Advocacy Is: Definition, Purpose and Types

Advocacy Is: Definition, Purpose and Types – What does Advocacy mean? On this occasion About Knowledge.co.id will discuss what is meant by Advocacy and other elements about it. Let's take a look at the discussion in the article below to better understand it.

Advocacy Is: Definition, Purpose and Types

The definition of advocacy (advocacy) is one form of action that leads to the defense, providing support, or recommendations in the form of active support. Advocacy can also be interpreted as a form of effort to influence public policy by carrying out various kinds of persuasive communication.

The word advocacy is often also associated with legal aid institutions which involve advocates. Meanwhile, an advocate is an authorized legal expert who is useful for conducting advocacy or commonly referred to as a lawyer.

Advocacy is a strategic and integrated action which is carried out by individuals or groups to put a problem on the policy agenda. In the end, advocacy has the aim of seeking a solution to a problem through enforcement and implementation in public policies to address the problem.

The narrow definition of advocacy is a legal defense or litigation activity carried out by lawyers and is a work related to the practice of proceedings in court. Advocacy involves various strategies that aim to influence decision-making at the local, national and international levels.

Definition of Advocacy According to Experts

The following is the definition of advocacy put forward by the experts:

Zastrow (1982)

In the opinion of Zastrow, Advocacy is an activity in providing assistance to clients to achieve services (service) that they have been rejected before and provide an expansion of the service so that many people accommodated.

Sheila Espine Vilalaz

In the opinion of Sheila Espine Vilaluz, Advocacy is an integrated strategic action that is carried out by individuals and groups to provide input on issues or problems into policy designs and plans. And advocacy can also be interpreted as building a support base for a public policy that is taken to solve existing problems.

Kaminski and Walmsley (1995)

According to Kaminski and Walmsley, Advocacy is a job that provides guidance on the advantages of social work compared to other professions.

Scheneider

In the opinion of Scheneider, Advocacy will not be complete without the achievement of criteria for clarity (clarify), measurable (can be measured), can be limited (limited), directed action (action-oriented), focus on a activity.

Webster Encyclopedia

According to the opinion of the Webster Encyclopedia, Advocacy is an act of pleading for supporting or recommending an active espousal or an act of defence, support or recommendation.

John Hopkins (1990)

In the opinion of John Hopkins, Advocacy is a useful effort to influence policy through various forms of persuasive communication that use information accurately and right.
Mansour Faqih, Alm., et al,

In the opinion of Mansour Faqih, Alm., et al, the definition of Advocacy is a systematic effort and organized to influence and push for changes in public policy gradually-forward (incremental).

Elements of Advocacy

In conducting advocacy, there are several elements that we must know, including:

1. Determining the purpose of doing advocacy
2. Utilization of data and research for advocacy
3. Identify the target audience to be advocated
4. Development and delivery of advocacy messages
5. Building a coalition
6. Make a persuasive presentation
7. Fundraising for advocacy
8. Evaluation of advocacy efforts

Advocacy Goals

The purpose of advocacy in general is to resolve disputes between individuals or between groups. So that advocacy activities are closely related to law.

This advocacy can also appear at various levels ranging from local, national and even international, of course with various types Issues related to advocacy also have an important goal of fighting for a solution to an ongoing problem occur.

Public awareness about advocacy as well as a series of laws in it can help overcome serious problems that exist in the community.

Types of Advocacy

If advocacy is related to the scale of the problems that have been faced, it is categorized into three types (Satrio Aris Munandar 2007: 2), namely:

Self advocacy

Self-advocacy is advocacy that is carried out on a local scale and even very personal, for example, when a student is suddenly suspended by the university without any clarity, the advocacy carried out is by seeking clarity or clarification from the university.

Case advocacy

Special advocacy is advocacy that is carried out as a process of mentoring certain individuals or groups who do not yet have the ability to defend themselves and their groups.

Legal advocacy

Legal advocacy is a series of actions taken by legal experts or legal aid agencies which are in the form of consultation, negotiation, mediation, and assistance both inside and outside the court with the aim of resolving disputes with legal dimensions.

Advocacy Function

Advocacy can be used as a powerful tool in seeking justice. In a democratic country, such as Indonesia ii, it is the people and their representatives who need people who have knowledge, commitment, and concern for the issues that exist in the community, so that the decisions taken are the right ones target.

Only by voicing concern for individuals or collectives, advocacy can also influence decisions concerning the fate of citizens in a country.

Not only that, advocacy can also be useful for building democratic organizations so that the authorities have responsibilities related to improving skills and people's understanding of the workings of power that.

Advocacy is also useful as a systematic and organized effort to influence and urge incremental changes in public policy.

Advocacy Example

There are examples of effective ways that people and those who want to help end global poverty can make a difference. While there are some methods such as contacting elected officials it will be easier than others (going to other countries), every method is valuable, and everything people do to advocate for change is very urgent.

The most important thing to remember is that it doesn't matter what is being done to advocate for change as long as the person is taking action that helps to achieve change. Examples of such advocacy are:

Educating people at work or on campus about global poverty

An example of advocacy that can be done, education is one of the most important ways to advocate for change. If people are not educated on an issue, there is no way to mobilize others to make a difference.

Another way of educating people about poverty is by directing them to direct reports on the problems that people living in poor countries face on a daily basis. This visual can be achieved by showing people, for example, a documentary about poverty.

Contact and encourage elected officials to fight global poverty

While contacting people's representatives at the local level is one of the most powerful ways to advocate for change, only few people realize how big the impact can be either by calling or writing to officials selected.

Contacting representatives allows elected officials to know that an issue is important to their constituency, and that knowledge can then be translated into actionable changes related to poverty global.

That's the review from About Knowledge.co.id about advocacy, Hopefully it can add to your insight and knowledge. Thank you for visiting and don't forget to read other articles.