After researching your concern, you will be able to define clear objectives for your advocacy work. Your research will help you choose both your direction and targets.
- Direction: Your direction is the concern you decide to focus on. There are many different issues, so your research will help you narrow down your interests.
- Targets: After you have a clear direction, the next step involves making short-term and long-term goals (or targets). Formulating these targets is an important early step. This will bring meaning and consistency for you and your group.
Keep in Mind
Advocacy Targets:
- When possible, include people who are being affected by the issue you are concerned with.
- Targets should be specific and measurable so that you can see progress along the way.
- Targets should also be achievable within a specified time frame. This will help you keep momentum, as you will not get bogged down with objectives that take more time than you have.
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Getting Started
Begin by writing down the problem, the current responses from the government, and the solutions you propose. Think carefully about what you would like to see happen and feasible ways to make it happen. For feasibility, think about ways to “break down” the problem (and solutions).
Example: If the problem you want to address is poverty, consider different aspects of poverty that you are concerned with (such as unemployment, homelessness, hunger, low educational attainment, etc.). Next, begin researching and thinking critically about these different aspects of poverty and come up with some possible solutions.
If you are concerned with unemployment, you could begin to research and think about:
- How to define and measure unemployment.
- To what extent is unemployment a problem in Canada?
- How is the government responding to the problem of unemployment?
- What should both the government and citizens be doing differently to respond to the
unemployment problem?
Once you have clear direction and targets, you are ready to choose your advocacy tactics.
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