Advocate associates

How can we make advocate associate relationships more meaningful, both to advocates and to the programme?

The question above was circulated to board contacts in the Citizen Advocacy Network in July 2003.

Response from Capricorn Citizen Advocacy

We discussed this at our 4 August monthly meeting and came up with the following:

• Start with a proper orientation to the role.
• Invite AAs to all social events and training sessions.
• Hold an annual "thank-you" for AAs.
• Ask AAs to be guest speakers at general meetings, e.g. AGMs.
• Canvass membership and advocates at AGMs to see what issues they are looking for information sessions on - and where relevant approach AAs.
• Co-ordinator be vigilant during follow up to ensure advocates are aware of availability of AAs, and co-ordinator be "tuned" to the prospect of putting them in touch.
• Ask AAs to do an article for the newsletter.
• Provide advocates with information on what areas of practice that our current AAs operate in, rather than names and contact details as these could easily change as people leave the area, etc.

Response from Illawarra Citizen Advocacy

We discussed this at our 12 August board meeting. We believe that few of our AAs are used very much by our advocates. This low usage results in AAs having a low connection with the programme. For example, we have periodically tried to organise social gatherings of AAs only to cancel them due to low numbers responding.

To strengthen the AA connection to advocates and the programme, we suggest:

• Coordinators can think in terms of AAs more in follow-along, recommending particular AAs to advocates as appropriate.
• The programme's list of AAs should be circulated to advocates and board members more frequently.
• The programme should be in touch with AAs at least annually (aside from newsletters and invitations to advocate workshops).
• Workshops for advocates can be organised with one or more AAs giving presentations and/or answering questions.
• When people become AAs, they are given an orientation. Because this happened years ago in many cases, an update orientation may be needed.
• Once AAs are contacted more by advocates, resulting in AAs feeling a stronger connection with the programme, then we can realistically have meetings of AAs.