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Advocacy in Peacemaking is Empowerment

 

Advocacy to me means helping people find what’s important to them, help them to identify and celebrate their strengths.

 

It means inspiring confidence and supporting a vision.

 

Advocacy means linking individuals and families with resources to build and use their strengths and to improve upon their weaknesses.  

 

It means helping people become whole, autonomous and appropriately connected.

 

Advocacy means creating a safe container to discuss different ideas and to confront things which they can’t do yet together.

 

It means helping people frame options in ways that will satisfy themselves and the whole.

 

Advocacy means helping people find hope in themselves and the other, that they have the capacity to come to a good agreement.

 

It means assuring each person that they will not be taken advantage of and that they will be supported with information and resources necessary and time to make good decisions without unnecessary delay.

 

Advocacy means making sure each party feels heard.

 

It means promoting awareness of the emotional needs for themselves and other, like Appreciation, Connection, Autonomy, Status, Role.

 

Advocacy means encouraging vulnerability in a safe environment to get to a deeper truth and resolution.

 

It means creating the space for authenticity without criticism or shame.

 

Advocacy means educating, not advising on the law or what a judge would do.

 

It means helping people speak for themselves, discern when they can no longer do that and then help them find other alternatives.