IMPORTANT: Provide your feedback after reading this module. The feedback link is provided on the last page of this module. Please note that you have been provided with a different link for each module you review. Introduction: MODULE 16: ADVOCACY In this session we will focus on advocacy as a significant too to attain the objectives of AEP. In a way, advocacy does not appear to be anything completely unknown. Individuals, groups and organizations have been conducting such activities in varied ways since long. But it is necessary for Facilitators and teachers to appreciate its contextual meaning and significance especially in the context of AEP and also to develop skills for organizing advocacy programmes at different levels and for different target groups. This can be done by conducting the following activities. Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to: Understand the meaning of advocacy differentiating it with other related concepts and its need in Adolescence Education Programme (AEP); Appreciate the basic advocacy skills and organizational skills needed for conducting advocacy programmes; and Prepare plans for conducting advocacy programmes at different levels and for different target groups under AEP. Activity 1: Advocacy and Its Need under AEP Time required: 45 minutes Materials required: Copies of Fact Sheets on Advocacy Chalk/Marker, Writing Board, Flip Chart Note for the Facilitator: It is very important to note that participants may have different ideas about what advocacy is and why should we do it. Quite often confusion prevails between advocacy, information, education and communication (IEC) and community mobilization. Moreover, there is no universally agreed definition of advocacy and it is not necessary for everyone to agree on one definition. The most important objective of this activity is to provide opportunities to participants to discuss and critically think on various issues related to advocacy. Divide participants into three groups: (i) to discuss the meaning of advocacy, differentiating it from other related concepts; (ii) to consider the need for advocacy especially under AEP; (iii) to identify the levels at which advocacy is required, the target groups at different levels along with their needs for advocacy and the types of advocacy required under AEP. Request the groups to discuss and complete the assigned tasks in 15-20 minutes. The designated group reporter will note the main points emerging out of the discussion. After the group work is over, request the group reporter to present the main points made by every group.
Facilitator will note down all the major points made during presentation of group work and ensuing discussion. The points missed out by the participants may also be noted. These points will be used while summarising the entire discussion and presenting key learning. Summing up: Advocacy refers to the efforts of an individual or group to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate or assert the interests, desires, needs and rights of an initiative, policy, programme, or even an individual or a group. It is different from information, education and communication (IEC) and community mobilization Advocacy is very important for AEP, as it covers certain content areas that have been taboo and very sensitive for generations. Advocacy is needed at various levels, national, state, district, local community levels and it has to be conducted for educational policy framers, curriculum and material developers, teachers educators, educational administrators including Principals/Heads of Schools, opinion leaders, parents and media persons. Advocacy activities may be of different types. It may be in the form of person-to-person, meeting, workshop situation, or through communications and media. Activity 2: Advocacy skills and Organisational Skills Time required: 45 minutes Materials required: Copies of Fact Sheets on Advocacy Chalk/Marker, Writing Board, Flip Chart Note for the Facilitator: Divide the participants in to four groups, two to work on Advocacy Skills and another two on Organisational Skills. Request them to identify the skills and also to consider why and how those skills will enable the person conducting advocacy to accomplish her/his task effectively Request the group reporters to note down the main points emerging out of the group discussion, as those points will be presented in a general session and where discussion will take place. In the general session, encourage trainees to participate in discussion and contribute to the improvement of the suggestions made in different groups. Facilitator will note down all the major points made during presentation of group work and ensuing discussion. The points missed by the participants may also be noted. These points will be used while summarising the entire discussion and presenting key learning. 2
