T2 Cohort Call #1
Introduction of Tools
Due to time limitations during this first call we are not going to be reviewing aspects of advocacy.
T2 Cohort Call #2
Advocacy - Webinar
Webinar #1: Advocating for Sexual Health Equity
Questions
T2 Cohort Call #3
Definition & Types of Advocacy
What Is Advocacy?
Source: https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/types-of-advocacy/
Advocacy refers to the act of supporting or campaigning for a specific cause, issue, policy or individual. It often involves taking action to raise awareness or promote a specific point of view with the goal of bringing about positive change or protecting certain rights.
What Are the Different Scales of Advocacy?
There are many different scales of advocacy, some of which may overlap. Some of the most common ones include:
Self-advocacy refers to the act of speaking up for yourself, expressing your needs and desires and making decisions that impact your life.
Examples: Asking for reasonable accommodations at school, speaking up to your doctor about your hesitations with a medical treatment plan, negotiating for a raise at work
Individual advocacy, distinct from self-advocacy, involves speaking up on behalf of another person to ensure their needs, rights or interests are met.
Examples: Helping a colleague who is facing workplace discrimination, accompanying a friend to a medical appointment to ensure their questions are answered, working with teachers to secure special services for a child with learning challenges
Group advocacy is carried out by a group with shared interests or goals.
Examples: A labor union fighting for higher wages and better working conditions, a parent-teacher association advocating for more school funding
Social advocacy is aimed at changing policies, laws, practices, and so on on a systemic level.
Examples: Civil rights organizations working to combat systemic racism, the LGBTQ+ rights movement, nonprofits pushing for urgent action to combat climate change
Advocacy 101
Source: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/advocacy-types-examples-principles/
Advocates work to change the world. While their responsibilities and focuses can vary widely, they’re all engaging in advocacy, which comes from the word advocatus. In Latin, this means “a pleader on one behalf” or “one called to aid.”
When someone publicly supports the interests of an individual, group, or cause, they’re engaging in advocacy.
What are the different types of advocacy?
Advocacy is an umbrella that shelters many types of advocacy areas and methods. The three main types are self-advocacy, individual advocacy, and systems advocacy.
Self-advocacy
Self-advocacy is when a person advocates for their own interests. It involves skills like knowing your rights, understanding your needs, and effectively communicating those needs to others. Everyone self-advocates at some point in their lives. Students with disabilities often self-advocate for accommodations in a classroom setting. As an example, a student with ADHD may need to ask their teachers for more time to complete tests or a separate testing location.
Individual advocacy
Individual advocacy is when a person (or group) focuses on the interests of one or a few individuals. It can be informal or formal. Informal individual advocacy often involves family members and friends. As an example, parents often advocate for their child’s needs at school. Formal individual advocacy often goes through organizations like government agencies or nonprofits. When someone is escaping domestic violence, organizations help with shelter, medical care, mental healthcare, financial assistance, and more.
Systems advocacy
Self-advocacy and individual advocacy focus on the needs of one or a few people, but systems advocacy zooms out. It seeks to change things on a local, state, or national level through laws and/or policies. Because it wants to change systems for the long term, this kind of advocacy can be complex. Multiple organizations often work together to research, raise awareness, and pressure legislators. Groups working for gun control in the US are an example of systems advocacy.
T2 Cohort Call #4
Principles of Advocacy
Principles of Advocacy
Source: https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/types-of-advocacy/
Principles of advocacy refer to the core values or guidelines that dictate how you should advocate for something, ensuring your efforts are both effective and ethical. While this is not an exhaustive list, some of the most important principles include:
Equity and justice
Transparency
Respect and dignity
Accountability
Non-violence
Inclusivity
What are the principles of advocacy?
Source: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/advocacy-types-examples-principles/
Advocacy can look very different depending on its focus and method, but there are unifying principles. Here are three everyone should remember:
Clarity
Good advocacy has clear messaging and clear asks. With very little work, people should be able to understand what the problem is and how it can be fixed. This is the first step to good advocacy, but it’s often the most difficult because many issues are complex. Good advocates are excellent communicators who can frame even the most complex issue in a way most people understand. They’re also very good at determining what “clarity” means for specific audiences and refining their message accordingly. As an example, a group advocating for reproductive rights will use a different message when they’re holding youth events than when they’re speaking to adults.
Flexibility
Situations can change very fast. Whether it’s an individual’s case or a system-wide issue, events impact the problem and what the best solutions are. Good advocates are flexible enough to adapt to new information, adjust their methods, and pivot their messaging. Without flexibility, advocacy is doomed to ineffectiveness or outright harm. As an example, advocacy groups focused on healthcare access needed to shift quickly as COVID-19 spread around the world.
