Developing the Skills and Preparedness of Global Heart Health Advocates I ICGP Case Study

Global Heart Hub – an international alliance representing heart patient organisations across more than 40 countries – partnered with ICGP to strengthen the policy advocacy and communications capacity of its Heart Failure Patient Council. The result was a three-day bespoke training programme delivered in Windsor, UK, in September 2025, attended by 26 advocates from 17 countries. Every participant rated the experience ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’, and all 26 left with a documented action plan to implement in their own advocacy contexts.

About the Client

Global Heart Hub (GHH) is an international non-profit organisation that unites patient advocacy groups to amplify the collective voice of people living with cardiovascular disease. Its network spans more than 40 countries and engages millions of patients and carers affected by conditions including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and inherited heart conditions.

GHH’s mission is to raise awareness, influence health policy, and improve care outcomes for patients worldwide. Its Heart Failure Patient Council brings together senior representatives from national patient organisations to lead coordinated advocacy efforts on heart failure – a condition affecting over 64 million people globally.

The Challenge

The Heart Failure Patient Council is a geographically and organisationally diverse group. Representatives come from high-income health systems and lower-resource settings alike, with varying levels of advocacy experience, access to policymakers, and institutional capacity.

GHH identified a clear need: to build shared frameworks, common language, and practical skills that would allow Council members to collaborate more effectively and pursue coordinated advocacy campaigns — without flattening the real differences in their operating contexts.

The key challenge was designing a training experience that would:

• Meet participants where they were – without over-simplifying for experienced advocates or leaving newer ones behind.
• Build genuine cohesion within a group operating across multiple continents and health systems.
• Deliver tools participants could apply immediately, not just concepts to file away.

ICGP’s Approach

Needs Assessment

Global Heart Hub’s goal was to design a training experience that would:

• Provide practical advocacy tools and frameworks applicable across diverse contexts.

• Strengthen collaboration and partnership within the Heart Failure Patient Council.

• Empower participants to influence policy and awareness around heart failure effectively.

Understanding the Needs

To ensure the training was targeted and relevant, ICGP conducted a two-stage needs assessment:

1. Consultation: We met with the client to understand their goals, preferences, and expected outcomes.

2. Participant Questionnaire: A detailed survey captured participants’ advocacy experience, challenges, and learning objectives.

This process gave us a clear picture of:

• The barriers they face in advancing heart health advocacy,

• The diverse contexts in which they operate, and

• The drivers for change that unite them.

These insights directly shaped the course design, content examples, and case studies used throughout the training.

Our Approach

We adopted a consultative and collaborative approach to course design, maintaining close communication with Global Heart Hub’s team throughout preparation.

We adopted a blended pedagogical approach, combining:

• Core content: tools, frameworks, and theory for advocacy and communications.

• Interactive workshops and exercises: applying the concepts to participants’ real-world challenges.

• Shared learning and peer exchange: drawing on the diverse expertise within the group.

This blend ensured that the training was engaging, practical, and directly applicable to participants’ ongoing advocacy work.

Programme Delivery

In September 2025, the group convened in Windsor for a three-day Strategic Policy Advocacy and Communications training.

Key elements of the training included:

• Theoretical foundations: Core presentations on advocacy strategy, communication frameworks, and campaign design.

• Collaborative working groups: Teams focused on specific geographical or thematic challenges, where participants unpacked obstacles, mapped opportunities, and co-designed solutions.

• Roundtable discussions: Open sessions to explore emerging issues, share experiences, and learn from one another.

Experienced advocates shared examples of impactful heart health campaigns, helping participants see how to translate good advocacy practice into tangible outcomes in their own contexts.

The energy and engagement throughout the three days were exceptional — creating a shared sense of optimism and renewed purpose among attendees.

The Results

By the end of the training, participants had developed action plans and next steps tailored to their advocacy priorities.

Every attendee identified at least three concrete takeaways to implement immediately upon returning to their organisations.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of participants rating the course “very good” or “excellent.”

Participant Testimonials

“My experience with the Global Heart Hub and ICGP in Windsor was outstanding. I learned so much, and the training not only helped me personally but strengthened our group and so many others. The program was exceptional and will propel our work forward in a meaningful way.”
— HeartLife Foundation, Canada

“The practice of designing impactful awareness campaigns sharpened my focus on essential elements such as understanding the audience, using evidence in communications, crafting strong calls to action, and collaborating effectively.

The sessions were engaging, featuring group discussions and role-playing activities that enhanced learning. As a result of the course, I feel significantly better equipped to create communications that resonate with stakeholders, policymakers, and decision-makers.”
— Cardiomyopathy UK

Impact

Through this tailored partnership, Global Heart Hub’s advocates are now better equipped to:

• Build compelling, evidence-based campaigns.

• Engage effectively with stakeholders and policymakers.

• Collaborate across borders to advance heart health awareness and policy reform.

The programme has reinforced the value of strategic, skills-based capacity building for health advocacy — empowering those on the front lines of patient representation to shape the future of cardiovascular care.

Interested in Tailored Advocacy Training?

At the International Centre for Governance and Policy, we design and deliver custom advocacy and communications programmes for organisations working to influence policy, build coalitions, and achieve social impact. You can find out more on this course here: Strategic Policy Advocacy: Creating Campaigns with Impact

👉 Get in touch to explore how we can support your organisation’s advocacy capacity building.