Advocacy
Photo credit: CFUW (Canadian Federation of University Women) PUBLIC Group
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
What is advocacy?
Advocacy originates from the Latin advocare, meaning to speak out on behalf of someone. Conceptually, advocacy relates to engagement in activities, organizations and discussions intended to influence opinion and public policies locally, nationally and internationally. The expected outcome is a stronger accountability from governmental and international bodies. In this perspective, advocacy is a key element of democracy as it secures the voice of the voiceless in political dialogues aimed at the common good.
Why we do it
For all women and girls, to promote access to education, express concerns on policies, and bring changes to positively transform their lives.
How we do it
We use a human-rights-based approach to advocate for policies that were adopted by CFUW. We advocate on different platforms by:
- Raising money to provide bursaries for post-secondary education for women and girls
- Supporting CFUW to retain its special consultative status with the United Nations Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC)
- Collaborating with community organizations on issues related to the status of women and girls.
- Raising funds to support the fight against women’s poverty.
- Submitting briefs and writing letters to government bodies on several topics related to women’s and girls’ education, safety and health.
- Developing and promoting life-long learning for members.
- Reviewing and proposing resolutions to CFUW