The AdvoKit Booklet

Acknowledgements

The AdvoKit: a step-by-step guide to effective advocacy is a publication of the Penticton Advocacy Network. The Advocacy Network is a group of government, non-government, church, and community leaders who meet to create a vision for advocacy in the South Okanagan in British Columbia. The Network uses a community development approach, which includes training, education, and printed materials, to promote an environment in which advocacy is seen as both a “right” and “good practice” by service-providing agencies and the people who use their services.

Printed materials developed by the Advocacy Network have been used locally, provincially, and nationally to assist, support and train volunteer and selfadvocates. The materials include: Knowledge and Skills for Effective Advocacy Training Manual, and The dvoKit.

The AdvoKit was first printed in 1996 with funding from the (then) Ministry of Social Services and the Legal Services Society of British Columbia. It was revised in 1997 with funding from the Ministry for Children and Families and the Office of the Child, Youth and Family Advocate. The 3rd edition is funded by the Ministry for Children and Families.

The AdvoKit was written by Pat May, Coordinator of the Penticton Advocacy Project, who wishes to acknowledge the enormous contribution of the Advocacy Network, the many people who participated in advocacy training and workshops, other advocates and advocacy groups, and the generosity of the agencies and organizations throughout the world who post advocacy information on the
Internet.

Copyright @ Penticton Advocacy Network
3rd edition, 2000
2nd edition, 1997
1st edition, 1996
The graphics in The AdvoKit are Screen Beans® from MicroSoft® Clip Gallery Live.
The AdvoKit: A step-by-step guide to effective advocacy
©Penticton Advocacy Network, June 2000

Page i
Table of Contents

Introduction, and … how to use The AdvoKit .......... 1
Section 1: The Basics ..............................................3
Who are advocates? ................................................3
What do advocates do? ...........................................4
Advocacy isn’t easy … but it’s worth it!! ..................5
Ingredients for effective advocacy ............................7
Section 2: Effective Communication .........................8
Be prepared ............................................................8
Say what you mean .................................................9
Change your communication style, if necessary ..........10
Advocacy by phone .................................................11
Advocacy in person .................................................12
Advocacy by letter ...................................................13
Recordkeeping .........................................................15
Section 3: Steps to Effective Advocacy ......................16
Step 1: Assess the situation .......................................17
Step 2: Look for alternative solutions .........................19
Step 3: Know your rights ..........................................21
Step 4: Present your case ..........................................23
Step 5: Evaluate your efforts .....................................25
Section 4: Code of Ethics for Advocates .....................27

Page ii
Introduction, and ...

Advocacy is not the answer for every difficulty. If your house is on
fire or you are in immediate physical danger, call 91l.

If a child is at risk call the Ministry for Children and Families hotline:

Zenith 1-2- 3-4.

If you need any kind of help RIGHT NOW call the appropriate telephone number listed on the inside cover of the telephone book.

At other times, however, when your request for service has been denied, your rights have been violated, or your voice has been silenced, the situation may be less urgent. You may have time to plan how to resolve the issue through a step-by-step approach to advocacy. There are many different ways to do advocacy work. The AdvoKit is intended to be useful to people who are advocating on their own behalf, or who are advocating for other individuals who are dealing with a “system”. “Systems” can include government departments that administer how services such as health, economic security, justice, mental health, housing, privacy, and family relations will be distributed and/or imposed. In many cases, individuals who receive, wish to receive, or wish to
be free from service from a system, feel that the people in the system do not hear them and do not understand their particular
circumstances. These individuals may feel they have no say in decisions that have a huge impact on their lives.
The AdvoKit suggests ways in which an individual can gain some power and control over his or her own life by influencing and
participating in decisions that affect them.

Page 1
how to use The AdvoKit

The AdvoKit is a planning tool to help you prepare and present your case.

Section 1 provides general information, including definitions, roles, reasons to advocate, and some characteristics of effective advocates.

Section 2 offers information about effective communication.

