Being an Advocate for your Students

Professional DevelopmentJanuary 7, 2014

What is an Advocate?

An advocate aims to empower a young person. They offer a one-to-one support.

They may give advice, encourage the child, or simply provide a listening ear. Youth mentors help children set goals,

solve problems, and make good choices. An advocate/mentor never takes the

place of a parent — they simply provide a positive role model for the at-risk child.

What is an Advocate? Advocacy is about

empowerment. An Advocate lets a student know that they have

someone that believes in them. Advocates coach and encourage and give their honest opinion.

Who is that one person that you think about when you think of an

advocate for yourself?

What is an Advocate?

Advocacy can be more appropriately viewed as assisting children and youth in finding their own power from within and teaching them to use it

effectively.

"Advocacy is the catalyst for change, not the change agent"

• Do our students need advocates?

Why Advocate?

• If so, which students?

• How could an advocate benefit our students?

“Advocacy is the catalyst for change….”

• What does this mean? What change is needed for /with/by our students?

Why Advocate?

• An advocate program targets, provokes, and influences change.

• Youth need to know that adults in our school and community believe in them.

• Youth need encouragement• Youth want their opinions/needs/likes/dislikes

to be validated

Advocate you say?Why would I WANT to add one more thing to

my day??????

1. You could change a kid’s life!

Reasons to Advocate that will make you feel good about your work

2. The greatest joy is giving and receiving hope.

3. You could help a student reach graduation.

4. You might be the first person to ever truly listen to that child.

5. You could teach a student to be an advocate for himself and maybe someday others.

Reasons to Advocate that will make you feel good about your work

An advocate/mentor makes a big difference: When kids enjoy a regular,

positive activity with an adult over the course of a year, those kids are more

likely to enroll in and graduate from college, more likely to participate in

sports, and more likely to volunteer in the community. They are also 52

percent less likely than their peers to skip school, 46 percent less likely to

start using drugs, and 27 percent less likely to begin drinking alcohol. All this

results in less drug-related suspensions, drug-related crime, and the number

of babies born who are drug-affected.

Advocacy Skills Checklist

• A good Advocate has a willingness to share knowledge, and expertise

• A good Advocate demonstrates a positive attitude and acts as a positive role model.

• A good Advocate takes a personal interest in the mentoring relationship

• A good Advocate motivates others to want to advocate by setting a good example

A Successful Advocate….

How do I advocate?

• Think of a few students that you could see yourself partnered with as an Advocate

• What does this look like? • When do you see the student? • How often would you talk to them?• What will you say to them?• How will they respond? • Develop a brief plan for one student: Who, what,

when, where, how?

Advocacy does not have to take a lot of time. “Hey, how are your classes going this week?”

“Do you have any tests coming up?”“How did you do on that English test your were

preparing for last week?”This goes a long way with students when these short conversations are regular occurrences.

Other ways to advocate include:

How do I advocate?

How do I advocate?

• Listen• Give the youth the opportunity to make their own case; self-

advocate• Bring reality to situations• Persist with the youth in a consistent manner until meaningful

resolution is gained• Teach youth skillful ways to disagree with people; role model

appropriate dispute resolution• Create safety, put in place safeguards• Follow up with youth and staff

How do I advocate?

• Advocates educate themselves about their local school district. They know how decisions are made and by whom. They help their students to learn the appropriate ways to make requests, complaints, get academic help, etc.

The school has a formal structure whereby each student is well known by at least one adult advocate in the school who supports that

student’s educational experience.

SACS Accreditation

???????????????????

4 School personnel participate in a structure that gives them long-term interaction with individual students, allowing them to build strong relationships over time with the student and related adults.

3 School personnel participate in a structure that gives them long-term interaction with individual students, allowing them to build strong relationships over time with the student.

2 School personnel participate in a structure that gives them interaction with individual students, allowing them to build relationships over time with the student.

1 Few or no opportunities exist for school personnel to build long-term interaction with individual students.

Let’s Score Ourselves

4 All students participate in the structure.

3 All students may participate in the structure.

2 Most students participate in the structure.

1 No students participate in the structure.

Let’s Score Ourselves

4 The structure allows the school employee to gain significant insight into and serve as an advocate for the student’s needs regarding learning skills, thinking skills and life skills.

3 The structure allows the school employee to gain insight into and serve as an advocate for the student’s needs regarding learning skills, thinking skills and life skills.

2 The structure allows the school employee to gain insight into the student’s needs regarding learning skills, thinking skills and life skills.

1 Few or no students have a school employee who advocates for their needs regarding learning skills, thinking skills and life skills.

Let’s Score Ourselves

Email me your answers to the following items:1. The most significant thing I learned in today’s Advocacy PD was…2. I will apply this PD to my work by….3. I know of a student (one, two, three?) that I think I would make a

good advocate for. I think I would be a good match with them because…

4. The way that I would advocate for this (these) students is….5. My next step is to…6. I will email Mrs. Miller with the name of one of my students that I

Advocate for so that she can photograph us for the website. (Indicate yes or no)

To Receive Your 2 PD hours…