Volunteer Orientation for Community Voter Education
Event status: This is a planned, upcoming programme organized by Citizens Liberation Advocacy Initiative (CLAI). Participation is free. Final venue and access details must be confirmed on this event page before attendance.
About the orientation
Citizens Liberation Advocacy Initiative (CLAI) plans to hold an orientation for people interested in supporting community voter education and public enlightenment. The session will introduce the standards expected of volunteers and provide practical preparation for respectful, accurate, and nonpartisan engagement. It is designed for prospective volunteers, including people with no previous outreach experience, who are willing to learn and serve responsibly.
The orientation will begin with CLAI’s civic-education purpose and the boundaries of a volunteer role. Participants will discuss why volunteers must not campaign for candidates or parties while representing the initiative, promise outcomes they cannot deliver, or present unverified information as fact. Facilitators will explain how to direct a question to an appropriate official source when the answer is uncertain and how to correct an error openly if inaccurate information has been shared.
What participants can expect
Through guided role-play, participants will practise introducing a voter-education conversation, listening before speaking, responding to scepticism without confrontation, and ending an interaction respectfully. Scenarios will include a resident who is busy, a participant who disagrees strongly, a question that requires verification, and a request for help outside the volunteer’s role. The aim is to build judgement and consistency rather than memorise a sales script.
The programme will also cover safeguarding, privacy, and responsible record-keeping. Volunteers will be reminded not to photograph people without permission, collect voter-card images, copy identification numbers, request passwords, or store unnecessary personal details. Attendance records and follow-up information should be limited to what CLAI has authorised for a defined purpose. Any concern involving immediate safety, harassment, or a vulnerable participant should be escalated through the stated CLAI channel rather than handled informally.
Additional exercises will address inclusive communication, working with interpreters or support persons, and adapting explanations for different levels of literacy without being patronising. Participants will consider how venue access, language, timing, and communication format can affect who is able to join a programme.
The orientation is free, but completing it does not guarantee deployment, employment, leadership appointment, reimbursement, or automatic membership. CLAI may use a separate suitability and availability process before assigning any outreach activity. No participant should undertake field activity in CLAI’s name until an assignment, scope, contact person, and safety guidance have been confirmed.
Participation and access
The final Lagos venue and access features will be announced to accepted participants after basic checks. Applicants may request reasonable participation support without disclosing unnecessary medical information. Registration instructions, selection updates, what to bring, and any schedule changes will be communicated through the official CLAI website and confirmed contact channels.