Section 3 presents five steps to effective advocacy:
Step 1: Assess the situation
Step 2: Look for alternative solutions
Step 3: Know your rights
Step 4: Present your case
Step 5: Evaluate your efforts.
These five steps suggest an organized way to approach almost any situation in which you wish to persuade someone to see things your way. A sound argument, backed up by facts and presented in a respectful way, are powerful tools for influencing people who have the power to make decisions in your case.

Section 4 suggests a Code of Ethics for Advocates. A Code of Ethics can be the basis for understanding:
what advocacy is;
what you can expect from an advocate;
what others can expect from you if you are an advocate.

A Code of Ethics helps set boundaries and provides guidelines for “good” advocacy practice.

Page 2

Who are advocates? Many people already do advocacy work, they just don’t call it that. The definitions below are examples of some of the kinds of roles advocates take and the work that they do:

Self advocates ... speak or act on their own behalf and stand up for their rights. These advocates decide what is best for them and participate in making decisions that affect them.

Natural advocates ... notice that something is not right or is unfair, and speak up in those moments when others are not able to speak for themselves.

Peer Advocates ... encourage and support other individuals to speak or act for themselves. Peer advocates act with, and for, others to resolve difficult situations.

Service providers ... work within “systems” to assist individuals and families to get their needs met.

Cause advocates … work with other advocates to influence politicians at all levels of government to change legislation or policies that affect large numbers of people.

Page 3

SECTION 1
The Basics

Advocates support individuals and families by:

listening to their stories and encouraging them to do something about their concerns
referring them to people who can assist
accompanying them to appointments
helping them practice what they want to say

Advocates use legislation or policies to complain or appeal decisions by:

doing research about rights and entitlements
finding out what laws apply; for example, criminal law, administrative law, civil law
finding out if there is a complaint or appeal process for people who want to challenge decisions
referring people for legal assistance when a lawyer is required
assisting individuals and families to prepare their case when the assistance of a lawyer is not required

Advocates influence politicians to change laws by:

organizing letter writing campaigns and meetings to educate politicians and bureaucrats about issues
using the media to educate the public about the issues
finding others who share the same kinds of concerns, and working together toward change
taking direct action such as boycotts, demonstrations, “sit-ins”, rallies, marches
participating in forms of civil disobedience

Page 4

What do advocates do?

There is no one “right” way to do advocacy work. An advocate may use only one, or many, of the examples of advocacy techniques listed below in any single advocacy situation. Sometimes people may feel frustrated, discouraged, or outraged, but don’t speak out for many different reasons.
They feel don’t have enough time, energy, or information to take action.
They believe that nothing they say or do will make a difference, or that no one will listen.
They are afraid of speaking out to someone who has the power to affect their finances, make life difficult for their family members, take away their freedom, or affect the quality of their health care.
They are afraid of not being believed, of looking stupid, of being put down, or of getting too mad, too sad, or too out of control.
They don’t feel good enough, or smart enough, or educated enough, or competent enough.
They don’t understand what is being said because someone uses jargon or technical language, or there are language or reading
difficulties.
They feel intimidated by people in authority, or don’t want to make trouble for anyone else.
The last time they spoke out, things didn’t go very well and they don’t want to go through that again!

Advocacy isn’t easy...

Page 5

… but it’s worth it!!
There are no guarantees that just because someone advocates, he or she will get what they want; however, if no one speaks out, nothing will change. Some reasons to take the risk to try and get your needs met are listed below:
No one knows as much about how you think and feel, and about what you need, as you do.
The only way that others are going to know when you disagree, or that your rights have been violated is when you speak up.
If people who have authority to make decisions don’t know that there are problems, they will assume that everything is all right.
Individuals who speak out often find that they are not alone; by refusing to be silent, you may lead the way to changes that affect
a lot of people.
If you stand up for your rights, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried to take care of yourself, even if you did
not achieve your goals in the end. Speaking out is a big step towards keeping self-respect and dignity.
Everyone has the right to challenge the ‘rules’ they are required to live by; just because something is a law or policy doesn’t mean
that it is fair or just.

