What is advocacy?

Driving Question- What actions are required to improve the health of young people?

Linking question- How can advocacy lead to action in improving the health of young people?

Individuals-

How do they advocate?

General practitioners, physiotherapists, counsellors and dieticians, share their knowledge.  Once they understand the problems of the individual they advocate by, recommending and encouraging changes in behaviour to become more healthy, food choices, exercise programs, elimination of unhealthy habits like excess drinking of alcohol or encouraging people to stop smoking.

Community Groups and Schools-

How do they advocate?

School encourage students to see a counsellor if they are encountering problems at home, or at school. Teachers will advocate for health through their involvement or if they promote a campaign or health initiative, jump rope for heart, RUOK day, Jersey day. Educating students about the issues, encouraging on going awareness, giving them opportunities to be physically active. 

RUOK day activities- students are advocating for better mental health, through the inclusion of strategies to assist mental health and asking people to check up on their friends and make sure that they are OK.

Police fitness morning- both the school and the police are saying that they see the importance of being physically active and also filling students time to potentially keep them out of trouble. This is in the hope of improving mental, potential physical harm that they may encounter if they get into drugs or alcohol, fights. 

How do each of the above non government organisations advocate for health?

How does the Government advocate for health?

(consider the programs that they allocate money to, laws or policies that they enact or change, how they choose to spend money on bettering the infrastructure - hospitals, bike paths) 

How do international organisations advocate for health?

Consider how the individuals and groups in our society act as advocates for health. 

Answer the following questions for reflection:

• what roles do individuals and groups play in advocating for the health of young people?

• why do we need to advocate for the health of others? 

• what examples of advocacy are you familiar with?

• what issues do you think are important to young people? Why?

• are these issues universal to all young people in Australia?