Advocacy: More than public policy

By Lisa Sieren

The word "advocate" often makes your mind jump directly to the following: lobby, politics, public policy, bills and legislators. Advocacy, however, is so much more than just public policy. Public policy is a very important part of advocacy and has the potential for huge impact, but it is just one part. Rather than talk about other ways to advocate, below is a list of five examples of non-public policy related advocacy activities I’ve experienced.

1) Parents as advocates.
Both of my parents were very involved in my school and other activities growing up. They were involved in my school’s parent teacher organization, attended parent teacher conferences, checked in with my teachers when my grades were down and served as coaches and club leaders for a variety of my activities. Because they were tapped into my school and activities, they could take an active role in advocating for changes that could create a better experience for students or highlight to me opportunities I was passing up due to my behavior.

2) Water only, please.
My health insurance company provides calendars that we use in the workplace. About a year ago, the health tip was to only serve water at meetings and not soda pop. Serving only water is a way to promote and advocate for healthy lifestyle habits.

3) “These hands don’t hit.”
I used to volunteer with an organization serving female survivors of violence. One year they had a booth at the back-to-school fair for kids. There were pieces of paper with the words “these hands don’t hit” at the top. The kids dipped their hands in paint and left handprints on the paper, which taught them not to hit others. They were advocating for non-violent relationships.

4) Dance for your heart.
A few of my friends and I attended Iowa Health’s Dance for Your Heart. In between learning different kinds of dances, we visited the various booths which included having our numbers checked (blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, lung capacity, etc.) and learning about upcoming health activities such as health awareness bike rides and runs. This whole event was advocacy for making healthy life choices.

5) More than a ribbon.
Pink is for breast cancer awareness. Red is for HIV/AIDS awareness. Yellow ribbons highlight support for the troops. One ribbon pinned to our shirt or bag speaks volumes about the issues we advocate for.

What's yours?