How To Be an Advocate: A Road Map by Action for Children

Advocacy is an activity that draws on a wide variety of disciplines, and it can be challenging to determine where to start. We’re proud to provide you with a roadmap to guide your journey as an advocate so that you have the tools to bring about positive change that reflects your purpose.?

Finding Your Calling?

“All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy.” -- Samantha Power?

If you’re reading this, congratulations! Sometime in the past or present, you encountered something that made you decide, “I want to do something about this.” Whether it was a personal experience, an experience of someone you care about, something you witnessed, or something you learned -- something touched you enough that prompted you to act.??

For Action for Children's Step Up To Quality Coordinator, Brittany, it started with her experience as a child of working parents, and later, her own experience as a mother. Today, her advocacy is influenced by the child care professionals she encounters daily through her work.?

For Alicia, her entire perspective as an early childhood educator shifted when she had her firstborn daughter and became acquainted with what she describes as the "brutal realities of the TRUE state of early childhood services in central Ohio". This realization started her journey to building her own Family Child Care business and helping others do the same as Action for Children's Family Child Care Program Manager.

However it begins, advocacy is a journey that takes empathy, courage, and conviction – but by choosing to do something, you've already taken the first step.

Education: Acquiring Knowledge and Staying Informed?

Once you’ve determined what you want to change, the next step is to do your research. One of the most monumental changes we’ve seen over the past three decades is an unprecedented boom in access to information. Media coverage happens in real-time; content is constantly being shared, research is being published and television and the internet have broken down the barriers to access all of it. The gates have opened, and information is plentiful.??

But few things come without consequence. With fewer barriers, unlimited outlets, and the market for second-by-second coverage, misinformation is also plentiful and easily accessible. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to think critically about where we’re getting our information.?

Reputable and reliable sources draw their conclusions from fact, not conjecture. They cite their sources and acknowledge credible differing points of view. Good sources include peer-reviewed research and analysis in academia, think tank and non-profit publications, governmental reporting agencies, and governmental publications.?

RESOURCE: 8 Must-Know Information Sources for Early Learning Advocacy???

Once you have vetted where you’re getting your information, then it’s time to dive in. To learn the playing field, start asking questions to define stakeholders.??

• Which groups or individuals have a vested interest in what you’re trying to achieve? These can be politicians, government officials, lobbying groups, nonprofits, unions, entire industries, and individual businesses, just to name a few.?
• Next, pay attention to power.?To what extent are these stakeholders able to achieve their desired outcome? Most importantly, whose interests are aligned with yours????
• Who’s talking about your chosen advocacy issue and what are they saying??Setting up a simple Google alert provides you with updates in the media about the topic of your choosing.?
• Is there legislation related to your cause??If so, resources like individual bill tracking, committee sessions, public hearings, and more can be sent directly to your inbox in real-time.?

RESOURCE: Visit Groundwork Ohio for legislative advocacy resources related to child care in Ohio.?

It’s all about finding a place to start. The more that you learn, the easier it is to determine where to go next. By doing this, you get to where you really want to go -- action.??

People First: Community and Social Capital??

You know your purpose, you know your facts, and you’re staying informed. Now it’s time to find your people and build or join a community that will increase your impact. As Margaret Mead once said, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”?

Chances are, your research has shown you that there are people and groups out there and even near you that hold the same values and are working toward the same goal. Once you’ve found them, it’s time to determine how you fit in.?At this point, it’s essential to evaluate your capacity and play to your strengths.??

Ask yourself:??

• How much time do I really have to commit???
• What do I enjoy doing???
• What are my strengths???
• How does my story inform my advocacy???

There are many ways to contribute:?

• Serve on a board?
• Attend a protest?
• Attend a legislative committee meeting?
• Participate in a peer-to-peer fundraiser?
• Write an opinion editorial or letter to the editor?
• Volunteer your time?
• Like, comment, and share relevant information on social channels?
• Talk it up! Share your “Why” with those around you?
• Engage in advocacy at your workplace?
• Call or write to your local representative. Be personal, construct a clear ask, and follow up!?

Sprints, Marathons, and Holding Ground?

“Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." -- Ovid?

Lastly, it’s important to check in with yourself throughout your journey. Advocacy work is both rewarding and draining. It takes an emotional toll, and maintaining balance is crucial to staying mentally and emotionally strong throughout the process.

Hold space for yourself to help prevent burnout and remember that progress is not linear. There will be ups and downs throughout your personal and collective journey as an advocate. There will be moments of elation and sometimes, heartbreak. There will be times to sprint and times when it goes on and on like a marathon. At times, it will feel like one step forward, two steps back -- and sometimes, a win is simply holding your ground.

But the bottom line is that children and the adults who support them need your voice, and you have the power to create change one day at a time.?

As you start or continue your advocacy journey, we hope you find this resource valuable. Thank you for supporting Action for Children and speaking up to help children thrive!?To support Action for Children by making a donation, visit www.actionforchildren.org/donate.

Author: Whitney Holdreith, Development Coordinator at Action for Children

Action for Children is the local child care resource and referral agency for Central Ohio, and is committed to assuring quality early learning experiences for all children. Our services focus on transforming the lives of children by supporting the everyday heroes who most influence our children’s early growth; care givers, educators, parents, and guardians. Learn More.