Types of Advocacy

Advocacy for adult education can take several different forms, depending on the situation and the people involved.

Self-advocacy is speaking up for oneself to claim the right to education. It involves knowing one’s own values, strengths, and needs; identifying learning objectives; and using that information as the basis for communicating one’s educational goals to others in a way that ensures access. Self-advocacy can be challenging because it requires self-confidence and the willingness to take risks. However, self-advocacy can be an effective way for an individual to develop a sense of self-efficacy.

Examples of education-related self-advocacy:

• A learner who is returning to school after many years is given a set of forms to complete as part of enrollment. She finds the forms confusing, and she is not sure how to answer some of the questions. After struggling alone for some time, she musters the courage to ask a program staff member for help.
• An adult learner who is the father of elementary school children finds that he must attend a parent-teacher conference that conflicts with class time. The class will be taking an important test at the time of the parent-teacher conference. The learner contacts his child’s teacher to request a different date for the conference, and also asks the adult education instructor whether he can take the test at a different time.
• A health care professional who is an immigrant to the United States wants to apply for employment in a U.S.-based health care facility but is unsure how to use her credentials from her country of origin. She goes to the local public library to seek out the information she needs.

Individual advocacy addresses the goals and needs of one or a few people with regard to education. It works to identify and reduce the obstacles to educational opportunity that one or a few individuals face in a specific situation, and to promote full access for those individuals. Individual advocacy may take the form of peer advocacy, where a friend, colleague, or family member advocates for a person. It may also be carried out by a professional such as a counselor, teacher, human resources professional, or career navigator on behalf of an individual or group.

Examples of education-related individual advocacy:

• A building maintenance supervisor works with the company human resources office to establish a literacy class during work hours for three employees who want to improve their reading and writing skills.
• An entry-level worker is threatened with termination due to “insufficient English language skills.” A small group of other employees intervene with her supervisor to say that as a team they will take on the task of coaching her to help her improve her English communication ability.

Community advocacy raises awareness of the effects of limited educational opportunity on individuals, families, and society. It works to increase community support for adult learners and the adult education programs that serve them. Community advocacy is often done by a group of people who share a commitment to promoting inclusion and educational opportunity for adults as powerful ways to increase community strength and resilience.

Examples of education-related community advocacy:

• The city transit authority announces the termination of a particular bus route due to the need to reduce costs. That bus route is the only one that runs directly between the adult education center and a neighborhood where some program participants live. Without it, those participants will have to take two or more buses to get to the center for classes, and the extra time and effort required will probably make them drop out. Learners and teachers from the program start a campaign to persuade the transit authority to retain the bus route.

Instructional advocacy promotes equal access to educational opportunity within academic and other instructional contexts, regardless of individual circumstances or prior educational experience. It works to ensure availability of content that meets adult learners’ needs and goals; wraparound services that enable adult learners to persist in education; and professional development opportunities for adult education instructors.

Examples of education-related instructional advocacy:

• Adult learners in an evening adult basic education program that takes place in a local high school petition for access to the school cafeteria so that they have a place to eat their box suppers between the end of their work shifts and the beginning of class.
• A group of employees in entry-level stockroom positions work together to persuade the human resources department to provide interpersonal skills training that will enable them to move up to higher level positions in customer service.
• Teachers in an elementary school approach school administrators to request professional development in teaching English to adults so that they can establish an evening program for the parents of their students who speak a language other than English at home.

Political advocacy increases understanding of the outcomes that policies and procedures in education and related areas produce. It works to engage lawmakers and federal, state, and local agency staff in ensuring that laws and regulations reduce barriers to education and promote success for adult learners across the country.

Examples of education-related political advocacy:

• Participants in a community-based adult education program create short videos on the theme “how adult education has changed my life,” post them to the program’s YouTube channel, and then send messages to the offices of local lawmakers encouraging them to view the videos.

Why Advocate?

The National Council of Nonprofits provides a cogent list of reasons for mission-driven organizations to engage in active advocacy.

• Advocacy helps your nonprofit meet its mission.
• Advocacy helps your nonprofit survive and thrive.
• Advocacy helps your community solve problems.
• Advocacy helps your community avoid problems.
• Advocacy helps give citizens a voice.
• Advocacy helps strengthen communities.
• Advocacy helps public policy makers who need – and often want – citizen input.

Visit the Council’s website for more on each of these points and for clear, concise information on the nature and legality of advocacy and lobbying.

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NCL encourages everyone who understands the importance of access to foundational education to commit to becoming an advocate. Follow NCL’s four-step process for developing your advocacy skills:
1. Discover different types of advocacy and choose the one that fits your situation
2. Understand how and why to use an asset-oriented framework
3. Develop a powerful advocacy message
4. Practice!

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