Finding Solutions To The Problem You know the problem and the context. Now you need to establish a solution. This is the overall goal that your campaign is trying to achieve.

The research you have done into the context will show you what needs to be changed and where to go to fix it. Try brainstorming the ideal solution and then identifying what would have to happen to reach that solution. For each stage ask yourself 'what assumptions have I made?'

You can then test your solution against those in other contexts. Set winnable objectives. Objectives are the quantifiable things that need to be achieved to reach your goal.

Example: Your problem is too many traffic accidents, your solution is traffic calming in your town. One of your objectives could be implementing a local traffic zone in the worst spot. Other objectives could be a council report into the costs and benefits of traffic calming, or support for traffic calming by the majority political party.

Objectives should be SMART:

• Sustainable
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timebound

SMART objectives are crucial to the success of your campaign. SMART objectives allow new activists to understand the campaign. They form the basis of your demands.

Setting objectives can be difficult. Work back from the solution.

A tip: Avoid putting raising awareness as an objective. It's too big and very difficult to measure. The Office For The Status Of Women statistics about men's attitudes to housework show that 80 per cent of men are aware of their responsibility to do the housework but only 5 per cent do their fair share. You may need to raise awareness first but usually you need to concentrate on achieving real change.

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