Overview
Other forms of advocacy include
Different contexts in which advocacy is used
Aim
Overview

Overview: Advocacy

Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social system reform . Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using facts, their relationships, the media, and providing submission on topics to government officials. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, and publishing research. Lobbying for change is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on a specific issue or specific piece of legislation. Researchhas started to address how advocacy groups can use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action.

An advocate is someone who provides advocacy support to people who need it in the local; community and have been undermined under scrutiny without a course of natural justice.

There are several forms of advocacy, each representing a different approach in a way to initiate changes in the society. One of the most popular forms is social and justice advocacy.

The initial definition does not encompass the notions of power and rule of law, people’s participation and a vision of a just society as promoted by social justice advocates. For them, advocacy represents the series of actions taken on issues highlighted to change the “what is” into a “what shall be”, considering the more decent and a more proper approach of a just society and the actions, which vary with the political, economic and social environment in which they are conducted, have several points in common:

  • Question the way policy is administered and freedom of speech
  • Participate in the agenda-setting as they raise significant issues
  • Target political systems “because those systems are not responding to people’s needs”
  • Oppose policies and find a means of fairness and solutions
  • Open Government and transparency to Government and the public.
Other forms of advocacy include
  • Budget advocacy: another aspect of advocacy ensures proactive engagement of Civil Society Organizations with the government budget to make the government more accountable to the people and promote transparency. Budget advocacy also enables citizens and social reform groups to compel the government to be more alert to the needs and aspirations of people in general public and not to deprived civil liberties of the general community.
  • Bureaucratic advocacy: people considered “experts” have more chance to succeed at presenting their issues to decision-makers. They use bureaucratic advocacy to influence the agenda, although at a slower pace.
  • Freedom of Expression versus issue advocacy: These two types of advocacy when grouped together usually refers to a debate whether a group is expressly making their desire known that voters should cast ballots in a particular way, or whether a group has a long-term issue that isn’t campaign and election season through choice voters.
  • Ideological advocacy: in this approach, groups fight, sometimes during protests, to advance their ideas in the decision-making circles.
  • Aged care advocacy: supports and promotes patients’ health care rights as well as enhance community health and policy initiatives that focus on the availability, safety and quality of aged care.
  • Interest-group advocacy: lobbying is the main tool used by interest groups doing mass advocacy. It is a form of action that does not always succeed at influencing political decision-makers as it requires resources and organization to be effective.
  • Legislative advocacy: the “reliance on the state or federal legislative process” as part of a strategy to create change.
  • Mass advocacy: any type of action taken by large groups (petitions, demonstrations, etc.)
  • Media advocacy: the strategic use of the mass media as a resource to advance a social or public policy initiative In Australia for Public Insurance campaigns illustrate how media advocacy was used to fight alcohol and tobacco-related health issues. We can also consider the role of health advocacy and the media in “the enactment of municipal smoking bylaws.
  • Special education advocacy: advocacy with a specific focus on the educational rights of students with disabilities.
Different contexts in which advocacy is used
  • In a Legal context: An advocate is the title of a specific person who is authorized in some way to speak on behalf of a person in a legal process/ mediation.
  • In a political context: An advocacy group is an organized collection of people who seek to influence political decisions and policy, introducing social reform on topics in the best interest of the general public.
  • Social care advocacy: are used for independent people who are in difficulty primarily in the context of disability and mental health, aged care and child protection.
  • Citizen Advocacy organisations programmes seek to cause benefit by reconnecting people who have become isolated, And who may be in fear of their life through war within their homeland.
Aim
Advocacy in all its forms seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to:

  • Have their voice heard on issues of importance to them
  • Defend and safeguard their humanitarian 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 on general topics
  • Access information and services
  • Defend and promote their rights and responsibilities under advocacy and mediation and have natural justice.
  • Explore choices and options