MPA Program at CCNY
This week, the MPA Program hosted a workshop about the foundations of successful advocacy with two special guest facilitators from the Advocacy Institute.
Marissa Martin, the executive director of the Advocacy Institute, and Abby Ng, a trainer, co-facilitated the 90-minute workshop on Wednesday night for students, staff, and faculty from the Colin Powell School community.
The "Advocacy 101"-style workshop began with a primer on the definition of advocacy, the types of policies that affect New Yorkers' lives, and how people can use advocacy to influence their representatives at all levels of government.
The workshop then delved into the details of planning an advocacy campaign, building a coalition, tracking progress, understanding the policy landscape, and leveraging influence over key government officials.
For the majority of participants, who said they were new to advocacy work, this workshop provided a thorough introductory training. For those with experience in legislative campaigns, the workshop served as a useful and informative refresher.
The Advocacy Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides trainings, consulting and tools to organizations throughout New York State so that more communities can build the skills and power they need to change the policies that impact them.