C R E A T E D B Y :

K E W A N G

Advocacy

What is Advocate?

According to Wikipedia, Advocacy is “ political process by an individual or group which aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or polls or the filing of an amicus brief. Lobbying (often by lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on an issue which plays a significant role in modern politics.[1] Research is beginning to explore how advocacy groups use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action. “

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy)

What are the quality/strategies & affective advocate?

Confident of what you do

Knowledge of the issues

The fact of the issues

Know your stakeholders and connect with them

Working in a team is very important

Clarify the issues

Know who is your audience

Plans of actions

Do lots of research

Believe in it

What are the feelings of the newcomers?

Unknown, panic, hopeless

Don’t know where and how to find help and resources

Can’t recognize which resources and help agencies can provide the right information

Very stressful from the new environment

Eager but hard to adapt to new culture

Do not feel the sense of belonging

Our topic: Newcomers

Newcomers facing lots of issues including:

Housing

House is too expensive.

Employment

Not enough job opportunities

No Canadian work experience

Education barrier

Unrecognized education

Can’t work in their own profession

Language barrier

English/French is not good enough for their profession

English/French is not well

Newcomers’ issues that relates to our field

Don’t know how to apply for subsidy

Communication barrier with educators

Culture difference—conflict with their children

Unaffordable childcare program

Long waiting list for the childcare and subsidy that causes the newcomers to have to pay full price for the childcare programs.

Main issues:

No job/low income job +high rent / mortgage + no subsidy/ expensive childcare program= stress out, health problems, and conflicts with others.

How to help?

Help the newcomers by volunteering in some government funding agencies, such as welcome centre immigration services.

Provide the right information to the newcomers, and share the truth of the situation and environment to them. They have the right to know and choose. They also can prepare for the new environment with any change.

Share your personal experience and knowledge to the newcomers, to help them go through the unknown stage and feel the sense of belonging Through website Through our Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/canada.newcomers

Reference

http://sicklecellbodypolitics.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cr11_1_self-advocacy-in-wakefield-district.png

http://wallpaperdj.com/view-feel_different-1280x800.html

http://www.tuscaloosada.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/money.jpg