Page 6

Some people may think they need “special” skills or characteristics to do advocacy work; however, most people already have what they need, including:
a belief in the right to advocate
a commitment to the rightness of the cause
a belief that one person’s opinion is as valid as another’s
the courage to look ‘stupid’
a sense of humour
respect for everyone involved in the situation
the patience to stop and make a plan before jumping in
the ability to hear what is really being said
compassion and understanding
an open, creative and flexible mind
the courage to ask a lot of questions
the wisdom to accept criticism
the recognition that there are always limitations of some kind
an understanding of “the big picture”
the courage to admit when they are wrong
the knowledge of how to do research, or the willingness to learn
the ability to organize information in a useful way
the determination to follow the case through to the end
the patience to persevere through the rough times.

Every individual already has at least some of the characteristics mentioned above. Take a moment now to think about what makes
you effective in your day-to-day life. Those same characteristics will enable you to be an effective advocate.

Page 7

Ingredients for effective advocacy
1 part heart
1 part courage
1 part ability
2 parts humour
Mix with lots of determination and stir it up.

Page 8

SECTION 2
Effective Communication

This section offers some suggestions about how to communicate effectively. The ‘secret’ of effective communication lies in what you say, the way you say it, and the medium you choose to say it in. Be prepared Before you pick up the phone or meet someone in person, it may be useful to practice what you are going to do and say. Identify the areas that might be difficult for you. For example, how will you respond if the person you are talking to:
blames you for the situation you are in?
wants to know personal details about your relationships?
implies that you’re lying?
threatens to cut off a benefit?
uses jargon or language that you don’t understand?
doesn’t seem to be listening?

If you feel a question is out-of-line or irrelevant, say so. However, if you must answer a question you find upsetting or believe will
influence the other person against you, practice answering with dignity. Practice not being on the defensive, or getting angry or
upset. If you are afraid that that speaking out will make the situation worse, say so. Bring your concerns out in the open, and ask for assurance that there will be no retaliation for discussing the issue; be specific about the kind of retaliation you are worried about.

Say what you mean.

It is important to use words that say exactly what you mean. Words such as those listed below are not clear, and if you use them, you can expect to be asked to explain yourself:
often always sometimes
never usually most of the time.

Try to state the exact number of times something happened. Example: Instead of saying, “He never lets me know when our
appointment has been cancelled.”; say “On January 24, February 10, and March 3, he cancelled our appointment without letting me know.”
If you are complaining about how someone has treated you, be prepared to say exactly what the person did.

Words and phrases such as those listed below explain how you feel about the situation, but aren’t specific enough:
discriminated treated me like dirt
didn’t listen was rude
doesn’t like me is out to get me

Example: Instead of saying, “She always treats me like dirt.”, say, “When I came to the office on January 15, Ms. X didn’t say
hello, but began talking about the power she had to hold back my cheque if I didn’t give her the information she wanted. I
had no idea what she was talking about. She wouldn’t listen when I tried to ask for an explanation.

If you write a letter, read it out loud to see if it makes sense to you. Ask a friend to read it over before you send it, and let you know if he or she understands what you are saying. If you are going to meet with someone in person or speak to them on
the phone, practise first. Ask a friend to listen to you and let you know if you could do something more effectively.

Page 9

Change your communication style, if necessary. People who do advocacy work may use the style of communication they are most comfortable with in daily life. Some may speak too softly to be heard and may not respond even if what is being said is unfair; others may raise their voices and become very angry if they think the situation is unjust. Most people’s preferred style will be somewhere between these two examples. Regardless of what your style is; if it’s not working, consider changing it. One communication style that is frequently effective is assertiveness.

Assertive techniques include:
using a “reasonable” of tone of voice
calmly asking for explanations until you understand
not becoming defensive. If you were wrong, admit it. If you were not wrong, don’t argue. State clearly that you disagree, but
do not argue.
listening to what the other person has to say and acknowledging that they have another point of view. You do not have to agree
with them or like what they say, but let them know you have heard them. Aggressiveness gets in the way of communication and may stop or slow down the advocacy work you are doing.

