Advocacy

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When thinking about this topic, the title of an old country song quickly came to mind. It was an old Aaron Tippin song called "You've Got to Stand for Something."

Now, in this song, Tippin is singing about standing up for personal values, not a larger cause. But this sentiment can also be applied to larger causes. But is it enough to just stand for something, or do you have to fight for it? In today's world, you often have to fight for the causes you believe in. I don't mean physically, though I do think that has its place, but through advocacy.

Advocacy is basically where you work on a cause in order to affect some sort of change. These causes are often related to public policy, political, or economic issues, such as consumer protection, education, health care, etc. Advocacy involves raising public awareness and trying to change policies and laws. But advocacy does not necessarily have to be on national issues - they can be local, as well.

Individuals coming together can have a huge impact on their communities. As an example, in North Carolina in 2003, there was an effort to pass a civics education bill in the state. The bill made it through the Senate Education Committee, but got stuck in the Appropriations Committee. A group that was backing this legislation, called The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium, released a study during this time about the lack of civics competence in the state. Through this and a mailing campaign to the state Senators, The Consortium was able to provide enough pressure to get the bill to pass the state legislature.

Get involved in advocacy, whether it is at the national, state level, or local level. Get involved in advocacy, and make a difference in your own community. Let's make this world a better place, one community at a time.

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