What is an advocate

•    Advocacy is about standing up for and sticking with a person or group and taking their side.

•    Advocacy is about standing beside people who are in danger of being pushed to the margins of society.

•    Advocacy is a process of working towards natural justice.  

We all come across advocacy every day. Parents stand up for their children, children stick up for their friends. Someone who has to go to a difficult meeting or into a new situation might ask a friend to go along with them. The friend is being an advocate.

Sometimes people don't have family or friends or anyone else who can help. Sometimes they might not understand information being given to them, or options open to them. Sometimes people may not have had enough experience or may not be confident enough to have developed their own ideas and aspirations.

For whatever reason, people may need someone on their side, someone to help them stand up for themselves or who can stand up for them. When someone has no-one available to do this, and doesn't know how to go about finding anyone, a citizen advocate might be able to help.

Long-term advocacy

Short-term advocacy

More information about citzen advocacy