Municipal Campaign School Oxford County Offers Free Training Videos Online

Wednesday, 2 March 2022 13:09

Municipal Campaign School was designed to help get under represented people elected to municipal council.

The Municipal Campaign School of Oxford County has a number of free training videos to anyone interested in running for municipal office this fall.

Municipal Campaign School was designed to help get under represented people elected to municipal council. This is a volunteer led campaign with chapters in Guelph, Oxford County and Wellington County.

They had originally wanted to have these training sessions in person, however with the pandemic, they decided to release the training videos online for free.

One of the organizers Lindsay Wilson says he videos have been produced to empower women and other equity-seeking groups with the tools they need to start building winning campaign plans.

“COVID has prevented us from sharing this information in person, and, we are really excited to be launching this amazing library of learning. This series of practical videos are amazing resources for women and other equity-seeking groups who are ready to start planning their municipal or school board campaigns. We are excited to be sharing them with anyone in Ontario interested in running for municipal office.”

The first round of videos focus on campaign planning 101, debate prep, and insights about serving as a female councillor in local politics. Each video has an interview with a local expert in political campaigning.

Chair of the Oxford Coalition for Social Justice Bryan Smith says now is the time to start planning your municipal election campaign!”

“The right mix of hands-on insights and motivation in video form to give future leaders direction and confidence they need to win will help women and others seeking equity to break down barriers. Running to be a municipal councillor, a school board trustee, etc. is not an easy thing to do, but should be encouraged: We need courageous, thoughtful people in positions of influence."

You can find the four videos posted online right now at MunicipalCampaignSchool.ca.

Future conversations will cover messaging (including the power of framing), raising money and financial reporting, door knocking, and how to follow the formal nomination process run by each local municipality.

You can listen to the full interview with Lindsay Wilson below: