Making Your Voice Matter: Advocacy
Having a passion for an issue is only the beginning. Creating meaningful change requires people to communicate effectively, engage their communities, and work with others towards a shared goal.
This pathway helps students explore how to advocate for positive change. Through a series of discussions, research activities, and project-based learning, participants will investigate different approaches to advocacy, including community organizing, campaigning, media, voter engagement, and working with decision-makers.
Rather than promoting a single approach, this pathway encourages students to consider which strategies are most effective for different communities, issues, and audiences. Along the way, students will develop practical advocacy skills while discovering opportunities to grow their personal interests in specific fields.
By completing this pathway, students will develop the confidence, knowledge, and tools needed to organize campaigns, amplify community voices, influence public decision-making, and prepare for future opportunities such as Changemakers, Youth & Government, and the National Youth Advocate Program.
Resources
Learning Objectives
- Define civic action
- Compare different pathways to supporting community change
- Construct a personal civic interest reflection
Time: 30 minutes / 60 minutes
Civic action begins with understanding that everyone has the ability to make a positive difference in their community. Before choosing how to create change, you should explore the many ways people contribute to their schools, neighborhoods, and government, and reflect on the issues that matter most to them.
Think of someone who has made a positive difference in your school or community.
- What did they do?
- Who benefited?
- What made their actions successful?
Stretch: Why do you think definitions for these terms may differ between individuals?
Challenge: Are there any other key definitions that you think are crucial to understanding civic action?
Study the different pathways to civic participation. Answer the following questions about each of these:
- What problem does this pathway help solve?
- Who usually participates?
- What skills does it require?
- Who benefits most?
- When would this be the best choice?
Stretch: Which pathway do you think is the most important to a community? Why?
Challenge: How do you think the pathways can be connected?
Create your own Personal Civic Interest Reflection.
- Start by answering the multiple-choice questions to help identify what drives you
- Add to the reflection boxes what steps you will take to make a positive change
Stretch: How does this compare to other students in your community?
Challenge: Is there anything you can do to support others in their own efforts?
Learning Objectives
- Identify key factors that help campaigns build public support
- Analyze how successful campaigns communicate their message and engage supporters
- Develop an advocacy or campaign resource for a community issue or organization
Time: 30 minutes / 60 minutes
Successful civic action depends on more than a good idea. Building support requires clear communication, strong relationships, and opportunities for others to become involved.
What leads you to start to follow a person or a group?
- Why might you do this on social media?
- Why might you follow them in real life?
- What makes you trust a message?
Stretch: How does the use of AI impact your view of a person or group?
Challenge: How do relationships play a role in our support for an idea?
Evaluate one of the campaigns below against the key questions.
- https://www.nationalparks.org/
- https://www.feedingamerica.org/
- https://www.thecivicscenter.org/
- https://hawaii.surfrider.org/
- https://malamamaunalua.org/
- https://vote.kanaeokana.net/
- What issue are they trying to address?
- Who is their intended audience?
- What is their key message?
- What strategies do they use?
- How can people participate?
- Why do you think the campaign has been successful?
Stretch: How do you think their message or campaign may have shifted over time?
Challenge: What tools do you think you could use to support your campaign?
Create a tool to help with Advocacy and Campaigning in your context.
This could be:
- Step-by-step Campaigning Guide
- Advocacy Toolkit with links and information
- Campaign Plan for a specific program
Stretch: What external factors do you think you would need to gain further support?
Challenge: How do you think campaigning and advocacy can be different across communities?
Learning Objectives
- Explain the role of voting and civic participation in a democracy
- Compare strategies for engaging and mobilizing community members
- Develop an engagement or voter registration action plan
Time: 40 minutes / 60 minutes
Building support for an idea is only the beginning. Successful civic action depends on engaging others, encouraging participation, and creating opportunities for people to become involved.
What motivates people to get involved in a cause?
- Where can voting lead to change?
- How much do you think your vote matters?
- What happens when people choose not to vote?
Stretch: How can large support create change differently?
Challenge: What barriers might prevent people from voting or participating in civic life?
Evaluate the different strategies for engaging and mobilizing others in the circumstances provided. Include any ways you could improve the strategy.
Stretch: How do you think you should respond to those not in support of your message?
