To speak up for another is to be an advocate.

If you have ever gone to bat for your child when there was a problem at school, helped relatives or neighbors get care when they were sick, or asked friends to support a favorite project, then you have been an advocate.

To advocate means to speak up, to plead the case of another, or to champion a cause.

Usually advocacy involves bringing influence to bear in order to win change. It is something most of us do routinely on behalf of ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our friends.

Policy advocacy is no different, except that the advocacy may be on behalf of people we don’t personally know, and those being influenced work with laws, public programs, or court decisions. That includes anyone in a public policy–making role (like county commissioner, state legislator, or government employee). But sometimes it takes the help of an advocate to make everything work as it should. That's where you come in.

Use this resource to begin to develop or to hone your advocacy skills to make a difference in the life of someone who needs it.