You are being aggressive when you:
raise your voice, use swear words, or make threats
don’t allow the other person to talk
keep insisting that you are “right” and don’t listen to what the other person is saying
blame the other person for the situation.

Changing your communication style may feel uncomfortable at first, but with practice it can be done.

Page 10

Advocacy by phone

Sometimes a situation can be resolved by picking up the phone and speaking directly to someone who has the power to make a decision on your behalf. If you don’t reach the right person the first time, ask to be transferred. No matter how frustrating it gets; no matter how often you are put on hold; no matter how many times you are required to “press 1, 2 or 3”, try to remain calm and be respectful. In order to make your telephone call as effective as possible, know what you want to say before you start to dial the phone.

The steps to effective advocacy starting on page 16 can help you organize your approach.

Be as direct and to the point as possible. Write down any questions you may have in advance of making the call and leave space for the answers. You could start a notebook so that your record of telephone calls is in one place.

Page 15 offers some tips about what kind of information should be included in your notes.
If you feel that the people you are talking to are deliberately stalling or passing the buck, say so. Keep a record of all the people you have talked to about this issue, when you talked to them, and what their response was. If the issue is resolved at this point, congratulations!

However, if the issue is not resolved, the information you are collecting now will form the basis of further advocacy work in this situation.

Page 11

Advocacy in person
One of the outcomes of advocacy by phone may be that a meeting is arranged to further discuss the issue.
You always have the right to bring an advocate or friend to the meeting to support you. Decide whether you want the person to
speak on your behalf, to participate in the discussion in their own right, to take notes for you, or to say nothing. Regardless of the role you wish them to take, make sure it is understood by both of you - in advance.
Sometimes meetings will be scheduled for times you can’t attend; ask that the meeting be rescheduled. Propose a time when you can
attend. Be on time.
Know what you want to say before you get to the meeting. Make a list and take it with you. If you don’t have an opportunity to say
everything you want to say, follow up with a letter after the meeting. If you don’t know all the people at the meeting, or if you don’t
understand why a certain person is there, ask. Take notes or ask your friend or advocate to take notes for you. Use a tape recorder if necessary. If you think there might be different interpretations about what was said at the meeting, you could write up your notes and send copies to all the people who attended the meeting. If someone else took notes, ask that a copy to be sent to you. If you don’t understand what is happening at the meeting, ask for clarification. If emotions run high, ask for a break. If the meeting appears to going nowhere, say so. Ask if there is any more that can be done right now; if not; suggest that the meeting be rescheduled.

Page 12

Advocacy by letter
Your letter should include:
the date
your name
your address and postal code
a telephone number where you can be reached (if you have one) or another way in which you may be contacted

Some guidelines to consider are:
be brief; no more than one or two pages
use short sentences
state what the purpose of the letter is
give specific information to make your point, but avoid too much detail
be clear about what you want to happen in this situation
try to sound optimistic, as though you expect the difficulty will be resolved
ask for a reply to your letter within a certain time period and indicate that if you don’t hear from them by that date, you will contact them again.

Ask someone else to read your letter over before you send it and make suggestions about how it could be more effective. Keep a copy of your letter. If you don’t hear from the agency in a reasonable amount of time, phone them to be sure they got the letter.
If the letter has been received, ask what action is being taken to resolve the issue. If the letter has not been received, send them
another copy immediately.

Page 13,14

Sample Advocacy Letter

April 1, 2000
Ms. B. Rock, City Manager
City of Parklands
1000 Any Street
Parklands, B.C. V1A 0L3

Dear Ms. Rock,
I am writing to express my concern about the overflowing garbage bins in our neighbourhood park on Shore Road. The bins have not been emptied for six weeks. The area not only looks bad, but is becoming a health risk. I first noticed that the bins were starting to overflow in mid-February. I called your office and spoke to Mr. Stone who said that he would pass my message on to the Sanitation Department. Two weeks later the bins had still not been emptied. On March 1, I again called City Hall and spoke directly to Ms. Pebble in the Sanitation Department. I told her that I was very worried that, as the weather began to warm up, the garbage would start to smell; that animals were already beginning to scatter the garbage around; and that it looked awful. Ms. Pebble told me that they had been short-staffed and would deal with the problem as soon as possible. It is now April 1 and the garbage has not been picked up. The garbage reeks, there is litter all over the park, and children cannot play there safely. Our dream of a park has become a nightmare. I know that the City is anxious to keep the high standards of cleanliness that the parks in our City are known for. It is the only green space within 20 blocks. Would you please let me know at your earliest convenience on what day the garbage will be
removed. If I do not hear from you by April 7th, I will phone and make an appointment to come in and talk to you about this situation.

