Aim: To improve practical skills used to carry out advocacy work

• This section covers some of the most common and important methods and skills necessary for doing advocacy work. It is linked to Step 7 of the advocacy planning framework.

• The section is made up of a series of four-page ‘Advocacy in Action’ Cards, which you will find in the pocket at the back of this toolkit. Each card addresses a different advocacy method and follows the same format:

- Introduction
- Advantages and Disadvantages of the method
- Skills-building Activity which can be used to learn and practise the skill
- ‘How to…’ guide
- Advice (‘Try to…’ and ‘Try not to…’ tips).

• The Alliance toolkits Pathways to Partnerships and Documenting and Communicating HIV/AIDS Work also have skills-building activities on topics which can help advocacy work, particularly at the local level.

• The skills-building activities in this section can be mixed in with the activities in the planning section (Section 2) to give variety.

• The best way to learn skills is to practise them. So, if possible, plan these sessions to allow every participant to practise the skill.

• It is important to draw on the experience of the participants as much as possible so that they can share experiences. It will also ensure that the sessions are relevant to their situation and be a good balance to group work.

• Depending on the skills level of the participants, you could ask them to facilitate the skillsbuilding sessions using these Advocacy in Action Cards.

• Alternatively, some may be able to give a short talk on what they found useful/difficult/ challenging about a method they have used, and any advice they would like to share with the whole group. Find out before the workshop which participants would be willing to share their experiences and ask them to prepare a 10-minute talk to include the following information:

- What was successful about using the advocacy method?
- What did not go well?
- What five pieces of advice would you like to share with the whole group?

• For the media work skills (interviews, press releases and press conferences) you could invite a journalist to come and talk to the group as well as carrying out skills-building activities.

Source: Advocacy in Action
This is an extract from Advocacy in Action: a toolkit to support NGOs and CBOs responding to HIV/AIDS, developed in collaboration with the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and published by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in June 2002.

To view the whole report follow this link.

To download this section, complete with graphics, in pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat software to read it) follow this link (file size 1.0 Mbytes).

 

Resources for working with groups

Advocacy toolkit

• Advocacy toolkit - Contents
• Advocacy toolkit - Introduction
• Advocacy toolkit - Introducing advocacy
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing advocacy work
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, steps 1-4
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, steps 5-8
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, handouts
• Advocacy toolkit - Including advocacy in an organisations work
• Advocacy cards - Introduction
• Advocacy card - Analysing and influencing legislation or policies
• Advocacy card - Preparing a briefing note or position paper
• Advocacy card - Working from inside the system
• Advocacy card - Lobbying or face-to-face meetings
• Advocacy card - Writing and delivering a presentation
• Advocacy card - Persuading through drama
• Advocacy card - Writing and using a press release
• Advocacy card - Carrying out a media interview
• Advocacy card - Preparing a press conference
• Advocacy toolkit - Other advocacy resources