Transparency
Advocacy typically involves speaking on behalf of others, so trust is essential. How do advocates build trust? Transparency. That includes open, honest, and consistent communication about things like finances, leadership structures, messaging, methods, and much more. For advocacy organizations, transparency also means conducting internal audits on systemic problems. Responding to major issues within an organization is also part of being transparent. If advocacy groups choose to hide, it damages trust. Without trust, advocacy will have little to no impact.
Source: Google search
What are the 7 pillars of advocacy?
They are: 1) Honesty, 2) Courage, 3) Industry, 4) Wit, 5) Eloquence, 6) Judgment, and 7) Fellowship.
What are the 3 C's of advocacy?
Collaborate, Connect and Communicate
The Golden Rules of Advocacy
Source: https://www.nysbd.org/advocacy-basics#:~:text=THE%20GOLDEN%20RULES,time%20than%20you%20have%20to.
To increase your chances of success when advocating, remember these 3 golden rules: be Polite, be Prepared, and be Persistent.
POLITE - People remember how you treat them, so treat others the way you want to be treated. Don’t take up more of their time than you have to. Be honest about what you know. Keep your word. Say please and thank you even when you’re frustrated. The reputation you create for yourself will help - or hurt - your cause.
PREPARED - Gather as much information about an issue as you can, whether you learn the information yourself or know who to ask for more. Identify who to contact on an issue and the ABC before reaching out. You may only get one chance to explain your case so be prepared to make more of an impact.
PERSISTENT - You may have to put in a lot of work on an issue and it may feel like an uphill climb the entire time. Show others you won’t give up and the respect you can earn on all sides will help you - often in ways you might not expect.
The five elements of advocacy
Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/694899677/Five-Elements#:~:text=of%20Effective%20Advocacy-,The%20document%20outlines%20five%20elements%20of%20successful%20advocacy%3A%201)%20Maintaining,a%20paper%20trail%20by%20thoroughly
1) Maintaining a positive attitude and controlling emotions
2) Being flexible in how issues are addressed while still pursuing resolutions
3) Determination to solve issues while balancing what is worth escalating
4) Creating a paper trail by thoroughly documenting all communications and events
5) Gaining knowledge of the needs, laws and processes.
T2 Cohort Call #5
Methods of Advocacy
What Does Advocacy Look Like?
Source: https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/types-of-advocacy/
Advocacy can take many forms, and what it looks like for you might be different from someone else’s approach. Consider how you would tackle a specific problem or issue. Sometimes it’s as simple as speaking up and asking questions. Your answer may depend on the situation, the cause and the people involved. In general, advocacy often looks like this:
Writing emails, letters and petitions to organizations, politicians and others
Researching policy reform and procedural changes
Using social media to raise national or global awareness
Engaging in on-the-ground activities such as fundraisers, town hall meetings, workshops and peaceful protests
Organizing petitions or online drives to gather support for a particular cause
Lobbying government officials to enact or change laws
Using art, writing or music to spread awareness
Participating in panels, webinars or workshops to share knowledge and promote visibility
Using legal action in court to protect rights
What does advocacy look like?
Source: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/advocacy-types-examples-principles/
Most individual advocates and groups rely on a variety of advocacy methods to be effective. Here are four of the most common examples:
Letter-writing/petitions
Writing letters and signing petitions are tried-and-true advocacy methods. Both allow people to raise awareness, clearly articulate their stance on an issue, and present solutions. In the case of petitions, it’s a relatively convenient way for lots of people to express their support for a cause. Effective advocacy writing contains several ingredients, including a clear “ask,” essential facts, and a polished style.
Research
Good advocacy is built on good research. Without the facts, advocacy campaigns run the risk of misdiagnosing the problem and the solutions. A poorly-researched campaign can even cause more harm than good. Research is such an important part of advocacy that many groups focus on it above other methods like petitions, protests, or fundraisers. Using experts in data-collecting and analysis, groups release extensive reports on issues like violence, poverty, gender inequality, and more. Other advocates and groups can then use this information when building their own campaigns.
Social media
Social media has transformed advocacy. Essentially anyone with a free social media account can become an advocate, build an audience, and raise awareness for causes. Their reach can go international very quickly and connect advocates in a way they were never able to connect before. While hashtag campaigns and social media organizing can strengthen advocacy, this method is still fairly new and far from perfect. Because it’s so accessible, there are many bad actors and well-meaning, but inexperienced advocates. It can also be challenging to build strong relationships over social media, which is essential to advocacy’s long-term success. Social media can be a good tool, but it shouldn’t be the primary one.
In-person action
In-person action encompasses many activities, including peaceful protests, fundraisers, town halls, workshops, and more. Education, training, and networking are just three goals. Some of the best advocacy happens in person as individuals and groups may find it easier to develop the genuine, long-lasting relationships vital to advocacy. While in-person action isn’t always possible, advocates should embed the person-centric approach into all their actions, even if they need to meet online or by phone.
