Concept of the method
1. What is advocacy?
What is advocacy?
If we try to describe advocacy and its original meaning, we come across many different definitions that are specific to particular countries, cultures, decades and political regimes.
That is why it is important to start with the original meaning of this word: the word “advocacy” comes from the Latin ‘advocare’ and literally means ‘to call out for support’. The origins of advocacy date back to ancient Rome and Greece when well-established orators would perform as advocates or wrote orations specifically for pleading someone’s cause. Personalities such as Cicero and Caesar were among the greatest Roman lawyers and advocates.
Ritu R. Sharma from the Academy for Educational Development describes advocacy as a tool for “putting a problem on the agenda, providing a solution to that problem and building support for acting on both the problem and the solution”. This definition expresses an important idea: In a digital and networked age, advocacy is not just about influencing public policy, but also and, first of all, about influencing public opinion.[1]
As Dr. Sharma says, even if most of the time advocacy is defined as speaking on behalf of others, one of its aims must be raising the public’s consciousness about a particular issue.
The philosophy behind the social phenomena of advocacy is best explained in a handbook for planning advocacy by Save the Children Fund, UK. It says that “advocacy is a social change process affecting attitudes, social relationships and power relations, which strengthens civil society and opens up democratic spaces”. To fulfil its aspirations advocacy requires efforts coordination, strategic thinking, information, communication, outreach and mobilization.
Besides being extremely broadly defined, advocacy is surrounded by several persistent myths and misconceptions. Some of the most frequently heard are:
- Advocacy is only for professional lobbyists: Obviously advocacy is a public activity while lobbying requires “behind-the-scene” activities in its very essence.
- Advocacy is walking down the street with a bull horn or advocacy is rioting in a demonstration or protest rally: This myth mixes different concepts; rallies are activism, which are sometimes useful, but it’s not always effective advocacy.
- Advocacy is the same as fundraising or donating to charity: Again, as we said above, advocacy is all about initiating social change, which definitely cannot be achieved through just collecting funds. Social change is often achieved with little or almost no funds.
- Advocacy consumes a lot of time; I’m too busy to get involved in advocacy: Advocacy doesn’t have to be complicated and time-consuming – a properly planned and organized campaign requires small actions from many people rather than big ones from a few.
- Advocacy is all about “politics” (in a negative connotation): Advocacy can be political (i.e. lobbying for a specific piece of legislation) but is more often social and intellectual focused on speaking out on behalf of those without a voice.
To sum up, advocacy in all its forms seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to[2]:
- Have their voice heard on issues that are important to them.
- Defend and safeguard their rights.
- Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives.
Advocacy is a process of supporting and enabling people to:
- Express their views and concerns.
- Access information and services.
- Defend and promote their rights and responsibilities.
- Explore choices and options
An advocate is someone who provides advocacy support when you need it. An advocate might help you access information you need or go with you to meetings or interviews, in a supportive role. You may want your advocate to write letters on your behalf or speak for you in situations where you don’t feel able to speak for yourself.