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Academy of Political Management (APM)

The Philippines is considered to have among the richest and most vibrant civil society organizations (CSOs) in the world. These CSOs are the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs) and mass and sectoral movements (labor, youth, women, etc.). From protests to partnerships, CSOs have committed themselves to the tasks of development, protection and promotion of people’s rights and welfare, with particular preference for the poor and marginalized. These tasks entail both small changes and overhaul of the structures or the system. In these tasks, sustainability is key. 

The sustainability of CSOs, as they themselves recognize, is challenged, among others, by the dearth of skilled second-liners and the ‘fragmentation’ of progressive movements. 

The shallow bench of skilled second-liners can be attributed to, among many other factors, the lack or absence of a development or capacity building programs for its members. 

The practice of ‘sink-or-swim’ learning or ‘organizing-on-the-go’—among progressive and activist organizations which make up mass movements and political groups—has animated and capacitated people to address a host of urgent issues, but it has its limits. There are also now far fewer young people going into community–organizing work, which has been a fertile ground for developing NGO leaders in the past. 

As organizations expand or when seasoned PO/NGO leaders are pulled out of their organic groups to assume other responsibilities or perform other tasks, the organizations are left to the care of young, often inexperienced successors, given the absence of thorough, programmatic, coordinated and measured leadership development interventions. On the other hand, continuous ‘de-fragmentation’ or the splitting-up of mass movements happen as older generations of leaders take more and more political baggage while less and less opportunities for sitting to talk and work together are created. 

Within its mandate as a political-educational foundation, one area in which FES can assist its partners as well as the general public interested in progressive leadership development is to provide training and capacity-building to potential leaders and “next-generation” or second-line cadres who can perform both organizational and political tasks. This means investing to develop the skills and abilities of the individuals that are inclined to undertake activism, or those that run or are poised to soon be in positions of decision-making in FES partner organizations. 

The Academy of Political Management (APM) was conceptualized and premised with these considerations in mind. It recognizes that in order to advance reforms that form part of the necessary ingredients for social democratic ideals, the organizations that espouse good governance, political and electoral reforms, social protection, among others, must themselves be sustainable. It recognizes the need to deepen the bench for and develop skilled second-liners and use them to bridge the divide between progressive movements by creating a venue for structured capacity building, shared learning, and collaborations.

Learn more about the program

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Philippines

Unit 2804 Discovery Centre #25 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center 1605 Pasig City, Metro Manila Philippines

+ 63-28-6346919
info.ph(at)fes.de
 

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