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Written by - Kevon Gareth Foderingham
What is an Advocate? What Does it Mean to Advocate? Are You an Advocate?
The term "advocate" traces its origins to medieval Latin and Old French, derived from the words "advocare" or "advocatus" and "avocat." These terms have evolved to mean calling for assistance or summoning support. Interestingly, in contemporary French, "avocat" translates to "lawyer." Traditionally rooted in the courtroom, the word "advocate" from the Latin "advocare" implies adding a voice to support a cause or person. An advocate, therefore, is someone who lends their voice, representing another in court or backing a particular course of action.
An advocate can be:
Someone who speaks for another’s case in a court of law
A person who argues another's case
Someone who supports a cause
A person who helps others make their voices heard
An advocate is essentially a person who champions, supports, or engages in legalities to amplify specific causes and voices.
Last year, I embraced the title of an Arts for Social Change Advocate, believing that my work:
Can lead to policies that strengthen and integrate the creative and social economies
Will argue for increased resources for the creative and social sectors
Supports the idea that creativity is a powerful tool for social change
Helps those in the creative and social economy to amplify their voices through capacity building
So yes, in this sense, I am an advocate. Reflecting on this, you might realize that you are an advocate for something too.
Advocacy Explained
Advocacy involves any action that supports, recommends, argues for a cause, defends, or pleads on behalf of others. It means speaking or writing in favor of something, urging support through argument, or publicly recommending a cause.
For example:
Advocating for higher salaries for teachers
A father advocating for his disabled child
A group advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza
Advocates have been part of history since its earliest days. Here are four notable advocates:
Tubal Uriah Butler: A preacher and labor leader in Trinidad and Tobago, known for leading labor riots and forming political parties focused on working-class improvement.
Malala Yousafzai: The young activist shot by a Taliban militant for attending school, who has since become a champion for human rights, peace, and girls’ education.
Rosa Parks: Famous for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, refusing to give up her seat as part of a planned protest against racial segregation.
Martin Luther King Jr.: Leader of the American civil rights movement, whose efforts led to critical legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
"And of course, there are many more, like Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, César Chávez, and Nelson Mandela."
The Advocacy Campaign Explained
An advocacy campaign involves organized efforts by citizens to influence the creation and implementation of public policies, laws, regulations, programs, resource distribution, and other decisions impacting people’s lives. This is achieved by persuading and pressuring state authorities and other powerful entities, also influencing socio-political processes that empower people to speak for themselves.
Advocacy typically targets policy makers, government officials, and public servants, whose decisions affect people's lives. It encompasses activities like organizing, lobbying, and campaigning.
Features of Advocacy Campaigns
An advocacy campaign is a strategic course of action with communication at its core, undertaken for a specific purpose. It promotes an agenda publicly through various platforms and tools to reach a wide audience. These can include public demonstrations, protests, letter writing, lobbying, media and internet use, legal action, and more.
In their study of campaigns, Everett Rogers and Douglas Storey (1987) identified four common features:
Purposeful: Intended to achieve specific outcomes
Aimed at a large audience: To persuade enough people to make a difference
Time-bound: With a defined timeframe for action
Organized communication activities: Evident in campaign messages and efforts to educate or mobilize constituencies
Purpose of Advocacy Campaigns
The primary goals of advocacy campaigns are:
To create support for a policy or amend existing policies or laws based on their implementation
To build public recognition of an issue
Strategic Considerations for Advocacy Campaigns
Effective advocacy campaigns require strategic communication, considering the communication preferences and behaviors within the target population, the complexity of information to be shared, and available budget and resources. Preferred communication channels can vary based on factors like age, social group, ethnic background, literacy and education levels, access to technology, gender, religion, and disability.
Approach to Advocacy Campaign Implementation:
5 Strategies for Efficacy
Many advocates identify as activists, though there are subtle differences. An advocate supports or promotes a cause or group, often using their privilege to engage in controversial situations on behalf of marginalized groups. An activist takes direct action to achieve a political or social goal.
For maximum effectiveness, advocates should incorporate these five activism strategies:
Protests and Demonstrations: Bringing people together to promote a common cause.
Strikes: Often associated with employees campaigning for better conditions.
Boycotts: Targeting businesses and organizations with exploitative practices.
Petitions: Writing letters to officials and gathering signatures to instigate change.
Social Media Campaigns: Using online platforms to spread messages worldwide, often referred to as "hashtag activism."
Popular Advocacy Campaign Topics
Some relevant advocacy topics include human rights, animal rights, climate change, gender equality, affordable healthcare access, immigration, criminal justice and policing, mental health, education, poverty, housing, senior care, sexual and reproductive health, and domestic and sexual violence.
A successful campaign can not only change laws but also improve lives and the human condition.
School Strike for Climate
School Strike for Climate, or Fridays for Future (FFF), is an international movement of students skipping Friday classes to demand political action on climate change and a transition to renewable energy. Initiated by Greta Thunberg in August 2018, the movement has grown significantly, pressing for adherence to the Paris Agreement.
Black Lives Matter
Founded in 2013 in response to Trayvon Martin’s murderer's acquittal, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. aims to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to combat violence against Black communities. It expanded following the 2014 killing of Michael Brown, becoming a broader movement for Black Lives.
SHElter - A Land Empowerment Campaign for Women
East Yard Enterprises was contracted by Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago to develop SHElter, an advocacy campaign aimed at empowering women to become landowners. It included a petition for more resources and programs to support women in this endeavor. We conceptualized the campaign, developed digital materials, managed social media, attended caravans, secured media interviews, and collected signatures.
Conclusion
Advocacy campaigns are powerful tools in the humanitarian aid and international development sector, driving change in policies, laws, and social attitudes to improve lives and communities. Whether advocating for human rights, climate action, or gender equality, these campaigns can make a significant impact when strategically implemented.
What do you think of advocacy campaigns? Are they an effective campaign type? Do they align with your initiative's goals? Are there any drawbacks to consider?
Kevon Gareth Foderingham is an art for social change advocate, creative and social impact consultant, artis and author. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant of East Yard Enterprises.
AMPLIFY: Nonprofit Creative Capacity Building Program is an initiative of East Yard Enterprises implemented in collaboration with U.S. based MPCo - The Marlin Payne Company and funded by the U.S. Embassy Port of Spain at the end of last year.
Since the program’s launch in November 2023, East Yard Enterprises, MPCo and guest speakers have been working directly with 11 Trinidad and Tobago based nonprofits and social enterprises, providing them with training, information and tools that support social sector capacity building in strategic creative campaign development that includes marketing, budgeting, resource mobilization, and brand management best practice.
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