GRAPE Platforms

Under the GRAPE project, the WCRC with the support of the member churches establishes a GRAPE National Platform in each participating country. The GRAPE National Platform is a collective or coalition of signatory WCRC member churches, ecumenical churches, faith-based organizations, civil society and individuals (activists, church parishioners, GRAPE team alumni, citizens) committed to publicly advocate for a common specified goal in a faith-based, non-violent manner. Alongside the WCRC, many actors play a crucial role in the establishment and functioning of GRAPE National Platforms.

Establishing GRAPE National Platforms

1. The WCRC, EPRI and the regional steering committee (comprising representatives from member churches) select GRAPE team members for each participating country. WCRC commissions EPRI to provide training and facilitation support to the first country teams (designers) in researching and identifying their advocacy goal and subsequent country teams (planners and implementers) to develop and implement their plan of action to achieve the goal.

2. The first country teams (designers) submit their respective advocacy charters to the platform. The charter clearly outlines the National Platform’s specified advocacy goal and the philosophy and approach that will guide its mass-mobilization and advocacy actions (non-violence and faith-based). The charter also clarifies the flexibility provided to signatories in fully/partially/not supporting different activities of the Platform over time. However, each signatory must fully commit to supporting the goal in its original form. The WCRC contacts its member churches, other ecumenical churches and prospective NGOs, faith-based organizations and activists in each country with a formal invitation to become members of the National Platform by signing its charter. The country teams are default members of the National Platform.

3. Once the WCRC receives responses from its invitees, it organizes the launch of the National Platforms with the support of EPRI and GRAPE team members. The accepting invitees publicly sign the charter and declare their commitment to supporting the Platform’s goal and activities.

4. Over the course of the GRAPE program (five year period), country team alumni will automatically become individual members of the National Platform upon their graduation each year (unless some team members choose not to). New churches, organizations and individuals willing to join the Platform as it gains momentum/popularity may be provided with the opportunity to sign the charter and become members.

Functioning of GRAPE National Platforms

1. GRAPE country teams carefully design advocacy activities (press releases, mass bible-studies, public marches, etc.), develop associated material (contextual bible-study content, press release copy, etc.) and share them with the National Platform for review on a regular basis. National Platform members (representatives from signatory churches and organizations, individual members like activists, GRAPE team alumni etc.) meet periodically to discuss the proposed activities and prepare a one-page information material to share with all signatories for their actioning. The signatories are provided with a five working day period to review the one pager and reply with their decision to either:

provide institutional support for the proposed activity (for example: allow their organization’s name to be used in press-releases, provide church staff/volunteers to conduct bible studies across all their parishes, etc.)
decline institutional support but allow/encourage their members to individually support the advocacy activity (for example: churches announce upcoming public marches during mass to encourage parishioners to join in an individual capacity if they wish to, NGOs encourage staff to help the Platform with a research activity in their own time, etc.)
Take no action to support the proposed advocacy activity.

2. Upon receiving the signatories’ replies, the National Platform implements the advocacy activity with the support of the GRAPE team and consenting members.

3. WCRC maintains regular contact with member churches and organizations to encourage their active participation in the Platform’s activities.