What is an advocacy process?

There are many definitions of advocacy, and we won’t list them here. However, the common thread among all of them is that advocacy brings together groups and individuals who aim to encourage, design, implement, and change policies and behaviors within institutions where decisions that impact their community are made.

At this stage, it is crucial for us to differentiate between the terms "advocating" and "advocacy." People often confuse advocating (supporting something) with advocacy (the process).

• Advocating (supporting something) - refers to specific actions or instances of support. It can be, but doesn’t necessarily need to be, in the public interest. You can stand for your own interests (individual, organizational etc).
• Advocacy (process) - refers to the broader, ongoing effort or commitment to a cause. It includes a range of actions and strategies that are in the public interest and aim to lead to policy changes (ad-voc-acy = giving a voice to someone).

Advocating refers to the actions you take (short-term activities), while advocacy is the structured practice or process within which those actions occur.

Advocacy is: → a set of targeted actions → aimed at decision makers → with the intention of diverting the community's attention to the important topic/problem and → encouraging decision-makers to choose effective solutions. It’s based on values (fighting for the right thing).

There are three types of advocacy processes:

• Advocacy for the people
• Advocacy with the people
• Advocacy by the people

Which type you choose depends on your specific goal.
 

You want to start the advocacy process when the following conditions are met.

• Other attempts to solve the problem have failed.
• The environment is favourable: such as when there is a tendency to reshape power or political structures (e.g. changes in policy, law, regulations, programmes, funding or during elections).
• You are confident in yourself and your ability: you have public support (from citizens, civil society organisations, the media ...) and the capacity to take action.

   

You need to do preparatory work before creating an advocacy plan. You need to be aware of the:

• legal framework regulating the field;
• structure of the system, including the composition of the government, ministries, regional institutions and local self-government;
• functions of the system, such as who holds specific competencies and responsibilities, and how decisions are written, approved, and adopted.
• nature of the system, recognising that informal processes at various levels of government can also influence decision making.
• influence and interests of diverse individual and institutional actors and stakeholders.

levels your issue pertains to, whether local, regional, national or international.

Differences between similar concepts

Advocacy is often equated with campaigning, lobbying and similar concepts. These terms are frequently used to describe various activities. To improve clarity, it’s important to distinguish between them and understand the specific tasks and target audiences involved. This awareness will help you prepare for advocacy as effectively as possible.

While for the purpose of the advocacy process you may need to engage in community mobilisation, gathering information about behaviours, and education and communication activities to raise awareness, it’s important to make the distinction between them. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:

Advocacy, lobbying, public relations and campaigning are all strategies for promoting change. They all involve systematic planning and all require identifying a target audience and crafting key messages tailored to that audience. Look at the table below for the main differences.

Advocacy vs. Lobbying

Advocacy vs. Activism

Advocacy vs. Public Relations

Advocacy vs. Campaigning

The main differences between those strategies are:

• Duration and focus: Advocacy is an ongoing process aimed at long-term change, while other concepts are often short-term activities with specific, immediate goals.
• Activities and tactics: Advocacy involves a wide range of activities, including policy work and education, while other concepts focus on visibility and action-oriented tactics to quickly mobilise support. However, these other activities can be part of an advocacy process.
• Goals: Advocacy seeks systemic, sustainable change which is reflected in public policy. In contrast, other concepts usually target specific objectives within a shorter time frame, without necessarily focusing on policy changes.

Advocacy: An NGO working on systematising workplace conditions for youth workers in a youth club by changing the local employment act. This advocacy process may include research, budget analysis, public education on the benefits of youth work, lobbying for long-term policy changes, and building coalitions with other organisations and groups.

Campaigning: The same organisation might run a specific campaign to widely promote the benefits of youth work. This could include organising public actions, launching a social media campaign, and gathering signatures for a petition to demonstrate public support. However, without a concrete proposal for policy change and direct engagement with decision makers, such activities are considered campaigning rather than an advocacy process.

Bear in mind that the advocacy process is a long-term commitment that requires significant time and resources. Before you start, ensure that this is the right approach for achieving your desired changes.

