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TERM PAPER ON

ADVOCACY

BY

UHIARA CATHERINE CHINYENE

21/MSC/12050

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING SCIENCE

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE IMO STATE
UNIVERSITY, OWERRI

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL/OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NSC 733

LECTURER

PROF. IBEBUIKE. J

JULY 2023
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Meaning of advocacy 3

Purpose of advocacy 4

Method of advocacy 6

Types of advocacy 7

Importance of advocacy 10

Advocacy Strategies 11

Nursing implications 12

Conclusion 12

References 13

Introduction
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Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence

decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy

includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and

budgets by using facts, their relationships, the media, and messaging to

educate government officials and the public. Advocacy can include many

activities that a person or organization undertakes, including media

campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research.

Lobbying (often by lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct

approach is made to legislators on a specific issue or specific piece of

legislation (Wikipedia, 2023). Researh has started to address how advocacy

groups in the United States and Canada are using social media to facilitate

civic engagement and collective action.

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 justice advocacy. Cohen, de la Vega, and Watson (2001) in Wikipedia,

2023). state that this definition does not encompass the notions of power

relations, 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 and issues highlighted to change the “what is” into a “what should be”,

considering that this “what should be” is a more decent and a more just
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society. Those actions, which vary with the political, economic and social

environment in which they are conducted, have several points in common

(Wikipedia, 2023).

OBJECTIVES

To discuss the true meaning of advocacy

To explain the main purpose of advocacy

To discuss the types of advocacy

To highlight the principles of advocacy

To discuss the importance of advocacy

Nursing implications

Definition of terms

Advocacy means taking action to create change.

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Meaning of advocacy

Advocacy means taking action to create change. Advocates organise

themselves to take steps to tackle an issue (Explainer 2023). They help to give

people ways to speak out about things that negatively affect them. Advocacy

has been described as “speaking truth to power. Advocacy includes many

different types of activities. It can mean researching new solutions, creating

coalitions of like-minded people, public campaigning to raise awareness and

much more. The aim of advocacy is to create change. Their world uses all

aspects of advocacy to: Build evidence on what needs to change and how that

change can happen. Raise attention about important issues and give voice to

those affected. Influence those in power to provide leadership, take action and

invest resources. Create a positive change towards greater social justice and

equality. Advocacy can be used to create change anywhere in the world on

any issue of social inequality. If improvement is possible, it will benefit a

group of people then there is a chance that advocacy will work.

Advocacy can be done by a wide range of techniques including campaigning,

social media campaigns, demonstrations, launching petitions and mobilising

others to take action. Advocates work to find ways to organise evidence,

attention and action to create positive change. Research of the facts about the
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issue, the problems it causes and possible solutions – is important to be able to

persuade people to your way of thinking. It’s said that good advocacy speaks

to “hearts, minds and hands” by making people care about the issue,

understand the facts and know what they can do to help.

Advocacy can be done by a wide range of techniques including campaigning,

social media campaigns, demonstrations, launching petitions and mobilising

others to take action. Advocates work to find ways to organise evidence,

attention and action to create positive change.

Research – of the facts about the issue, the problems it causes and possible

solutions – is important to be able to persuade people to your way of thinking.

It’s said that good advocacy speaks to “hearts, minds and hands” by making

people care about the issue, understand the facts and know what they can do to

help.

Principles of advocacy

Advocacy can look very different depending on its focus and method, but

there are unifying principles. According to Human Right Carrers (2023). Here

are three everyone should remember:

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Clarity. Good advocacy has clear messaging and clear asks. With very little

work, people should be able to understand what the problem is and how it can

be fixed. This is the first step to good advocacy, but it’s often the most

difficult because many issues are complex. Good advocates are excellent

communicators who can frame even the most complex issue in a way most

people understand. They’re also very good at determining what “clarity”

means for specific audiences and refining their message accordingly. As an

example, a group advocating for reproductive rights will use a different

message when they’re holding youth events than when they’re speaking to

adults.

Flexibility. Situations can change very fast. Whether it’s an individual’s case

or a system-wide issue, events impact the problem and what the best solutions

are. Good advocates are flexible enough to adapt to new information, adjust

their methods, and pivot their messaging. Without flexibility, advocacy is

doomed to ineffectiveness or outright harm. As an example, advocacy groups

focused on healthcare access needed to shift quickly as COVID-19 spread

around the world (Human Right Carrers 2023).

