Advocacy for Community HealthStand Up and Be Counted: You Can, and You Must

What is ‘advocacy’? ‘Advocare’—to call to aid “An effort, with greater than zero probability

of success, aimed at actively supporting a cause or constituency by attempting to change policy and/or conditions.”

Rallying others to your cause Addressing root conditions Changing the conversation

AUDIENCES

OUTCOMES

AC

TIO

NW

ILL

AW

AR

EN

ES

S

Voter Outreach

Public Education Policymaker EducationInfluencer Education

Political Will Campaigns

Litigation

Media Advocacy

Regulatory Feedback

Public Forums

Champion Development

Model Legislation

Policy Analysis/Research

Demonstration Programs

PUBLICINFLUENCE

RS

Not just lobbying

Community Mobilization

Coalition BuildingCommunity Organizing

Public Will CampaignsCommunications and Messaging

Leadership DevelopmentAdvocacy Capacity Building

Public Awareness Campaigns

Public Polling

Lobbying

4 DECISION MAKERS

Why advocacy? Your programs need supportive contexts Changing the law can make your fight easier Bringing more people to your cause IS

progress (an end and a means) Rules can change behaviors, and acting can

change attitudes—equifinality and multiple paths to change

Advocacy can induce change all along spectrum of prevention

Tasks and Skills for Advocacy Media and messaging

Building message boxes for nimble but consistent communication

Champion development You need to preach to your choir until they’re all

singing Voter outreach and education

Make this an ‘issue’ Coalition building

United fronts for change Advocacy capacity building

Enhancing your ability to build your cause Community mobilization

Building your ‘army’ of advocates

Steps for your Advocacy—Media & MessagingMessage: To keep kids safe and communities healthy, marijuana must stay illegal.

Submessage #1: Legalizing marijuana increases kids’ access.• Proliferation of marijuana makes it

harder for parents to keep kids away from drugs.

• Marijuana advertising will inevitably seep into child audiences.

Submessage #2: Legalizing marijuana sends a dangerous message about drugs.• Legalization conveys acceptability,

the wrong message.• Adolescents are initiating use at

younger ages and are more likely to use on a daily basis.

Submessage #3: Communities can’t keep up with proliferation of threats in wake of legalization.• After CO legalized marijuana, law

enforcement in surrounding states are demanding reimbursement for increased expenses for related crimes.

• Denver Police Sergeant Andrew Howard admitted, “It's like the wild, wild West,"

Submessage #4: Given tremendous health and safety risks of substance abuse, Missouri should move to reduce access to drugs, not throw the door wide open.• Marijuana isn’t safe. In 2011,

marijuana was involved in 455,668 emergency room visits nationwide, and is the second most prevalent drug implicated in car accidents.

Steps for your Advocacy—Champion Development

When policymakers support your cause, give them ways they can really support it Author op-eds Recruit colleagues Sponsor measures Appear at events

Easier ‘ask’ for newer advocates than confronting hostile opponents

Raises issue profile and recruits new messengers

Steps for your Advocacy—Voter outreach and education Turning causes into ‘issues’

Using marijuana issue as opportunity to connect to civic engagement

Getting voters to be your supporters Making your issue political, but not partisan Voting as an act of prevention

Getting your supporters to be voters Breaking through the disillusionment Registration is just the beginning Making voting part of your cause’s ‘culture’

Steps for your Advocacy—Coalition Building and Advocacy Capacity Building

Advocacy TA process as opportunity to build capacity

Leveraging coalition strength for advocacy impact

Coalition participation as an advocacy ‘ask’ Coalition logic model as strategic plan for

advocacy Steering your coalition towards advocacy

impact

Steps for your Advocacy—Community Mobilization

Gathering people Need a reason for them to engage—petitions,

signature campaigns, local ordinance fights, legislative events

Creating volunteer advocacy opportunities, scaled to prompt engagement (media monitoring, LTEs, lit drops, signature collection, institutional endorsements)

Going where people are already gathered Enlightened self-interest to connect to their

existing concerns Tailoring your message without changing your tune

Next Steps What do you need to get started? Resources to support your advocacy

Bolder Advocacy, legal guides AFJ Advocacy Capacity Tool Advocacy Progress Planner melindaklewis.com

Questions?Melinda Lewis

melindaklewis@gmail.com816-806-6094