Advocacy Messages

I like the following PSAs from the Ad Council:

Teach: Think you know.  This PSA is designed to encourage people to enter the teaching profession.  More highly qualified teachers are needed to provide a better education for families and children.  Also, the PSA promotes teaching as a profession and provides information on how to enter the teaching profession.

Together, we are feeding America.  This PSA focuses on how food banks are working to feed families across the country and to reduce hunger.  Hunger affects children’s nutrition and ability to learn.  Therefore, these programs and ads are designed to create awareness of the problem of hunger in this world.

I chose these ads because there is a growing need for teachers in education and hunger is a major issue that impacts learning.  New teachers in schools who are qualified can enhance the quality of early childhood programs.  Nutrition is equally important and providing food for hungry families can help overcome barriers to learning.

Reference

Ad Council. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.adcouncil.org

My Own Capacity

My passion is to help children in poverty to overcome the barriers that hinder their education.  As an educator, I have limited resources.  However, I can find resources in the community to help with the advocacy effort.  For example, I can solicit help from local businesses and from political leaders.  I have also learned more about advocacy in this course.  I plan to use this information to become a more effective advocate.  First of all, I want to learn more about collaborating with others and working with policy makers.  I have learned that it is important to search for local and national organizations that share the same goals.  These organizations can provide me with resources to help me address poverty in education.

My Role as an Advocate

What motivated you to start advocating for very young children?

I want to be an advocate for young children because of the needs of children in my community.  Children face poverty and issues related to poverty.  As a result, I would like to help to address these issues.

Why is it essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level?

Advocacy has to be addressed at all levels.  The micro level helps to address the needs of children in my school.  The macro level has to be addressed to create programs to address poverty on the national level.

What does it take to be a community leader on early childhood issues?

A community leader must be informed and capable of working with others to address an issue.  Community leaders also must be effective communicators.

What resources does it take to be a state leader on early childhood issues?

State leaders should have access to resources and funds to help support advocacy programs. State leaders should also have political ties to the community.

What tactics or strategies do you use to mobilize others?

I would help develop a coalition with others to address the needs of the community.  People often need to be motivated to address issues by providing them with information about the severity of the issue.

What advice would you give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocating for young children and their families?

I would encoruage the person to research the issue and to make efforts to collaborate with others.  This will enable the person to lead with knowledge and support from others. 

Personal Advocacy Reflection

One of my experiences with advocacy occured about ten years ago.  A teacher was working with a family who had just moved to the area.  The family enrolled a set of twins in the Head Start and could not afford school supplies for both children.  The teacher saw the problem and asked some of the local stores to donate school supplies to the classroom.  Through this campaigne, the teacher was able to gather enough supplies for other children in the classroom. 

Watching someone take the initiative to create change in the classroom provided a positive experience for me in education and in my personal life.  I realized at this moment that anyone can create change and anyone can make a difference in other people's lives.  This helped me to see that advocacy is based on making a personal goal to create change and solve a problem. Therefore, I understand how educators can act as advocates for all children.

Welcome

Class,
Welcome to my blog.  I look forward to working with all of you.