The Advocacy Project
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Advocacy Project (AP) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to strengthen community-based human rights advocacy groups. AP was established in June 1998 to report to human rights advocates from the Rome conference that established the International Criminal Court. AP continued on a project-by-project basis until it acquired nonprofit status in July 2001. As of 2007, AP worked with groups in 18 different countries and territories.
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[edit] Mission
AP supports advocates who work for social justice and human rights at the community level. AP aims to strengthen the capacity of such advocates to produce, disseminate and use information effectively.
AP seeks a world in which disempowered people are able to find their voice and exercise their right to develop – on their own terms and with appropriate support from their government and the international community. Advocacy Project
[edit] Services
AP offers partner organizations a choice of services aimed at strengthening their advocacy.
[edit] Fellows for Peace
Each year, AP recruits graduate students from universities in North America and Europe to take part in a program called Fellows for Peace. Through the program, which was launched in 2003, the fellows volunteer with community-based partners or organizations committed to community-based advocacy. Over the summer of 2007, AP sent 31 fellows to partner organizations all over the world.
[edit] Blogs
AP fellows write at least one blog a week while abroad. According to the AP website,
Their blogs help to bring alive the work of their hosts and allows them to communicate with friends, universities, and community groups back home that are following their work. Blogging has provided many AP fellows with an outlet for their hopes and frustrations. Several fellows have also used blogs to raise funds for their partners and their own travel costs. Advocacy Project
[edit] Dissemination
AP offers its partner organizations the opportunity to disseminate their information through the AP website and AdvocacyNet, an online news service that takes material from partners and turns them into news bulletins. These news bulletins, which profile innovative models of community-based advocacy and report on community campaigns, are sent out to more than 6,000 subscribers. Partners that lack their own websites post information on the AP website—on customized pages or in blogs.
[edit] Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
AP helps partner groups utilize ICT. AP staff assists partners with ICT trouble-shooting and developing websites suited to groups’ specific needs. Fellows help their host groups create social networks through listservs and blogs. In addition, AP utilizes a method of ICT training known as eRiding. eRiders are technological experts that provide local ICT support for partner organizations.
[edit] Partners
[edit] Community-Based Partners
Community-based partners are human rights advocacy groups that work at the community level. As of 2007, AP worked with more than 30 community-based advocacy groups worldwide. These groups are located in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
[edit] Outreach Partners
Outreach partners are typically activist groups located in the United States that AP works with to further promote the efforts of community-based partners.
[edit] Strategic Partners
AP seeks to build strategic partnerships with social justices groups around the world to reach beneficiaries, scale up services and produce more sustained outcomes.
