Advocacy is a service aimed at helping people understand their rights and supporting them to have their voices heard. It includes different types of activities to create change. Advocates help to give people ways to speak out about things that negatively affect them.
Advocacy can be used to create a positive change toward greater social justice and equality, influence those in power to invest resources and take action, and raise attention to important issues.
Anyone can become an advocate. Most of the time, advocacy begins at home, school, or community. In Canada, advocates can be family members, friends, patients, healthcare providers, volunteers, or anyone who wants to affect a positive change in people’s lives.
Healthcare advocacy is also so important and can play a vital role in our lives. It includes speaking up about patient rights, communicating with healthcare providers, clarifying diagnoses and conditions, identifying health resources, making referrals, and explaining confusing medical information. Some skills all healthcare advocates should possess are empathy, communication skills, and organizational skills.
Advocacy is needed everywhere. There are a lot of things you can do, and you just need to be passionate about wanting to make a difference in your community. To become an advocate, you must stand up for others and fight for a specific cause that you truly believe in. Sometimes personal experiences are the best motivators and inspire you to be part of a bigger cause.
Today social media is a creative way of capturing people’s attention. Set clear goals, and you need to know exactly what result you want to achieve. Build alliances and remember that you are not alone.
