. This “dream” came true with a Train the Facilitator (TtF) workshop co-hosted at the UN House and the NEEDS Offices in Brussels from 9th to 20th November 2009. Read more...
BRIDGE in a castle in Stadtschlaining – and it snowed!
In November 2009 Michael Lidauer, Training Coordinator from the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) in Stadtschlaining, Austria conducted a specialisation course on ‘Election Observation and Assistance’. Read more...
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CEDP
Phase 1 Finished! Phase 2 Begun!
The CEDP team is pleased to report that funding for the next phase through UNDEF has now been confirmed, and AusAID support funding has also been approved in principle.
The team is now wrapping up the great achievements of the first year: including the development of the “Democracy in Our Place” module with trial workshops in Pacific (Vanuatu) and Asia (Bhutan) and has commenced work on the first outputs of Phase 2.
Phase 2: proposes to deliver the following outputs (dates are tentative):
- Output 1 (Dec 2009-Jan 2010): Completion of a mapping and scoping of civic education resources in the region (a more in depth mapping than that conducted in 2008)
- Output 2 (start Dec 2009): Establishment of a Community of Practice (CoP) of civic education practitioners in the region, including setup of a ‘Knowledge Portal’ for the CoP, and other structures for communication and sharing (e.g. website). This output is being supported by International IDEA.
- Output 3 (start 2010): Development of a Training of Trainers for delivery of CEDP modules, and further work on the existing Democracy in Our Place module – to be used as a resource for the CoP
- Output 4 (mid 2010): A combined CoP meeting and training workshop, incorporating the new ToT, the DiOP workshop, and the opportunity for CoP members to network and share – to be held in an Asia Pacific location TBC
- Output 5 (mid 2010): Development of a module in Democratic Governance
- Output 6 (end 2010): Mentor civic education practitioners to deliver the training curriculum at their national level
Output 7 (end 2010): Trial workshop of new curriculum delivered.
Staffing Update:
Melanie Chan farewelled the CEDP in September 2009 – after putting in a tremendous effort for the year and contributing in many ways to the overall success of Phase 1. We welcome Maureen Green (Maureen.green@aec.gov.au) to the team (Maureen replaces Melanie), and has very big shoes to fill!
Want more info on the CEDP?
Contact:
Yvonne Goudie, CEDP Coordinator –
yvonne.goudie@aec.gov.au
CEDP on top of the world
 The pilot module of the BRIDGE Civic Education Development Project (CEDP) travelled to a very different part of the world after the first-ever trial in Vanuatu in May 2009. The cool mountain air of landlocked Bhutan proved a contrast to the tropical heat of the islands of Vanuatu, however the enthusiasm and commitment of participants and facilitators remained as strong as ever. Read more...
UPCOMING BRIDGE EVENTS
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CURRICULUM UPDATE
Political Finance Module Development Update
Since 2007, with generous support from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), IFES has been working on a project aimed at a broad-based, results-oriented dialogue on global standards and best practices in political finance. The creation of a BRIDGE module focusing on political finance is the newest initiative developed within the scope of the project to spread knowledge of political finance to election stakeholders.
Module Development Meeting Stockholm, Sweden: May 18 – 19, 2009
In May 2009, IFES and fellow BRIDGE partner International IDEA co-hosted a working group of political finance and BRIDGE experts to begin the development process for a new BRIDGE module on political finance. Increased interest in the subject of political finance by election stakeholders has created a significant demand for a module focusing solely on this subject. Top experts with a wide range of experiences in the field of political finances were invited by IFES and International IDEA to attend the 2 day working group facilitated using the interactive BRIDGE methodology, thus encouraging participants to be creative in their approach to political finance. The first stage of the development process focused on three goals in particular. Initially, with minimal pre-set boundaries or guidelines, participants brainstormed key areas of understanding in political finance.
This process was then followed by a fruitful discussion on the different target audiences of such a module, highlighting the unique approach of this new module. The curriculum will be the first of the BRIDGE modules developed specifically with various customization options for different audiences. Thirdly, political finance experts were encouraged to come up with creative and effective ways in which to teach the most important concepts. The workshop helped to build a foundation upon which the module could be built. Input from experts helped determine the content of the module which was then drafted over a period of 3 months.
Drafting the Module, June – August 2009
Between June and August 2009 Dr. Magnus Ohman and Theresa Pearce Laanela drafted the political finance module in several stages. The module, intended for beginners and those with an intermediate understanding of political finance, consists of 8 subsections including a section on relevant stakeholders and a section on stakeholder specific issues supplemented by a variety of presentations, handouts, and other learning tools. Each section was developed keeping in mind 5 key understandings in political finance. These are:
- Money is necessary for democratic politics, and political parties must have access to funds to play their part in the political process.
- Money is never an unproblematic part of the system, and regulation is desirable.
- The context and political culture must be taken into account when devising strategies for controlling money in politics.
- Effective regulation and disclosure can help to control adverse effects of the role of money in politics, but only if well conceived and implemented.
- Effective oversight depends on activities in interaction by several stakeholders (such as regulators, civil society and the media) and based on transparency
It was also agreed that the term ‘Political Financing’ covers both the financing of political parties and the financing of electoral campaigns and that clear and accepted guiding principles for Political Financing help provide legitimacy to the process.
About the Authors
Dr. Magnus Ohman is IFES political finance advisor and former Chief of Party with IFES in Sierra Leone (2007 – 2008). He has written about political finance issues since the late 1990s and has worked with political finance initiatives in countries such as Afghanistan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Liberia and Nigeria.
Therese Pearce Laanela is an expert in the area of Democracy, Governance and Elections, with specialized knowledge and interest in election administration, ethics, gender, and sustainability. She has worked considerably with BRIDGE partner organizations, most notably International IDEA, and has co-authored several other modules.
Next Steps
The initial draft of the political finance module is now ready to be reviewed by the BRIDGE office and other BRIDGE partners. Following their review, the draft will be updated and finalized before being piloted in 2010.
Piloting the Module 2010
IFES plans to pilot the political finance module in several countries where IFES will provide technical assistance in 2010. Feedback on the module will be collected by the facilitators and incorporated into the module where possible. For maximum utilization, translation of the module into several other languages may also be considered.
IFES is looking forward to sharing the module with the BRIDGE community and to its further development. For more information on this initiative or on other IFES political finance initiatives, please visit www.moneyandpolitics.net or send your comments and/or questions to Hani Zainulbhai at hzainulbhai@ifes.org.
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