Thank you for assisting to get this matter resolved.

Yours sincerely,
A. Citizen
1247 City Road
Parklands, B.C. V1A 4J3
Phone: 333-3333, Fax: 333-3332

Page 15

Recordkeeping

Accurate, detailed records are essential. You will use the information you collect to prepare your case, as evidence of what other people told you, of what you said to other people, and of the actions you took along the way.

Your notes should include:
dates
who you talked to
other people you were referred to and the reason(s)
who you were referred to
what you requested, the answer you received, and any explanations given
what laws, regulations, policies apply to this situation
what action people said they would take
what action you said you would take
what agreements were made
what areas of disagreement were identified.

Ask for confirmation in writing when your requests are denied or approved. If anyone wants to see the correspondence, give them a
copy and keep the originals in your files. Filing your notes and correspondence in the order in which they are written will save a lot of time when you start to prepare your case. Keep all your correspondence and notes in one place. A three-ring binder is very useful for organizing information.

Document till you drop - and then document your drop.
Streetfighters Consumer Survival Guide (source: The Internet)

Page 16

SECTION 3

Steps to Effective Advocacy

This section provides worksheets to assist you through the advocacy process, and makes some suggestions about the kinds of information to collect as you work through the steps.

The five steps to effective advocacy are:
Step 1: Assess the situation
Step 2: Look for alternative solutions
Step 3: Know your rights
Step 4: Present your case
Step 5: Evaluate your efforts.
Although the steps are numbered ‘1’ through ‘5’, in “real” life the process may not be so straightforward. You may not have the luxury of time to work through all five steps in order, and at least some of the information and questions won’t apply in your case. As with the rest of the information in The AdvoKit, use what works for you; ignore the rest. If you do not have enough room to write on the worksheets, use a separate piece of paper, or the notebook in which you are keeping your records about this matter.
During the advocacy process, you may be asked to repeat your story over and over again. You may find it useful to prepare a three or four sentence summary, so that you can describe the situation as briefly and as clearly as possible.

Some points to think about as you begin are:
What happened? Perhaps you feel that your voice was not heard, you were discriminated against, you were denied something that you are entitled to, or that you were not treated with dignity and respect.

Have you had similar difficulties in the past? In two or three sentences describe what happened.

How is the past situation related to the circumstances you are in today. Is it relevant?
What have you done so far to resolve the situation? Did you ask the person who made the decision to change his or her mind? Did you tell anyone that you were unhappy with the decision or the situation?
Did you ask to speak to a supervisor or manager? Write down as many details as you can remember.
How do you want this situation to be resolved? Do you want an apology; do you want an exception made to a rule or policy; do want the rule or policy changed so that the situation never happens again - to you or to anyone else?
What will happen if this situation isn’t resolved? If nothing will happen, you may not need to go any further. If you want to continue,
use the following worksheets as a guide.

Page 17

Step 1: Assess the situation

Describe the situation you are facing right now. If there is more than one difficulty, which one needs to be dealt with first?

Has this situation, or a similar situation happened before?

If so, how does the past relate to the present?

What action have you taken so far to resolve the situation?

What do you want to happen in this situation?

What will happen if the situation isn’t resolved right away?

Are there any aspects of the situation you aren’t sure about?

Where can you get the information you need before proceeding to the next steps?

Page 18

Before you can make a case for getting what you want, you may need to demonstrate that you have investigated other ways to solve your difficulties.