Summing up: Facilitator will make a power point presentation or use the hard copy to explain advocacy skills and organizational skills holistically. The points made in the group work and general session must be assimilated in the presentation. A good advocate must have the following abilities: o Adequate knowledge about AEP, conceptual framework of life skills focused adolescence education and is well prepared and organized o Knowledge about the concerned education system and the socio-cultural setting well enough o Understand the profile of the target group and think about what the target group wants and what they will like to say on various issues related to AEP o Establish rapport comfortably and maintain it throughout o Actively listen to what others say o Ask questions not to embarrass the target group but to generate their interest in the discussion o Communicate clearly and with confidence o Be assertive but respectful and never be aggressive. Organisation process and the needed skills to plan and conduct advocacy sessions may be explained. Organisational Skills explained in the Module on Debriefing Session may be suitably adapted. Activity 3: Preparing Plan for Advocacy Time required: 30 minutes Materials required: Copies of Fact Sheets on Advocacy Chalk/Marker, Writing Board, Flip Chart Note for the Facilitator: Divide the participants in to three groups, one each at three levels, state, district and school for different target groups : (i) education policy makers, curriculum and material developers, functionaries responsible for evaluation, opinion leaders and media persons at state level; (ii) educational administrators, opinion leaders and media persons at district level; and (iii) and parents and community leaders including Panchayat leaders at school level. Request each Group to plan the advocacy activities, selecting the appropriate format for different target groups at the three levels. The time allocated for Group Work may be 15-20 minutes. After the Group work is over, request group reporters of respective groups to make a presentation of the Plans in the general session that will be followed by discussion. Facilitator will note down the major points made during presentation of group work and ensuing discussion. The points missed by the participants, may also be noted. These points will be used while summarising the entire discussion and presenting key learning. 3
FACT SHEET What is Advocacy? Advocacy is pleading for defending or recommending an idea before other people with a view to promoting its acceptability. It can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or poll or the 'filing of friend of the court briefs'. Lobbying (often by Lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on an issue which plays a significant role in modern politics An advocate is a person who speaks up for and defends the idea or programme or new endeavours. What are the Skills and Qualities of a Good Advocate? A good advocate: Knows about the idea or the programme or the new endeavour which is to be advocated Knows the system, socio-cultural environment and also how the system works Asks a lot of questions to promote discussion on critical issues Actively listens to what others have to say Is prepared and organized Thinks about what the target audience want, and what they want to say Takes action, one step at a time, to make sure they get what is the best Communicates clearly and with confidence Is assertive, but respectful and polite Finds friends and people in the community who will help Communicating Effectively: Keep the Lines of Communication Open Be Respectful: Even if you do not like someone who is a part of the target audience, it is still important to respect his/her role as a policy maker or Principal/Teacher of a School or a Parent, Opinion Leader in a community. Showing respect to other people does not mean agreeing with everything another person says. Show your respect for other people when: (i) You ask questions; (ii) You listen carefully to what others have to say; (iii) You work with others, rather than always disagreeing or being confrontational; (iv) You are polite, and watch your tone of voice and body language Say something can be just as important as what you say: It is usually not a good idea to raise your voice unless you have planned on what you want to say, and you have planned on making this point clearly and forcefully. 4
Ask a Lot of Questions: Asking questions is another way of showing respect for the ideas and suggestions of others, and your openness to working as a team. If you do not understand something, ask questions until you do understand. Do Active Listening: Sometimes people in a conversation do not always hear what the other person is saying because they are arguing with the other person in their head. When you are upset or thinking about something else (like what you want to say next), you may not really be listening. Active listening means staying calm and quiet, and focusing on what the other person is saying. Repeat the main points back to the other person, so that they know that you have been listening and understand what they are saying. A good active listener will also take notes while they are listening to other people at a meeting or during a telephone call. Always have a pen and paper when you are speaking with target audience. Write down any important information, and include the name/s of the people at a meeting, or the person you are speaking with on the phone. Also include the date and time of the conversation. Write down any actions that you have agreed to take, as well as any actions that the other people have agreed to take. Dealing with Emotions: It is important to notice if your own feelings are getting in the way of expressing yourself clearly and in an appropriate way. It is hard to be respectful, when you are full of emotion. Stay Focused of Your Purpose: Know the purpose of your call or meeting and stay on that purpose until it has been achieved. Being Assertive: Effective advocates are assertive advocates. Assertiveness can be defined as the direct, honest, comfortable and appropriate expression of feelings, opinions and beliefs through which one stands up for his/her own rights - without violating the rights of others. Assertiveness is... Expressing your needs clearly and directly Expressing your ideas without feeling guilty or intimidated Sticking up for what you believe in Knowing what your concerns are and how to prompt the target audience to accept those Exhibiting self-confidence when communicating Self-reliance and independence Persisting until you get what you need and want 5
