As an ambassador for the Arthritis foundation from the state of Maine I will be traveling to Washington DC March 24th through March 26th. I will be sharing my preparation for the trip as well as updating my experiences while in DC. To help you understand my journey I would first like to share with you some definitions of advocacy. Tomorrow I will discuss my journey to becoming an advocate.
The Alliance for Justice defines advocacy as:
" any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or
defends, or pleads on behalf of others. some concepts from their fact sheet (which can be found athttps://www.mffh.org/mm/files/AFJ_what-is-advocacy.pdf ) offer a look at how advocacy is defined, what kinds of
activities comprise advocacy work, and what kinds of advocacy projects several tax-exempt groups are
currently leading.
How is advocacy different from lobbying?
Lobbying is only one kind of advocacy. Not all advocacy is lobbying but all lobbying is advocacy.
In future posts I will also explore how patients can become self-advocates when working with doctors and insurance companies. I welcome suggestions or questions as I take you on this journey with me!
