Advocacy Guide
Rise Up is proud to publish our award-winning Guide to Girl-Centered Advocacy, an intensive curriculum that engages girls and their allies in strategic advocacy to improve girls’ lives around the world. We believe that girls have the power to transform their own lives, families, communities, and the world. The heart of our approach is an integrated emphasis on social justice values, a human rights framework, and a gender-focused perspective. Leveraging our seven years of experience in girl-centered advocacy, our methodology enables participants to improve laws, policies, programs, and funding for girls.
Click the button below to view the full curriculum, or download by chapter in the sections below.
Curriculum Index, Methodology, Workshop Guide
This workshop guide is based on experiential learning, connecting participants more deeply to one another and deepening their knowledge of new concepts presented during the workshop. It provides opportunities for participants to collaboratively incorporate new information in a safe setting where they can try out new skills and knowledge and integrate constructive feedback from peers and colleagues.
Adapting, Facilitating, Providing Feedback
The facilitator manages the group’s learning based on participants’ knowledge via small group and plenary discussions, as well as experiential learning activities and personal reflections.
Team Building
Team building is an important way to create trust, ensure confidentiality, and create a positive learning space for participants. Teambuilding opens up the workshop space to learning beyond the technical aspects of advocacy planning and encourages participants to develop trust and collaborative relationships throughout the workshop.
An Introduction to Advocacy
This chapter introduces participants to the essential elements that contribute to a successful advocacy strategy, as well as the planning methods that are involved in each step.
Advocacy For and With Girls
A gender perspective and a human rights framework are key to successful advocacy efforts for and with girls because both provide tools for analyzing the root causes of the problems and inequities that girls experience.
5.1 Powerpoint
International Instruments for Girl Advocacy
5.2 Powerpoint
Advocacy for Gender Perspective
5.3 Powerpoint
Involving Girls in Advocacy Strategies
Chapter 5 Video
Digital Story by Gabriela Flores
Self-Care and Safety for Advocates
Taking care of ourselves and each other ensures that we can take care of others.
Political Mapping
The ultimate success of an advocacy strategy often depends on how well advocates map their target audience: the decision makers they are trying to influence.
Advocacy Planning
Planning not only helps us identify potential bumps in our road to success, but also helps to make sure that we are asking the right questions, advocating with the right people in realistic ways, and addressing the root causes of the problems in our communities.
Communications and Storytelling
The strategic use of media and storytelling is key to winning over the hearts and minds of decision-makers and the general public to improve the lives of girls around the world.
9.3 Powerpoint
Interacting with Policy Makers
Chapter 9 Video
Digital Stories by GOJoven
Chapter 9 Video
Digital Story by Roberto Morales
Building Alliances
Building strong strategic alliances mitigates our weaknesses with the assets of other groups or organizations. By joining our voices and strategies, working with our allies is crucial to ensuring that decision-makers act in a timely and effective manner to improve the policies and laws that directly impact the lives of girls.
Implementation Plan
Activities and logic framework to enable us to identify what we are doing to achieve our objectives, who is responsible for taking those actions, and how we will measure our success.
Advocacy Resource Mobilization
Fund development and proposal writing.
12.1 Powerpoint
Fundraising
12.2 Powerpoint
Proposal Writing
Proposal Development
To maximize the clarity and effectiveness of these proposals, facilitators should take advantage of the workshop space to provide effective feedback on proposal ideas and writing.
Closing Activities
Closing a workshop effectively provides a meaningful final activity for participants to reflect on their learnings, appreciate the learning space they shared with others, and transition into their daily lives outside of the workshop space.
Resources
View resource for advocates section of the Guide to Advocacy
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to the many leaders around the world who contributed to creating this girl-centered advocacy curriculum, including our funding partners: the United Nations Foundation, the NoVo Foundation, the Summit Foundation, and the WestWind Foundation. See full acknowledgements.
Conclusion: Hope, Commitment & Action
Read a personal reflection from Memory Banda. View