The following questions can help you decide if the advocacy process is appropriate for your situation.

• Have you already tried other approaches that didn’t work? Why didn’t they work?
• Are you targeting decision makers in your idea of change through advocacy?
  If yes, whom? Have you confirmed that they have the mandate, specific competences and responsibilities?
• Is specific policy change included in your idea of change through advocacy?
  What kind of policy change do you look for (what needs to be/or stop being regulated)?
• Is policy change the only way to address your issue?
  Have you explored other options? Which ones and why didn’t they work?
• If the answers to the questions are positive, you are exploring the right resource – the Advocacy Kit is for you!
  If the answers to some of the questions are negative, you could consider designing shorter-term advocating activities and not engaging in a full advocacy process. Nevertheless, you may find useful resources in this Advocacy Kit!

Advocacy for youth work development and recognition

Now that you’re clear on the need for an advocacy process to reach your goal, the next question is: where do you start?

“Anyone researching youth work from the European perspective will note the diversity and even complexity of youth work.”

– Tomi Kiilakoski

Given the diversity of youth work practices across the European continent, the advocacy process will vary significantly between countries and communities. While youth work practitioners are aware of this variability, it’s important to determine where to start.

What should you focus on first?

This question becomes particularly challenging in communities lacking a systematic approach to youth work. Therefore, the logical questions arise: should we begin with legislation, a competencies framework, funding, education or something else? Are we looking for recognition and/or development of youth work? The A-Kit offers an outline of key areas where advocacy could support youth work development and recognition.

Advocacy for youth work development seeks to create a supportive environment where youth work can thrive, and young people can receive the guidance, support and opportunities they need. For inspiration, while finding a starting point, you can explore the following five key components of youth work development and recognition that could be areas that your advocacy focuses on.

1. Professional development and training: Advocacy for career pathways and continuous professional development opportunities, certification programmes, and training for youth workers to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively support young people.
2. Policy and legislation: Influencing public policies and legislation to support the funding, regulation and recognition of youth work through the statutes. This includes working with governments and institutions to create frameworks that facilitate the growth and sustainability of youth work services.
3. Quality in youth work and recognition: Advocating for the development of quality standards and systematic mechanisms for youth work evaluation, but also additional funds for supporting and maintaining quality. This involves raising awareness about the importance of quality youth work services and raising awareness among the general public, stakeholders and policy makers about the need to have a quality assessment mechanism, coupled with stable funding.
4. Funding and resources: Advocacy for systemic decisions on increased funding and resources from both public and private sectors to support youth work programmes and initiatives. This includes securing grants, donations and other more institutionalised financial support necessary for the sustainability and outreach of youth work services.
5. Research and evidence-based practice: Advocating for the role of research and the use of evidence-based practices in youth work when preparing budgetary and programmatic action plans. This involves supporting studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of youth work interventions and using data to inform practice and policy.

NOTE: There are also other aspects, such as establishing youth worker associations, and they are also important for youth work development, however they are not part of the advocacy process itself (refer back to the section on advocacy and similar concepts for clarification).

In the context of creating an advocacy plan for youth work development and recognition, it’s essential to consider and understand the different levels of youth work recognition in order to create a comprehensive strategy.

The four levels of recognition are:

1. self-recognition: where youth workers value their contributions;
2. social recognition: focusing on gaining public appreciation;
3. political recognition: integrating youth work into policies and legislation;
4. formal recognition: involving certifications and validation.

Understanding these types of recognition are essential when undertaking advocacy in the different areas, as mentioned above: professional development, policy and legislation, quality, funding and research, in order to ensure holistic progress for youth work.

To begin the advocacy process and determine your direction, you first need to assess your position within these categories. To assist you with this, we have developed the Advocacy focus and starting-point identifier and Action cards. These tools will help you reflect on the status of these categories in your country, region or community and identify your initial advocacy priorities. They will also help you assess your advocacy capacities and determine if advocacy is the right way to proceed.