Transparency. Advocacy typically involves speaking on behalf of others, so

trust is essential. How do advocates build trust? Transparency. That includes

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open, honest, and consistent communication about things like finances,

leadership structures, messaging, methods, and much more. For advocacy

organizations, transparency also means conducting internal audits on systemic

problems. As an example, in 2020 Amnesty International found evidence of

systemic racism within their secretariat. Responding to major issues within an

organization is also part of being transparent. If advocacy groups choose to

hide, it damages trust. Without trust, advocacy will have little to no impact

(Human Right Carrers 2023).

Method of advocacy

According to WHO (2008) there are two main methods of advocacy:

 Lobbying or direct communication: involves influencing through

direct, private communications with decision-makers. Lobbying,

particularly through personal meetings with decision-makers, can be a

powerful and cost-effective advocacy tool.

 Campaigning: involves speaking publicly on an issue with a view to

generating a response from the wider public and using a variety of

techniques such as:

o chain e-mail or letter

o opinion pieces and letters to the editor in newspapers

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o newsletters

o celebrity endorsements

o media partnerships with newspapers, journalists and film-makers

o web-based bulletins and online discussions

o public events

o large-scale advertising campaigns.

The choice of method will very much depend on the target audience, the

message to be conveyed, the resources available, and the cultural and

socioeconomic context. Table 3 provides a template that can be used to help

decide which advocacy methods would be most appropriate in a given

setting(WHO 2008).

Types of advocacy

Advocacy is an umbrella that shelters many types of advocacy areas and

methods. The three main types are self-advocacy, individual advocacy, and

systems advocacy (Human Right Carrers 2023).

Self-advocacy. Self-advocacy is when a person advocates for their own

interests. It involves skills like knowing your rights, understanding your

needs, and effectively communicating those needs to others. Everyone self-

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advocates at some point in their lives. Students with disabilities often self-

advocate for accommodations in a classroom setting.

Individual advocacy. Individual advocacy is when a person (or group)

focuses on the interests of one or a few individuals. It can be informal or

formal. Informal individual advocacy often involves family members and

friends. As an example, parents often advocate for their child’s needs at

school. Formal individual advocacy often goes through organizations like

government agencies or nonprofits. When someone is escaping domestic

violence, organizations help with shelter, medical care, mental healthcare,

financial assistance, and more.

Systems advocacy. Self-advocacy and individual advocacy focus on the

needs of one or a few people, but systems advocacy zooms out. It seeks to

change things on a local, state, or national level through laws and/or policies.

Because it wants to change systems for the long term, this kind of advocacy

can be complex. Multiple organizations often work together to research, raise

awareness, and pressure legislators.

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According to Human Right Carrers (2023) other types of advocacy people

should know about include

Within individual advocacy and systems advocacy, there are different settings

where advocacy is common. You’ve likely heard of at least three:

healthcare/patient advocacy, legal advocacy, and victim advocacy. Here’s

what they mean:

Healthcare/patient advocacy. In most countries, the healthcare system is

difficult to navigate. It can be especially difficult for people with disabilities,

older people, and caregivers. Healthcare advocates, who are often employed

by healthcare systems or nonprofits, play an essential role in demystifying the

system. Responsibilities include helping with access to care, educating

patients, and helping with insurance, administrative, and legal issues.

Caregivers often educate themselves on the healthcare system and act as

advocates for their family members or friends. There are also healthcare

advocacy groups that work for system-wide changes regarding healthcare

access, funding, and more.

Legal advocacy. Like healthcare systems, legal systems are complicated and

confusing. Legal advocates are trained professionals who help people navigate

the justice system. They tend to specialize in specific areas and help groups
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like children, prisoners, victims of crimes, refugees, and so on. Legal

advocacy includes tasks like educating people on their rights and legal

options, representing an individual’s best interests in the system, and helping

with administrative activities.

Victim advocacy. Victim advocacy is a type of legal advocacy, but they serve

slightly different roles. While legal advocacy tends to focus on the law and

navigating the justice system, victim advocacy is also about emotional

support. Victim advocates help with things like protection orders, safety

planning, crisis intervention, and access to mental healthcare. Advocates need

to be educated on the law, but many professionals come from therapy or social

work backgrounds.

Importance of advocacy

Advocates help people understand their rights, their options and support

individuals to make an informed decision (Advocacy Focus 2023). Advocacy

is of utmost importance to protect the rights of people who may otherwise be

dismissed or ignored. Advocates are often the only independent support that

people receive in some of the most challenging moments in their life – so we

must continue to promote advocacy services all over the country. We often

find that people in hospital are completely unaware of their rights and often

feel lost, confused, and scared. Information and self-help tools can be a
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lifeline for people feeling out of control when it comes to their care and

treatment. Today we want to promote our free toolkits so that people know

they’re not alone and there is help available (Advocacy Focus 2023).

