Yes Self-Advocacy, and...

Very few people would argue against self-advocacy. After all, all people have needs and it is certainly beneficial to communicate them clearly.

And – self-advocacy is not enough.

 It is not enough to simply be good communicators about our needs. It is not enough to be good listeners and confident speakers. It is not enough to feel grounded in our bodies and with our voices.

 It is not even enough to know about helpful accommodations that are available in our education systems.  It is not enough to know how to ask for accommodations in our workplace. It is not enough to know how to ask for fair pay.

 It is not enough because advocating for yourself will never be enough for everyone within unjust systems.

Self-advocacy is necessary but not sufficient.

 So, I say yes to self-advocacy.

 And…yes to overturning unjust laws.  Yes to policy changes within corporations. Yes to overhauls of education systems that prioritize learning and well-being over bureaucracy and testing.  

 Let’s aim for self-advocacy that empowers people to advocate for their needs within a system and join with others to advocate for changing unjust systems.  

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On March 13, 2021 AllProv will host a Zoom discussion on Improv & Self-Advocacy: Designing Effective Workshops. To read more and register, click here.