Source: AI generated response
Advocacy tools are resources, strategies, and technologies used to influence public policy, raise awareness, and create change for a specific cause, ranging from simple fact sheets and social media posts to complex data management software, digital platforms for mass communication (like email/SMS campaigns), and methods for engaging policymakers directly (like meetings or testimony). They equip individuals and groups with the means to educate, organize, and mobilize supporters to make their voices heard by decision-makers.
Source: AI generated response
Inform & Educate: Provide clear, concise information (like fact sheets) to explain complex issues.
Mobilize Supporters: Use digital platforms to quickly gather signatures, send emails, or make calls.
Influence Decision-Makers: Facilitate direct contact with legislators through calls, letters, or personal meetings.
Build Movements: Connect individuals with shared goals, turning isolated efforts into collective action through technology and organization.
Source: Google search result
Advocacy techniques involve a mix of ** direct engagement** (lobbying, meetings, calls, letters to officials), ** public awareness** (media campaigns, social media, events, education), and ** strategic communication** (using facts, personal stories, clear "asks," and building relationships) to influence decision-makers and shape public opinion on an issue, using tools like grassroots mobilization and data-driven research for impact.
T2 Cohort Call #6
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
SMART Goals:
Effective goals are achieved by using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), breaking them into smaller, actionable steps, and writing them down to increase commitment. Focus on only one or two goals at a time, track progress, and build systems to maintain consistency rather than relying on motivation.
Alternatives to SMART goals:
PACT (Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, Trackable)
WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacles, Plan)
CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable)
HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult)
You can also utilize:
Anti-Goals (focusing on what to avoid)
Process Goals (focusing on habits over results)
What are the 5 P's of goal setting?
Source: https://www.effy.ai/faq/what-are-the-5-ps-of-goal-setting#:~:text=The%205%20P's%20of%20goal%2Dsetting%20are%20Purpose%2C%20Plan%2C,on%20the%20most%20impactful%20actions.
The 5 P's of goal-setting are Purpose, Plan, Prioritization, Persistence, and Progress. A strong goal-setting template integrates these principles, helping individuals and teams stay focused and motivated.
Purpose defines the "why" behind the goal, ensuring alignment with long-term aspirations.
A well-structured Plan breaks the goal into actionable steps.
Prioritization ensures focus on the most impactful actions.
Persistence helps overcome obstacles and stay committed.
Progress tracking maintains momentum and accountability.
T2 Cohort Call #7
Pitfalls of Advocacy
Common Pitfalls to Avoid:
Vague Objectives: General, non-specific goals (e.g., "get healthy") are hard to measure and achieve.
Unrealistic Expectations: Setting goals that are too lofty can lead to discouragement and giving up.
Conflicting Goals: Trying to achieve too many things at once, especially contradictory ones, reduces success.
T2 Cohort Call #8
Introduction of Advocacy Letters
Webinar #1 REQUIRED: Advocating for Sexual Health Equity
Due before Cohort Call #2
We will discuss this webinar during Call #2
T2 Cohort Call #9
Supporting Self-Advocates
Basic advocacy skills: Step by step
Source: https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit-excerpt/basic-advocacy-skills-step-step
Advocacy Tool Kit
This excerpt from the Autism Speaks Advocacy Tool Kit was written by Ann Shalof, a nonprofit professional focused on youth advocacy and empowerment.
It is helpful to think about the advocacy process as a series of steps that can be taught and learned. Most of those steps relate to preparation. Before you even begin to “advocate,” you will want to have determined your goal, thought about how you will proceed, and developed a plan.
Steps to building advocacy skills
Step 1: Identify the goal of your advocacy.
What are you hoping to accomplish?
What are some acceptable outcomes?
Step 2: Develop a plan or strategy.
What facts and arguments support your position?
If relevant, what rights do you have, what laws apply, what resources exist or what benefits or services are you entitled to?
Step 3. Consider the perspective of the party to whom you are advocating.
Anticipate and understand their positions and their arguments.
How might you counter those arguments?
Step 4. Be aware of emotions – on all sides.
Your advocacy should be rational. It is important to avoid being governed by emotion and to avoid making your advocacy personal.
The other party may be governed by emotion. It is important that they understand that your advocacy is based on rational considerations and is not personal to them.
Step 5. Understand to whom you are advocating and to whom you ultimately need to advocate.
Does the person you are addressing have the authority to grant your request or resolve your situation?
What constraints does s/he face?
Step 6. Present your “case.”
Step 7. Consider possible resolutions that might be acceptable to all parties.
T2 Cohort Call #10
Participant Advocacy Letters
Webinar #1 REQUIRED: Advocating for Sexual Health Equity
Due before Cohort Call #2
We will discuss this webinar during Call #2