Public Advocacy is much more than legal advocacy. As NCAS understands, Public Advocacy is a planned and organised set of actions to effectively influence public policies and to get them implemented in a way that would empower the marginalised. In a liberal democratic culture, it uses the instruments of democracy and adopts non-violent and constitutional means.
Public advocacy generally promotes public good and attempts to bring about social justice. It focuses attention on furthering the well being of the underprivileged members of the community.
Advocacy is:
The raison d'être of public advocacy is to use all available media, forums and methods to bring the issues of public concern to the forefront. Public advocacy cannot be separated from crying issues of social justice; its prime goal will always be directing public policy towards the betterment of those who have a weaker voice and lesser power in existing political systems.
The methods of
Public Advocay:
Historically and in present times, public advocacy uses a number of tools, usually in tandem, to mobilise public support and influence policy makers, the areas of advocacy include the mass media, the judiciary, lobbying, networking, raising questions in parliament, struggling to gain access to information, coalitions with like-minded groups, door-to-door awareness campaigns and mass mobilisation for demonstrations and civil disobedience.
As struggles for social justice tend to face an uphill task - with opposition from a diverse range of vested interests - and the bombardment from media channels continues unabated, effective public advocacy demands harnessing of a number of skills, to develop and implement focused campaigns, directed at different target groups. NCAS aims to provide the professional inputs and environment needed to strengthen the expertise of social action groups and public spirited individuals in this area.
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