Challenge: How do you think the cause might impact the best strategies to use?
Create a Community Engagement Plan. You may use the Plan A Drive template, but you must include the following in your plan, which could be for a hypothetical or real Voter Registration Drive, Volunteer Recruitment Campaign, or Community Awareness Event.
- What activity are you organizing?
- Who will be involved in the planning and execution?
- Will you require volunteers? How will you prepare them?
- What resources will you require?
- How will you promote your event?
- What is the timeline for your event?
- What could go wrong and how will you prepare for this?
- How will you measure the success of your event?
Stretch: How might your strategy alter for a different campaign?
Challenge: How might your strategy alter in a different setting?
Extension: Using the Civics Center resources, register to attend a Drive Workshop and prepare to execute your Voter Registration Drive Plan.
Step-by-Step: https://www.thecivicscenter.org/run-a-voter-registration-drive
Workshop Calendar: https://www.thecivicscenter.org/training-workshop-calendar-1
How did your planning change after attending the workshop?
Learning Objectives
- Explain how different forms of media can support civic engagement
- Analyze how media campaigns communicate messages to different audiences
- Create a media product that promotes a civic issue or community action
Time: 40 minutes / 60 minutes
Media plays a powerful role in shaping public opinion, raising awareness, and inspiring action. From social media campaigns to podcasts, newspapers, and videos, effective communication can help communities understand issues and encourage others to become involved.
What forms of media do you have available to you for campaigning?
- What is the advantage or disadvantage of each form you identified?
- What do you think is the best use of each form you identified?
- Who is the audience for each form of media?
Stretch: How do you think access differs across different communities?
Challenge: How might misinformation impact your campaign and work using media outlets?
Study 2 or 3 of the different ‘Call for Change’ Submissions at the link below.
https://youthmedia.kqed.org/showcase?challengeTitle=Call%20For%20Change
Evaluate each submission
- What issue is being addressed?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What message is the creator trying to communicate?
- What techniques make the message effective?
- What would strengthen the message?
Stretch: What core principles can you take away for your own media?
Challenge: What drew you to the different examples you chose to study?
Create a script for your own Call for Change, Podcast, Social Media awareness campaign, or speech using the Graphic Organizer below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lHUSe5jRgKo-EkMbrp30IbYcFussAeOu-EBr7XqqjL0/edit?usp=sharing
Stretch: Use the Rubric to assess your script. Revise your media product using this feedback. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zRS9SH9rT6J62LawT4YN_biTqw6_WvGpnO6zB-iXLYE/edit?usp=sharing
Challenge: Finalize and submit your Call for Change through KQED (https://youthmedia.kqed.org/commentary/audio)
Learning Objectives
- Recognize methods to influence decision makers
- Research opportunities to support your civic action in government
- Construct a form of advocacy outreach
Time: 40 minutes /60 minutes
Civic engagement does not end with raising awareness or organizing community support. Individuals can also work with elected officials and government agencies to influence decisions that affect their communities.
What do you think is the role of state representatives?
- How do you think the term public servant may fit into your definition?
- How do these representatives hear from the public?
Stretch: Why do you think some people hold negative opinions on state representatives?
Challenge: How does this compare with the role of other public servants?
Using the resources, find examples of bills or legislation that relate to your civic action.
- How might this be different from what you wish to see?
- Who was leading the drive for change?
- Why might this have previously failed if it did?
Search across all fields here: https://search.capitol.hawaii.gov/
This video can help you with reading Hawai‘i’s Bills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1UN_C1rEjQ
Study current legislation in the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes here: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrsall/AllDivisions.aspx
Find in-progress bills here: https://civilbeat.digitaldemocracy.org/
Stretch: Which groups or individuals do you think are likely to oppose this change?
Challenge: How powerful do you think advocates are in driving legislation?
Create a form of advocacy outreach. This could include:
- Testimony Letter relating to a Bill
- An Advocacy email to a representative
- Outreach to a group to support your idea
Stretch: What skills do you think is important to create effective advocacy?
Challenge: Develop a campaign with others to address this specific issue. You may also look to follow the journey of the Bill if it is currently being debated in the Legislature.
Reflection: How has your understanding of advocacy changed?