If you don’t know where to go to find out what’s available to you, try some of the following places:
the organization or agency that turned down your request
friends, family and neighbours
the phone book
community resources directories
crisis and referral lines
advocacy groups
churches
constituency offices for elected officials
women’s centres
legal services offices
specific health related organizations
provincial ‘umbrella’ organizations
libraries
government offices; see the blue pages of the phone book
community centres
public notice boards
newspapers and community cable channels
the Internet.
You may have to do a lot of checking around. If you don’t have a phone, try to find a central source of information.

Try not to get discouraged or angry; getting what you want can be difficult and time consuming.

STEP 2
Look for alternative solutions.

Page 19

Step 2: Look for alternative solutions

Think about whether you can get what you want or need from some other source.

List everything you can think of.

Be creative.
Is there something you could do or use instead of what you are asking for?

If not, write down the reasons that alternative solutions won’t work.
Who did you contact about finding alternatives?
Make a note of who you called, the date, and what they said.

Page 20

The only rights you have are the ones you know about.

(federation of anti-poverty groups of British Columbia)

Rights and obligations are defined by government through legislation (acts). The scope of an act may be very broad; instructions on how the act is to be applied may be spelled out in regulations. The systems with which we live (such as health, education, taxation, welfare, and housing, to name a few) create policies which provide even more detailed instructions about how acts and regulations are to be administered. Policies are usually not legally binding, and can be challenged.

If you have applied for an entitlement and been denied, ask the agency you are dealing with for the reason (in writing), including the applicable section of the legislation or policy that applies.

Ask if there is an appeal or review process, and what the deadlines are.
As an advocate you will need to become familiar with the acts, regulations and policies that apply in your situation. If the words
must, will or shall are used in legislation, it may be difficult to challenge a decision; however, if the word may is used, there is room for further interpretation.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help and advice. Advocacy situations are usually complex.

Information about rights and entitlements can be found through public libraries; community law and legal services offices; the Internet; national, provincial and local advocacy groups; government offices; and elected representatives.

Rights are owned, not earned.

Office of the Child, Youth and Family Advocate of British Columbia

Page 21, 22

STEP 3
Know Your Rights

Step 3: Know your rights

For what reason was your request denied?
Do you have the explanation in writing?
What acts or rdegulation cover this situation?

Is there a law that says people can’t treat you that way?

Try to find out.

Be specific.
Is there an appeal or review process?
What is the deadline for starting an appeal?
What have others done in similar situations?
Who can you contact to find out?
What is the likelihood of success in this situation?

Refer to page 19 for sources of information in your community.

Page 23

By this point you know what happened, and the reasons why you didn’t get what you asked for.

You have decided whether this matter is a high priority for you at this time, and have identified what you want the outcome of your advocacy work to be.

You have checked to see if you can find any alternative means to get what you want, and have made notes about the places you called and what the answers were.

You have asked the person who denied your request to reconsider their decision based on the information you have pulled
together so far, and they have said “no”.

You know what your rights are; you have checked out what others have done, and have asked for suggestions about how to deal with this situation.

You have all the documentation you need, and are prepared to answer, and ask, the questions that will move the process along.

The way that you choose to communicate will depend on the situation.

See Section 2 for some suggestions on how to advocate by phone, in person, or by letter.

The checklist on the next page will help you to assess whether you
are ready to proceed.

If you answer no to some of the questions, you can decide for yourself how important that particular item is likely to
be. You may not be ready to go ahead at this time; it’s up to you to decide.
You have done a lot of work to get to this point.

If you are prepared, if you believe in your right to advocate, and if you are committed to following through to the end, you stand a good chance that something will change, even if you do not get everything you want.

We wish you well!!

