ABOUT
SELF-Advocacy
Self-advocacy skills are critical for achieving personal
and career goals. Most successful people learn self-advocacy skills
naturally in their home environment. Many young people face independence
with limited support or, in some cases, without any support. For
most, self-advocacy is an essential skill they have not yet developed.
Self-advocacy is a methodology for obtaining support
from others. All successful people need self-advocacy to move toward
their goals and overcome challenges in their lives. Some people
pick up this skill without any formal training.
Self-advocacy requires that an individual understands
the needs and goals of others, presents a positive image of him
or herself, and develops solutions that will provide mutual benefits.
Unfortunately, many students have developed the antithesis of these
skills: Rather than present their considerable range of positive
attributes, they present problems; rather than understand the needs
and goals of others, they focus exclusively on their own needs;
rather than developing mutually beneficial solutions, they personalize
anyone demonstrating resistance to helping them.
Youth Advocacy Center developed its self-advocacy
curriculum over many years. This curriculum was a result of YAC's
work with teens in foster care on numerous projects around rights
and advocacy related to their experiences in foster care and preparing
for emancipation. We combined this with our extensive experiences
in law, advocacy, higher education and communications to define
what makes someone an effective self-advocate. The curriculum was
tested and revised over a six-year period by Youth Advocacy Center
at its own facility. Now it is a published curriculum disseminated
throughout the United States and used by youth organizations to
prepare students for the transition to adulthood.
The self-advocacy process includes:
- Setting goals
- Making plans for how to reach your goals
- Developing a plan based on an understanding of how organizations
work
- Identifying personal strengths that will demonstrate likelihood
of success
- Using the advice and support of mentors and allies
- Analyzing the needs of the “other person” and depersonalizing
the issues
- Developing and communicating workable solutions
- Developing a compelling self-advocacy presentation through designing
an effective agenda
- Conducting an informational interview
- Using rules and laws, if necessary, to support your positions