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Advocacy 101: How to Be an Effective Child Advocate

What is Child Advocacy?

Child Advocacy is about speaking out, speaking up and speaking the truth. It is about joining neighborhoods together, building connections among institutions and strengthening families within homes. It is about using facts, using faces, and using every tool possible to improve the lives of children and families.

Child Advocacy means working to influence laws, programs and policies that affect the lives of children and youth. Advocates speak, write and act to make changes at any level of government. Advocates work to change or support:

Laws
Public policies
Public spending
And other issues that raise public concern

Why Do Children Need Advocates?

Children do not vote, so their voices too often go unheard
Children and youth deserve to have government programs work in their best interest.
Children are the future of our community

Who Can Become a Child Advocate?
Anyone can become an advocate.

A parent
A teacher
A student
A resident in a community
A young person
A Senior Citizen

How to be an Advocate

How to Communicate about Children's Issues
When communicating your message to law-makers, the media or the public, remember to:

Know your facts: Do your homework about the issue you want to affect.
Clearly state the problem you want to address: Use facts to paint a picture of what is not working for kids.
Be clear about what should be done: Focus on a specific change you want to see.
Be "hard on the issues" and "soft on the people" Your goal is to persuade decision-makers to become your allies, not to make them look bad.

How to Contact Your Government Officials

Use these helpful links.

FEDERAL

The White House

Identify and Contact Your Senators -

Identify and Contact Your Representatives -

STATE

New York State Governor

Identify your State Assembly Member or State Senator

Contact Your State Senator

Contact Your Assembly Member

COUNTY

County Executive

County Board of Legislators

Communicating with Elected Officials
Remember, it only takes a handful of phone calls from district constituents to influence a lawmaker/elected official on an issue. Even on the most controversial matters, most local lawmakers/elected officials report that they only receive about a dozen calls and/or letters asking them to vote a certain way. Through simple advocacy methods you can begin to encourage public policy changes and improvement for the children of our local communities.

Plan a visit to the offices of decision makers/lawmakers/elected officials

Plan your visit carefully- know what you want to say and how you are going to say it
Make an appointment, be on time, and be prepared to wait if necessary
Bring fact sheets and/or summaries of your position
If appropriate, tell the (lawmaker) about your group and what it does in his/her area.
Find out his/her position on the issue- be polite if he/she does not support your issue (you want to be able to communicate with him/her again)
Follow up the meeting with a thank you note

Make phone calls to decision makers/lawmakers/elected officials

Include the following information in your call:
Identify yourself- tell the person answering the phone who you are, where you are from, and whom you represent

You should try to speak to the elected official directly. If necessary, leave a concise message, including:
- The specific issue, bill or regulation you support or oppose.
- The reason for your position.
- If appropriate, a request to know their position on the issue.
Be polite even if they do not agree with you- (remember, you want them become your ally for children in the future!)
Follow the call with a thank you note briefly restating the conversation.

Writing letters and sending e-mails:

Identify yourself as a constituent, and state any other special reason you are interested in the issue.
Identify the specific issue/bill/law you support or oppose. Give one or two brief facts to illustrate the importance of the issue
Keep it simple- one issue per letter, put your letter in a short easy to read format- a few sentences per paragraph and spacing in between.

When preparing testimony for a hearing:

Before the hearing, write out or outline your testimony and practice in front of family, friends and colleagues. Make sure your remarks fit into the time allowed at the hearing. Bring a written copy of your testimony to leave for the hearing record.
At the hearing, give your name, where you live, and, if appropriate, what group you represent.
Thank those holding the hearing for the opportunity to present your views.
Communicate your message succinctly- keep it short
Support your position with facts, and if appropriate, relate specific personal or professional incidents to support your point of view
If you can, offer solutions or ways of addressing the issue at hand.
If asked questions, give an accurate answer. If you do not know the answer, offer to find out the information and get back to them. Then make sure you do!

Another important way to advocate is to raise public awareness about children's issues.

Writing to the editor of your local newspapers:

Define the problem- in simple and concise language
Tell the public what is at stake; talk about long-term effects of not solving the problem.
Explain data and numbers - in simple and concise terms; put data into context
Offer solutions.