Page 24
STEP 4

Present your case

Step #4: Present your case
A checklist to assess if you are ready

yes no You know who was involved in this situation, where it happened, what happened, and when it happened. You can describe the situation in three or four sentences.
yes no You have a record of the steps you took to resolve the situation, including the names of people you talked to, the dates you contacted them, and what was said.
yes no You have investigated whether there are alternative solutions to the situation you are facing, and have a record of your search.
yes no You know what your rights are in this situation and can refer to the appropriate legislation or policy.
yes no You know whether there is an appeal or review process and what the deadlines are.
yes no You have looked for advice about how to resolve this situation, including what you need to do in order to be successful.
yes no You know what you want to happen in this situation.
yes no You have kept notes about the work you have done, who you contacted, what was said, and you have your notes organized in a way that is useful to you.
yes no You have planned, in advance, how you want to present your case: by phone, by mail, or in person.
yes no You have rehearsed what you want to say, and how you want to say it. If you think you are likely to get angry or upset in a given situation, ask a friend or advocate to support you.
yes no You believe in your right to speak up and be heard, and are committed to going ahead with your advocacy work.

Page 25

STEP 5
Evaluate your efforts

Congratulations!

Sometimes you achieve what you want with little work. At other times, it seems to take a long time and much effort for little reward.
Regardless of whether you were able to get what you wanted in this situation, congratulate yourself for the work you have done so far.
Advocacy isn’t easy.
Give credit where credit is due The road to effective advocacy can be smoothed by good relationships built on mutual respect. Perhaps some people have been helpful to you along the way; allies can be found both within the system and outside of it. These individuals may continue to be helpful to you in this situation, or in other situations that come along - be sure to let them that you appreciate what they have done.

The next steps
If you have presented your case and are not satisfied with the outcome, take the time now to think about what to do next. Keep
the questions on page 26 in mind when you think about the next steps.
You may be too tired to continue trying to resolve this particular situation, or you may be absolutely committed to carrying on until it
is decided in your favour.

If you are going to carry on, go back to Step 1 and assess where you are now. If you decide you do not have the energy to go forward at this time, you can be confident that the skills you have used up to now have prepared you well for the next time you decide to advocate!

Step 5: Evaluate your efforts

What went well during the advocacy process?
What did you learn about advocacy through this process?
What would you do differently in another advocacy situation?
Did you accomplish all, or part of, what you set out to do?
Who was helpful to you during this process?
What will happen if this issue is not resolved?
Can you find any new information that could lead to a decision in your favour?
Do you have the time and energy to continue?
What could get in the way?
Where can you go for help?

Go back to Step 1, and reassess the situation.

Page 26

SECTION 4
Code of Ethics for Advocates

1. Advocates encourage and support others to advocate for themselves as much as possible.
2. Advocates make sure they are aware of advocacy resources, before they start to help others.
3. Advocates obtain consent before they speak or act on someone’s behalf.
4. Advocates make sure their own values and belief systems do not interfere with the right of individuals to make their own choices.
5. Advocates place the interests, preferences, and decisions of the individual above their own when acting on someone’s behalf.
6. Advocates avoid any false, misleading or unfair statements or claims about the advocacy process, their role, skills, or ualifications.
7. Advocates advise individuals to be honest, informing them about the consequences and risks associated with any planned actions.
8. Advocates inform others of their right to confidentiality, their right to give consent prior to release of information, and the legal limitations of confidentiality.
9. Advocates declare any potential conflict of interest in their advocacy activities.
10.Advocates do not behave in ways that could cause fear, discomfort or harm to others.
11.Advocates respect and understand cultural, social and individual diversity.
12.Advocates maintain their skills and knowledge about advocacy issues.
14.Advocates withdraw, in a professional manner, when their involvement is no longer appropriate or useful.

Page 27
Notes

Page 28

To obtain additional copies

While copies of The AdvoKit are available at no cost to individuals, a cost per copy charge plus a shipping and handling fee may apply for agencies or organizations ordering in bulk. In addition, both individuals and agencies may be asked to contribute to the cost of shipping and handling, or to provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

For more information, contact
The Penticton Advocacy Project
Box 148 - 113, 437 Martin Street
Penticton, B.C. Canada V2A 5L1
Phone: (250) 490-8676 Fax: (250) 493-0099

Photocopy policy

Permission is granted to photocopy The AdvoKit for non-commercial use only. We want this information to be distributed as widely as possible; however, if it will be used in a community development kit, training project, or curriculum package, please let us know.

home