Advocacy Strategies

According to Organizing Engagement (2023) the following advocacy

strategies may play a role in education organizing, engagement, and equity

work:

Distinguishing between equitable and inequitable advocacy goals. In

schools and communities, individuals or groups with authority, influence,

expertise, or funding may leverage their power to pursue a wide variety of

goals that may or may not be intended to produce more equitable systems or

outcomes for students and families.

Distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate forms of advocacy. Just

as advocacy may be used to promote equitable or inequitable objectives,

advocacy may also be motivated by more or less legitimate concerns. Yet

because the relative “legitimacy” or “illegitimacy” of any given position can

be the subject of disagreement, debate, or even conflict in schools and

communities, it may require a process of investigation, evaluation, and

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reflection to determine which positions are supported by legitimate concerns

and which are not.

Recognizing and avoiding paternalistic forms of advocacy. Advocacy may

be used in ways that affirm, empower, or liberate marginalized individuals and

groups, or it may be used in ways that continue to restrict, disempower, or

subvert marginalized individuals and groups. Well-intentioned advocates—

often unconsciously or unintentionally—may take actions they believe are in

the best interests of marginalized groups, but those actions may ultimately be

self-serving, exploitative, or even oppressive. When doing advocacy work,

leaders, organizers, and advocates should be mindful of the hazards of well-

intentioned paternalism—i.e., the practice of inadvertently patronizing,

undermining, or disempowering marginalized groups when attempting to

“help” them.

Building community knowledge, skills, and confidence. If advocacy is

defined as utilizing power to help those with less power, advocates can use

their authority, influence, expertise, or funding to support the development of

knowledge, skills, and confidence in marginalized communities—and thereby

increase the ability of those communities to advocate for themselves.

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Cultivating allies and building solidarity across groups. Expanding the

number of advocates or advocacy groups involved in a process, project, or

campaign can significantly improve its overall influence and effectiveness.

For example, coalitions that consist of several groups and organizations can

typically mobilize more staff, stakeholders, resources, and funding as they

work to achieve a shared goal than individuals or groups pursuing similar

goals independently.

Strengthening conviction and courage. Forms of advocacy that challenge

established systems of power are often resisted by those in positions of power

or those who benefit from the status quo. For this reason, advocacy that is

conducted in solidarity with marginalized groups may require conviction,

courage, and even sacrifice at times. In some cases, advocates may experience

workplace retaliation such as harassment, demotion, or firing, for example, or

they may be excluded, shamed, or publicly attacked by community members,

opponents, or former colleagues. Advocates may also be criticized by fellow

advocates and allies who disagree with their philosophy, strategy, or methods.

Nursing implications

According to descriptions given by nurses themselves, patient advocacy

includes: protecting patients, acting as their voice, providing high-quality care,

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building interpersonal relationships, and educating patients about their

conditions and the care they are receiving. Many nurses consider patient

advocacy as a part of their job. But nurse advocacy is also a specialty role

within nursing for those who excel at identifying patients’ issues and working

within the health care system to provide them with the care they need.5 Nurse

advocates possess a wide range of skills that make them well-suited to health

care environments such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care centers,

specialty departments, and non-profit organizations. Many also work as

independent healthcare consultants. The nurse advocate’s tasks may include

educating patients about their conditions, available treatment options, and

insurance benefits. Nurse advocates may champion certain treatments and

tests that are indicated by their patients’ condition(s), and they will create a

plan that meets the needs of patients and their families.

Conclusion

Advocacy is a distinct principle of organizing, engagement, and equity work

because advocates typically utilize power to help those with less power. If

those who have influence, expertise, funding, or decision-making authority in

a school system or community don’t use their power on behalf of those with
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less power, it can make the process of building power (organizing), sharing

power (engagement), and equalizing power (equity) more difficult.

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References

Advocacy Focus (2023). The importance of advocacy https://advocacyfocus.org.uk/news/the-

importance-of-advocacy/

Explainer (2023). What is advocacy. https://theirworld.org/resources/what-is-

advocacy/ https://organizingengagement.org/principles/advocacy/

Human Right Carrers (2023). Advocacy 101: types, examples, and principles
https://www.humanrightscareers.
com/issues/advocacy-types-examples-principles/

Organizing Engagement (2023). what is advocacy? the https://theirworld.org/resources/what-is-

advocacy/

Wikipedia, (2023). Advocacy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy

WHO (2008). Advocacy Step 6: Selecting Methods Of Advocacy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK195431/