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A Voice For the Voiceless

The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.

The Impact of Service "Speaking with locals and living in a country is the best way to learn about the real lives of citizens, not just the stories in the mainstream media. I will be more critical of what I read as a result of this experience. I also feel even more grateful for my education, and I feel a stronger responsibility to assist others who do not have resources or access to opportunities in their communities." Maria Skouras (New York University) volunteered in 2011 as a Peace Fellow for eHomemakers in Malaysia. For more 2011 feedback click here.

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Services > Our Model of Support

Our Model of Support

Connect to a disempowered community: AP connects with a community that has suffered widespread discrimination and is barred from claiming its rights. AP does not initiate this contact, but responds to inquiries or referrals. Priority is given to communities that feel friendless and have the potential to trigger social change.

Develop a partnership with a representative from the disempowered community: AP’s partners should be committed to human rights and advocacy and emerge directly from the community. This gives them motivation, and ensures that their campaigns will be sustained.

Volunteers: AP recruits graduate students in North America and Europe to serve as Peace Fellows and volunteer with partners for periods of up to a year. Most Fellows are deployed for three months.

Set clear goals: Through Fellows, AP helps partners to set campaigning goals and identify desired outcomes within a time-frame.

Tell the story: AP Peace Fellows work with their host to produce a compelling portrait of the partner’s disempowerment and advocacy, through blogs, video and photos. This provides content for the partner's web pages and campaigns. Our goal is that the partner produce its own information, on a regular and sustained basis through a newsletter or press releases.

Disseminate information: AP helps partners to learn ICT skills, develop ICT tools (websites), and use ICT in their advocacy. AP also disseminates information about partners through an online news service (AdvocacyNet) and website. All partners are given a page on the AP site.

International Outreach: AP helps partners to build support for their campaigns among universities, schools, diaspora communities and community groups in North America and Europe.

Fundraising: AP helps to raise funds for partners, through direct and indirect fundraising.

Sustaining campaigns: AP helps partners to sustain their advocacy until their goals are met, by recruiting Fellows year after year, raising funds, and working with other experienced organizations that complement AP's model.

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