Advocacy

This module provides practical information, guidelines, examples and tools to support organisations and key actors to undertake advocacy to bring about positive change for children in humanitarian contexts. Useful guidance is provided to analyse what type of advocacy bests suits a particular context as well as identifying advocacy targets and appropriate messages and developing advocacy strategies.

Doing advocacy in emergencies has specific challenges and risks, but also has the potential to draw attention to neglected emergencies and make a real change in the fulfilment of children’s rights. Advocacy can lead to short-term changes but can also address underlying causes, making it an essential part of a rights-based approach.

Click on buttons to access documents.

slides (PowerPoint)

			Word	PDF
		Study material
Section	1	Roles and types of advocacy in emergencies
Exercise	1	Why use advocacy in emergencies?
Handout	1	Case study
Handout	2	Frequently asked questions
Handout	3	Save the Children UK's approach
Section	2	Principles of rights-based approaches for advocacy in emergencies
Exercise	1	The added value of using a child rights focus
Handout	1	Case study
Handout	2	Stages of advocacy
Handout	3	An overview of rights-based approaches in advocacy
Handout	4	The Red Cross and Red Crescent code of conduct and child rights programming (CRP) principles
Section	3	Defining the change being sought
Exercise	1	Planning an advocacy strategy
Exercise	2	Identifying an advocacy issue using a problem tree
Exercise	3	SWOT analysis for advocacy
Exercise	4	Assessing the risks of advocacy in emergencies
Handout	1	Stages of the advocacy cycle
Handout	2	An advocacy planning cycle
Handout	3	Outline examples of a problem tree and a solution tree
Handout	4	Example questions for SWOT analysis for advocacy
Handout	5	Case study
Handout	6	Risk assessment for advocacy
Section	4	Who can make the change?
Exercise	1	Mapping power and decision making
Exercise	2	Identifying advocacy targets and how to influence them
Exercise	3	Producing an advocacy message
Handout	1	An example of a decision-making process
Handout	2	Levels of support for advocacy and power
Handout	3	Sample stakeholder analysis
Handout	4	Case study
Handout	5	Notes on developing an advocacy message
Handout	6	What do your advocacy targets know and care about?
Section	5	The steps to achieving change
Exercise	1	Setting advocacy aims and objectives
Exercise	2	Tactics for advocacy
Exercise	3	Identifying advocacy opportunities
Exercise	4	Deciding who to work with and how
Exercise	5	How to involve children in advocacy
Exercise	6	The importance of good evidence for advocacy
Handout	1	Tips to help you be SMART, change oriented and child focused
Handout	2	Pathways of influence
Handout	3	Case study
Handout	4	What makes a good opportunity for advocacy?
Handout	5	Benefits and challenges of working with others
Handout	6	Case study
Handout	7	Case study
Handout	8	Working with children in advocacy
Handout	9	Samples of evidence
Handout	10	Sample press release
Handout	11	Checklist for research to influence policy
Section	6	Advocacy tools
Exercise	1	Selecting advocacy tools
Exercise	2	Advocating
Exercise	3	Conducting a media interview
Handout	1	Examples of tools
Handout	2	Tips for direct advocacy with decision makers
Handout	3	Meeting role play
Handout	4	Working with the media
Handout	5	Media role play
Handout	6	Budget monitoring for advocacy
Section	7	Planning, monitoring and evaluation
Exercise	1	Monitoring and evaluating advocacy
Handout	1	The action plan
Handout	2	Practical ways of monitoring advocacy in an emergency
Handout	3	Advocacy outcomes and impact
Handout	4	Examples of indicators and activities
Handout	5	Examples of long-term outcomes
Handout	6	Table of activities, outputs and indicators of outcome and impact