Your advocacy is a spark of passion—and it needs to be fueled for social change. Though the social sector in the US has more than 12 million employees, the executive director of nonprofit accelerator Multiplier, Laura Deaton, stated that advocates need to act more so that there will progress towards shared prosperity. Multiple social issues still persist to this day, and Deaton pointed out that it’s due to the lack of grassroots efforts.
Social progress is possible in this lifetime, and it starts with you. So if you want to turn your advocacy into action, here’s how you can get started:
Leverage Various Talents to Build Up Social Awareness
You can increase awareness or garner support for social issues by leveraging your talent online. By using a more creative approach, you can capture the attention of various audiences and increase their awareness on social concerns.
To illustrate, the members behind NPO Artscape made creative projects to shed light on the truth and to inspire philanthropy in others. Their unique approach to social work enabled them to become an international leader in advancing public-policy initiatives and in enacting philanthropic missions. Likewise, you can use your own or your organization members’ talents to drive societal change.
Fight for Rights by Engaging in Policy Making
Have you thought of a potential solution for a social issue within your community? You can step up as a citizen and drive social changes by suggesting these solutions to policymakers.
Citizens can engage in policymaking by scheduling meetings or writing to local city council members, mayor, representatives, or senators. This engagement is crucial if you are a subject-matter expert or directly involved in the issue, since you can educate policymakers about the scope of your concern. Then, suggest specific action plans so that they can enact concrete solutions that can improve your local community.
Learn the Processes Needed for Social Change
Policy reform is just one of the powerful tools that social workers utilize to drive change. As lifetime advocates for progress, these professionals develop their skills to master processes and movements that lead towards community development.
Similarly, you can develop your knowledge in policy reform, program development, and human rights intervention through educational programs in social work. These programs will teach you action-based solutions for social change, and even immerse you in field work to refine your capabilities in enacting social change. By investing in your upskilling, you can master tried and tested methods in social work.
Join a Non-Profit Organization for Your Advocacy
As experienced communities, non-profit organizations (NPO) play a huge role in driving social change. In fact, NPO engagement was proven to be effective in increasing local network activities and strengthening initiatives in the UNGC by up to 13%. Since these organizations focus on societal issues at the grassroots level, they are effective in driving political initiatives at a larger scale.
So once you’ve developed your skills in social work, you can join a non-profit organization to devote your skills. By becoming a part of these organizations, you can establish multiple projects that can tackle social problems at their very core.
Use Online Channels for Advocacy Projects
Whether you’re reaching out to your local community or to a wide audience, online platforms make it easy to build awareness. Through these platforms, you can use your knowledge and skills in social work to establish various advocacy projects.
In fact, our article on adapting to the digital age suggested that you can start by using blogs or social media channels to share your knowledge in social concerns, like environmentalism, and even insert photos or videos to establish the urgency of these issues. After building awareness, these platforms can be utilized for auctions and donation drives that can fund forestation projects.
Every voice counts when it comes to driving societal change. Through these different strategies, you can make a difference in your own community.
Special thanks to Roseanne Jane for sharing this expert content. Roseanne Jane became a lifestyle and community outreach blogger after being inspired by her volunteer work in a local senior home. Volunteerism is tough work, but she hopes that she can ignite her readers' calling through her articles.