Building capacity

From Hope not hate:

It’s been another busy few days getting everything for our 2010 campaign. We’ve been raising money, sorting out schedules with the printers and frantically putting the finishing touches to our new campaign office, which should open later this week. We’ve taken on two new members of staff, one dedicated to developing and supporting local HOPE not hate groups and the other to work exclusively with faith communities.

We’ve also been building capacity for our offline activism. An incredible 7,200 people have signed up for our 2010 campaign, with almost 4,600 committing themselves to be active in their local area. Over the next few weeks we expect to launch dozens of new HOPE not hate groups as we begin to organise the 1,245 people who have said that they are willing to become local organisers.

Obviously our focus has to be prioritising the areas at the greatest risk so it is fantastic that 2,166 people have indicated their willingness to travel to our key priority areas.

We are building something really special. Even the BNP appear to be getting rattled. In their latest leaflet, distributed in Barking & Dagenham over the weekend, they began to warn voters about outsiders ringing them up. The fact that most of the 60 BNP supporters who were out came from outside the borough obviously is completely different!

by Nick Lowles