Chapter 1 - Advocacy
Advocacy is the act of using your voice, your story, and your power to influence decisions that impact your life and community. It’s how everyday people — not just politicians or lobbyists — shape policies, challenge injustice, and push for change in government, business, and society.
Whether you’re a small business owner fighting for fair taxes, a parent calling for better childcare, or a worker demanding better wages, advocacy is how we turn frustration into action and action into impact.
Advocacy: The Basics
Advocacy is:
Sharing your personal experience to influence change
Organizing people and resources around a shared goal
Communicating directly with decision-makers
Using media, meetings, rallies, or social posts to make an issue visible
A long game — consistent, strategic pressure over time
Advocacy is NOT:
Complaining without offering a solution
Reserved for professionals or insiders
Just lobbying or lawsuits
One-size-fits-all — it looks different in every community
What Advocacy Is (and Isn’t)
Story – Your lived experience is powerful. It can open minds, change hearts, and shift narratives.
Strategy – Know what you’re fighting for, who has the power to change it, and what pressure points exist.
Power – Advocacy is more effective when done collectively. One voice is powerful. Many voices are unstoppable.
Tactics – Actions like writing a letter, organizing a rally, speaking at a hearing, or sharing a story on Instagram can all be part of your advocacy toolkit.
Targets – Decision-makers (elected officials, agencies, corporations) who have the authority to act on your demands.
Key Components of Advocacy
There are many ways to advocate. Here are three common forms:
Direct Advocacy: Engaging directly with decision-makers — like calling a lawmaker, testifying at a hearing, or joining a policy roundtable.
Grassroots Advocacy: Mobilizing your community — through petitions, town halls, canvassing, or coalition building — to show collective support for change.
Digital Advocacy: Using online platforms like social media, email campaigns, or videos to tell your story and amplify your cause.
Each plays a role in building momentum, applying pressure, and moving the needle.
Key Components of Advocacy
Without advocacy, the status quo stays the same — often benefiting the few at the expense of the many. Advocacy is how communities make their needs known, hold institutions accountable, and push for a fairer, more just future.
Advocacy has changed laws, sparked revolutions, and transformed lives. It can start with one person — and that person can be you.
Why Advocacy Matters
You don’t have to know everything or do everything. The first step is to understand the basics — and then take action in a way that feels meaningful and manageable(e.g. writing your representative, signing a petition, going to your capital to meet face-to-face with lawmakers).