Assertiveness is Not... Relinquishing your right and responsibility to advocate Beating around the bush before stating your needs Feeling too guilty or afraid to express your needs Agreeing with others when you would rather not Leaving decisions to others because "they know best" Reliance and dependence on others, giving into defeat Giving up when you run into "red tape Making assumptions and decisions before you obtain all the facts Guidelines for Assertive Advocacy: Be specific when introducing a complaint. Focus on one issue at a time. Don't just complain. Overloading another person with grievances can make her/him feel hopeless, and suggests that either you have been hoarding complaints, or you have not thought carefully about what really troubles you. Do not focus on past grievances. Focusing on problems that happened in the past can interfere with what you are trying to accomplish right now. Complaints, or grievances should be brought up at the earliest possible time, or the other person has the right to suspect that they have been carefully saved as weapons. Take time to think before you speak. Do not feel that you must rush to say something or to sign something. Do not consider counter-demands until your original demands are clearly understood, and there has been a clear response to them. Consider compromise. Look for solutions that meet the concerns of all members of your child s education team. Don't assume that you know what another person is thinking until you have heard what that person has to say. Do not assume that you know how another person will react, or what they will accept or reject. Avoid correcting another person's statement about his/her own feelings, or telling another person how s/he should feel. Repeat major points of a discussion to make sure that there is agreement, and to reassure the other person that you understand what has been discussed. Avoid sarcasm and labels and name-calling. Do not be intolerant. Be open to the feelings of other people. Try not to say things that you will regret later, and never make racist or sexist remarks that will offend others and violate their rights. Different ways of doing advocacy: Advocacy can take many different forms for example, it can be written, spoken, sung or acted. It can also vary in the time it takes, from one hour to more than several years. We can do advocacy work on our own or with others. 6
Involvement or permission from people affected by the advocacy issue: Some of the most powerful advocacy methods are led by the people affected by the problem or issue, or directly involve them; for example, in the case of AEP involve adolescents or HIV positive persons or a person who was drug addict but was able to come out of drug addiction. Proactive or reactive advocacy: Sometimes advocacy work is forced on us the problem or issue is already there, and we use advocacy to reduce the problem. This is reactive advocacy. At other times it is possible to plan for the future, to set the agenda and use advocacy to create a positive environment or prevent a problem before it happens. This is proactive advocacy. Levels of advocacy: Advocacy work can target people with influence at all levels from a local community or school or village to the United Nations. Although there are multiple levels of advocacy work, for the sake of simplicity we can identify three key levels of advocacy: Local (school, village, district) State National International (more than one country) For example, if our advocacy issue is the introduction of adolescence education in the school curriculum: Local level: The advocacy will be needed for Principal/ Teachers of the School, Parents, Members/Opinion Leaders of the Community, Panchayat Leaders, District Level Educational Authorities. State Level: Policy-makers in State Governments, Curriculum Framing and Examination Bodies, Teacher Education Bodies, Teacher Educators, Professional Associations National level: Policy-makers at national level, National Apex Bodies of School Education (Curriculum Framing and Examination Bodies, Teacher Education Bodies), Professional Associations Working together in coalitions can be a strength at every level, but becomes particularly important as you move from local to national to international level and face greater bureaucracy and power. Want to provide your online feedback on this module now? Make sure your computer is connected to the internet, and then click the link below with the Ctrl key on your keyboard pressed: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/aep16 If the online feedback page does not open on your internet browser, please type the abovementioned link manually in your browser, or simply copy-paste the link. 7