A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Work Plan

The Advocacy Project Work Plan: Responsibilities for all Peace Fellows

AP Peace Fellows are asked to follow a broad work plan, which reflects AP’s own mission and seeks to help their host produce, disseminate, and use information (thus strengthening their advocacy campaign).  Peace Fellows will work with AP and their host organization to tailor this work plan, as described in the individual job descriptions. AP will also provide training before Fellows depart to the field.  Broadly speaking, Peace Fellows will work shoulder-to-shoulder with host organizations to:

1)    Identify one or more social justice issues of importance to the hosts:

• Work with hosts to develop an advocacy campaign around this issue

• Blogs: All Fellows are required to write weekly blogs about their work to be posted on the AP website
• Website content
• Press releases & AP News Bulletins
• Photo libraries & video footage

• ICT Assessment (Help hosts understand their ICT needs and strengths)
• Produce a “Tech Binder” that compiles essential ICT information such as usernames, passwords, etc.Conduct shoulder-to-shoulder ICT training with counterpart(s) within the organization
• Maintain/update websites
• Conduct an “enviro-scan” and develop an “eco-network” (e.g. assess the local environment with the goal of identifying a network of people in the region that can provide ICT support)
• Help hosts Blog
• Troubleshoot (with support of the AP Information Department)
• Use social networking
• Online petitions (when appropriate)
• “Institutionalize” ICT (use of Skype, databases, etc)

• Help hosts get their message heard locally – through press releases, websites, etc.
• Help hosts reach a global constituency – through online and offline media, including Advocacynet and the AP website
• Partner pages on the AP website

• Help hosts expand the constituency for their advocacy by building contact databases (local, global, diaspora, etc)

• Use outreach to support the hosts’ social justice campaigns
• At a local level, help hosts take their message to advocacy “targets” (e.g. governments, media, opinion makers)
• Upon return home, promote the work of the hosts to diaspora groups, community associations, schools, media, etc.
• Help develop an AP “Get Involved” partner page
• Profile Fellowship and Partner in local newspaper, magazine, radio show, etc.
• Use handicrafts as a means to conduct outreach and “tell the story” of the host organizations

• Collaborate with hosts to promote small fundraising campaigns (using sites such as change.org, etc)

• Shoulder-to-shoulder training
• Contacting donors & proposal writing
• Conducting research (when appropriate)
• Strategic planning
• Developing evaluation tools

• Develop a written work plan with host prior to departure (per AP work plan template)
• Attend three-day training in Washington, DC prior to departure. (Although Fellows residing outside of the US are strongly encouraged to attend, they may receive training via video conferencing, telephone calls, etc.)
• Fellows are required to complete extensive mid-term and final evaluations. 
• Provide English-language and other support as needed for your host
• Market handicrafts and other micro-enterprise projects
• Act as a liaison between AP and the host
• Join AP’s Alumni Network