Voter and Civic Education

Memorable BRIDGE Modular workshop on Voter and Civic Education in Hargeisa Somaliland

A BRIDGE Modular workshop on Voter and Civic Education was conducted for civil society organisations in Hargeisa at Assod hotel from 24-29 October 2023. Somaliland is geared for upcoming elections in 2024. The workshop was hosted by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy with European Union funding.

The BRIDGE workshop was conducted with a view to strengthening the CSOs mandate in complementing the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in the mobilization of voters and implementing voter education for the upcoming elections.

The workshop commenced with an official opening by Mr. Abdijilal Tahr Korshel, The Netherlands Institute for Multi-party Democracy (NIMD) Somaliland Country Director. He underscored the importance of the training, expressed their gratitude to the BRIDGE partners and the EU as a donor, and encouraged the participants to fully engage in the special course. The training sessions were led by an accrediting BRIDGE facilitator, Rindai C. Vava, who received assistance from three co-facilitators: Abdirahman Ali Hirsi, Saeed Mohamed Osman and Muhyadiin Yousuf Ibrahim. Together, the facilitators cultivated a conducive and positive learning atmosphere for the participants, fostering strong professional connections with them. This positive energy and spirit persisted throughout the entire course.

During this workshop 21 participants took part with 8 female and 13 male. Throughout the workshop, valuable information was shared, experiences were exchanged, and best practices were discussed among both participants and facilitators. Participants expressed a strong desire to implement BRIDGE strategies in their respective contexts. Recognizing the potential to build capacity, strengthen their organizations’ voter and civic education interventions, and establish constructive relationships with other stakeholders and the Electoral Commission the participants were fully engaged during the whole course duration.

Most participants expressed satisfaction with workshop quality of delivery by the Facilitators, level and styles of facilitation, and that the course content is highly valuable for the target group. Participants identified several topics that particularly captured their interest and proved to be highly beneficial for their work. These topics encompassed a range of subjects, including legal mandates comparing with other countries was an eye-opener , the electoral cycle, the art of determining and crafting key messages as well as designing voter and civic education activities tailored for diverse audiences, the eight-step approach, the formulation of effective communication strategies, political efficacy, civic educations, and distinctions between voter information and education, among others.