Art and Design for Advocacy

Introduction to Advocacy

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Our Agenda for Today

IntroductionWhat is Advocacy?

Work in groupsDiscuss the issues that are important for

youth in your communities.

Identifying and analyzing the issue

Case study with activityKONY 2012 Case Study and Youth Obesity

Activity

What problem do you want to solve?Activity: Ask-why?

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What is advocacy?

In groups discuss what is advocacy for 10 minutes and write one

sentence definition for advocacy

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What is advocacy?

Advocacy is an organized attempt to change policy, practise, and/or

shape attitudes by presenting evidence and arguments for how and

why change should happen.

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What is advocacy?

Advocacy campaigns come in all different shapes and sizes, ranging from small

grassroots movements to international powerhouses with millions of supporters.

Don’t let limited size or scope discourage you! A small group of dedicated

activists can make a big difference to their local communities in a way that most

global campaigns cannot.

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Student’s Plenum Macedonian students

campaign against a law on

higher education.

#ICantBreatheEric Gardner said these words

as the NYPD placed him in a

choke hold resulting in his

death

Advocacy: Case StudyThree case studies from around the globe

Every gun has a historyOrganization against guns

opened a gun store in NYC to

make a point

What’s caught your eye?

Discuss campaigns you have found particularly memorable, for good or bad reasons.

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To advocate, or not to advocate?

Is there a reasonable chance of success at improving the problem you wish to address? And is advocacy the best approach for this?

Do you have the credibility, a clear position backed up by evidence, and the expertise you can bring to this issue? How much do you know about the issue you want to advocate for or against?

Will advocacy in your name add value? Do you have something unique to say? Or are there other organisations already covering this issue?

Are you sure that this work will not undermine or contradict work by other parts of your organisation or key partners of yours?

What risk is there that engaging in advocacy in your organisation’s name will put the security of staff, partners, and projects at risk?

What capacity or ability do you have to conduct different tasks in the campaign? What resources, skills will you need to seek or develop? Are there any support grants you or your organisation could apply for, to develop

your skills and capacity?

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Advocacy: Six steps activities

Identifying and analysing the issue Establishing goals and objectives Finding your audience Creating your message and asking for your audience’s help Supporting your message using argumentation Implementing your message

What’s bugging you?

In groups discuss issues that are affecting young people in your communities.

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KONY 2012Kony 2012 was a global Internet phenomenon. A short film produced by the NGO

Invisible Children, it advocated for the arrest of the Joseph Kony, leader of the

Lord’s Resistance Army in central Africa. It was uncomplicated and appealed to the

young western generation. It received over 96 million views on YouTube, and

appeared to be leveraging significant progress in the search for Kony, when US

President Barack Obama deployed American troops in the region to offer technical

assistance.

Results

However, sometime after the film’s initial impact, the cam- paign started to get a

bad reputation. Experts on the Lord’s Resistance Army and the civil war criticised

the film for its poor research, simplistic messages, and a lack of understanding of

the problem the film was trying to address. Its supporters started to lose faith in

the organisers, the Kony 2012 movement, and what it stood for.Case Study: KONY 2012

KONY 2012Advocacy campaign case study

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Advocacy: 6 questions to ask yourself

What problem do you want to address? Is this problem widespread across many settings or is it con- fined to a specific area? What are the root causes of the problem? What evidence do you have of this problem? Are there any other people or groups addressing this problem? If so, what is their

approach? Can you present evidence and recommendations for tackling the problem?

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Activity: Ask Why?

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Activity: Ask Why?