Advocacy

Advocacy entails the strategic use of information to influence the attitudes, policies, and programs of decision makers and powerful organizations to eventually bring about change in the way an issue or[Page 25] problem is perceived, framed, and/or acted upon. Drawing upon the traditional definition which conceives of an advocate as someone who pleads, speaks for, or on behalf of another person, group, or cause, a distinction can be made between advocacy for oneself and advocacy for someone else. In the former case, advocacy is viewed as participation emphasizing the ways organizations stimulate action, whereas in the latter case, organizations take it upon themselves to represent and talk on behalf of people, groups, and interests that are usually underrepresented and/or marginalized in society.

This entry identifies the ...