Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Online Flexible Learning (February 2026)

Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Online Flexible Learning 

Join our Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Online Flexible Learning, delivered online, to ensure accessibility for participants across Australia. This comprehensive course is designed for individuals in the for-purpose sector who are eager to develop the critical skills needed to navigate policy and political processes and drive impactful change.

Course Highlights:

• Flexible Learning: A 5-week self-paced course allows you to learn at your convenience and pace.
• Weekly Modules: For four weeks, a new module will be released every Monday, packed with essential knowledge and practical insights.
• Interactive Session: In the fifth week, you can participate in a 90-minute live session with an experienced facilitator to help you understand and address any questions. This will be online on Zoom.
• Check In: We offer a one-hour live check-in session for those seeking extra support or feedback. It's optional, but a great chance to ask questions, share insights, and stay on track.
• Community Engagement: Optional group chat to connect with like-minded peers and expand your network. This will be via Zoom Chat, and you will be invited with a link.

To maximise your learning experience, please complete all sessions at your own pace by the fifth week. (Please note that, as this is a self-paced course, you can purchase tickets after the start date, up to the 28th February 2026, provided you feel confident completing all the modules.)

The dates:

• The First Module will be released on Monday, 9th February 2026, at 10:00am (AEDT)
• The second Module will be released on Monday, 16th February 2026, at 10:00am (AEDT)
• The Check-in is on Wednesday, 18th February 2026, at 10:00 am (AEDT)
• The Third Module will be released on Monday, 23rd February 2026, at 10:00am (AEDT)
• The Fourth Module will be released on Monday, 2nd March 2026, at 10:00am (AEDT)
• A 90-minute online Zoom facilitated session is on Wednesday, 11th March, at 11.00am (AEDT)

Times by States for the Check In and the Facilitated Zoom Session: (Please be aware of the time differences for each state)

• Victoria, NSW, ACT & Tasmania 10:00am - 11:30am
• SA 9:30am - 11:00am
• QLD 9:00am  - 10:30am
• NT 8:30 am - 10:00am
• WA 7:00 am -8:30am 

What does the training cover?

The Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Online Flexible Learning takes people through the steps required to identify and develop policy priorities and create targeted advocacy strategies to make change happen. The topics covered in the Online Policy and Advocacy Intensive are:

• ·Articulating a clear problem and ask
• ·Identifying targets and influencers
• ·Theory on how social change happens
• ·Communicating clear messages and making the case for change
• ·Developing clear advocacy strategy objectives
• ·Understanding advocacy cycles
• ·Developing innovative advocacy tactics
• ·Developing advocacy strategies
• ·Implementing what we’ve learnt 

Learning outcomes

• ·Understand how to develop a clear problem and ask.
• ·Gain the ability to identify and research targets and influencers who can help to make the policy change happen.
• ·Understand social change theory and learn how these theories can be used to help to assess the policy environment.
• ·Understand the four advocacy cycles and opportunities to engage in each, including the political and public policy advocacy cycles.
• ·Understand how to communicate the desired policy change effectively.
• ·Understand how to develop an advocacy strategy.

Attendees will receive 4 webinar modules, all training PowerPoint slides and the Advocacy Strategy Template, a collection of tools and resources that can be used in the office to develop an advocacy strategy from beginning to end. 

Who would benefit from the Policy and Advocacy Intensive: Online Flexible Learning?

This Policy and Advocacy: Online Flexible Learning has been developed for people working in the for-purpose sector. It is for anyone seeking to influence government, particularly those in policy, advocacy, government relations, and communication roles. 

About the facilitator

Caterina Giorgi is the Founder of For Purpose. She has worked in purpose driven organisations for almost two decades, including most recently as CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).

She is also the Chair of Australian Progress and a Founding Member of Women in Public Health. She is an Ambassador of NOFASD and has also previously served on the Boards of YMCA Canberra and Fair Agenda.

Caterina has presented at conferences, delivered training and consulted with organisations on strategy, advocacy, government relations and public policy. She has contributed to legislative and policy changes at all levels of government in health and social policy.

Caterina also has an honours degree in public health and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).