Question
What is advocacy?
Answer
Often our first assumption, when we hear the word advocacy, is that it's marching to the capitol because we've got grandiose policy ideas. Sometimes that can be intimidating and make us stray away from getting involved, thinking things such as, "Oh, I'm not a public speaker. That's not for me. I'm not an activist." But really, advocacy can take on many different forms.
At its heart, advocacy is supporting, promoting, and defending others' rights, needs, and interests. When you break down what advocacy is, you can start to see these are things that most of us probably do already. It doesn't have to be some big, grand action if that's not what you're comfortable with. Advocacy starts with gaining an understanding. It is you as the advocate gaining the understanding and perspective of others and being able to help them through advocating for them. Understanding is at the heart of this.
Samantha Power said, "All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy." That goes back to what I was saying about how when we start to break it apart. It's really just helping others learn about people's experiences and gaining that empathetic side of perspective-taking, which we teach young children every day.
There are different types of advocacy as it takes on different forms. That can be something on a smaller level in everyday classroom interactions with young children. Maybe it is part of the everyday work you do with young children's families. It can also be looking at a broader scope and engaging in a program-wide effort at the early learning program you work for. That continues to expand and ventures out to get involved in the local community or engage at a state or national level.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Elevate and Empower Through Advocacy, presented by Sarah Ozuna Brown, MS.
